THE IMMINENCE THAT OVERSHADOWS

On March 8, 2020, the actor Max von Sydow, protagonist of The Seventh Seal (1957) by Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007), died. It was the 1950s when it was first released in cinemas, years in which the Swedish director already grasped with extreme lucidity the attempt of the West to remove the fear of death. Bergman, presenting her in her provocative restlessness, had the courage to describe her in all her drama. But note, this was not out of cynicism but to help his contemporaries reflect on the fundamental questions: where do I come from, where am I going? Why death? And precisely because the question makes man a pilgrim, in search of an answer, Bergman favours the idea of the journey, of the path. Antonius Bloch, the knight, is in fact returning with his squire from the crusades. On the beach, one morning, he meets death who reminds him that his time has come. And here the knight asks for a delay and proposes a game of chess to the sinister presence. If he wins, his life will be spared. Of course, he does not fear death, but, paradoxically, thanks to it, the question of the existence of God and the meaning of life becomes more pressing: “But why, why – he asks himself – is it not possible to grasp God with one’s own senses, for what reason does he hide among thousands and thousands of whispered prayers and incomprehensible miracles. Why should I have faith in the faith of others? What will become of those who are incapable and do not want to have faith?” These are questions that have no answer. Not only that, the knight cannot even free himself from God, not even by denying him in himself and killing him in his own heart: “Why can’t I kill God in myself, why does he continue to live in me even in a shameful and humiliating way even if I curse him and want to tear him from my heart? Why does he continue to be a tormenting call that I cannot free myself from?” In these words we also recognize all of Bergman’s torment. He would like to free himself from God, like Antonius Bloch, but he feels he cannot do so because he is inhabited by His presence. Crossing the country destroyed by the plague, the knight notices two reactions in the face of death: that of someone who tries to steal the last drop of pleasure from existence and that of someone who punishes himself for having provoked, in his opinion, divine punishment. But Bergman opts for a third reaction, that of giving his life for others following the example of Christ and having as his ultimate horizon his return in glory. Therefore: the only way to defeat death is love. And in fact, in order to save a young and beautiful family, the acrobats, the knight with a sudden but also deliberate gesture overturns the pawns from the chessboard thus giving death the chance to win the challenge. And death smiles because it has achieved its goal. But it does not realize, instead, that it has been deceived. In fact, death is defeated by love, by the gesture of the knight that thus allows the family to escape. Before dying Antonius wanted to perform a significant action, as he had told his opponent, making her suspicious. He succeeds and wins, like Christ, who, defeated on the cross, actually celebrated the victory of that love that resurrects and remains forever. This is the horizon with which to live this day in which we commemorate our brothers and sisters living in Christ.

Commentary by b. Sandro Carotta, osb
Abbazia di Praglia (Italy)

Translation by f. Mark Hargreaves,
Prinknash Abbey