By Fr. Tom Mangattuthazhe & Verghese V Joseph –
Jesus was born, died, rose from the dead. He will come again – these are some of the basic tenets of Christianity.
The Second Coming of Jesus is frequently mentioned in the Bible. It is also called the ‘Day of the Lord’ or the ‘Parousia’, which means the ‘presence’ or ‘arrival’ of someone. When will this take place, no one knows but the Father (Acts 1:11). Nor is there any clear indication in the Bible of how it will be accomplished. “They will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven” (Mt 24:30). “This Jesus will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).
The fact that Jesus spoke of His Second Coming is found in the Bible. (Mt. 24:4-14; Lk 17:22-37). This belief is professed in liturgical celebrations especially when the faithful prayerfully recite the Creed or the Profession of Faith.
The Second Vatican Council’s “Dogmatic Constitution on the Church” states, “Already the final age of the world is with us and the renewal of the world is irrevocably underway; it is even now anticipated in a certain real way, for the Church on earth is endowed already with a sanctity that is real though imperfect” (No. 48).
One of the beautiful work done to depict the Second Coming of Jesus is the movie entitled ‘He Will Come Again’, produced and directed by Good News for the Poor, an association led by Bro. Joy Kallokaran. The movie was released on November 28, 2014 at POC, Kochy. The movie has been shown in several parts of India and it is indeed an ideal tool for true Christian living.
In the words of Archbishop Soosa M Pakiam, “‘He will come again’ is a wonderful effort to teach the people visually about the Second Coming of Christ”.
Dr. Michael Karimattom writes, “As part of the missionary, Bro. Joy Kallukaran and his team’s Biblical film called ‘He Will Come Again’ with a focus on the Second Coming of Christ. I have been involved with it right from the beginning of this project and made sure that there is nothing contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church’.
Excerpts of an interview with Bro Joy Kallukaran.
What inspired you to make this film?
In my mission experience, I realised that visual media is a very powerful instrument to communicate the message to ordinary people and this conviction inspired me to make this movie.
What have you tried to convey through this film?
We all have to stand before Jesus for the last judgment and there is a hell and heaven. I’ve tried to convey this message to everyone before they die so that they can be saved by changing their life.
How have the people responded after seeing your film across India?
The responses have been beyond words of expression. All the Christian Churches have accepted this movie with full-hearted support, some of our Archbishops and Bishops have insisted it be shown in all their parishes. The feedback we received from the Churches and dioceses are encouraging, many people transformed their lives after watching the movie, some people accepted Jesus and many started studying the Bible. I have heard from teachers of schools and colleges that this movie has impacted their students just like a retreat. In some places, youth were running for confession after the movie shows and many youths shared that they did not know about the Resurrection or eternal life.
How did you go about making this film?
I did not attempt to make a movie, I was approaching some producers to make a movie like this but nobody showed any interest to make a movie with this theme. So I decided to start collecting clippings from Bible movies and joining together with the budget of one lakh of rupees and it was impossible. I started sharing my plan with many people and God blessed us. I didn’t have a proper budget but by the grace of God, bit by bit we could complete the project in two years.
Please share some information about your background and the film.
I’m from Kerala where I live with wife and two daughters — one of my daughters is married and the other one is doing her 4th year engineering. I was born and brought up in a middle-class Catholic family.
I worked in PCS Data Products Ltd, Mumbai from 1983 to 1988 as in charge of data processing and then eventually started a business named Unisoft Computers Pvt Ltd in Mumbai. The company was related to computer software development and data processing from 1989. All went well and we had branches also. I was married in 1993 and attended a week of a seminar in Divine Retreat Centre at Kerala. It changed me a lot and my thoughts were only about the Kingdom of God then I lost my interest to continue the business and I closed down my company in 1997. It was my spiritual turning point.
Well, that’s truly an inspirational beginning. What is ‘Gospel For The Poor’
I joined the Bible College in 1998 and started studying the Bible as well as preaching the gospel. Together with some committed volunteers, we formed an association called ‘Gospel for the Poor’ to preach the Gospel. We have a number of lay volunteers on a full-time basis working for the Lord to reach out to people with visual media with a focus on eternal life.
We have five teams who go around to show the movie and do the preaching. Each of these teams show around 200 250 films-based preaching in a year.
Is this film ‘He Will Come Again’ your first attempt?
Yes, ‘He will come again’ is my first attempt. I didn’t have any experience in the film ministry or industry I believe it is the Lord who led me to do the work.
The movie is one hour and 30 minutes long and my intention is to proclaim the truth to everyone by using media platform.
The original was in Malayalam and now it is also available other languages such as English, Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, and Kannada.
What is your next project?
Our next project is a movie called ‘Shepherd’, to bring out the true teachings of Jesus Christ to the people and to show the believers how a Christian must live in this world to have eternal life; more than living a ritual life and highlight Faith, Hope, Love.
