I have some good news about Kevin Costner Presents: The First Christmas, a new docudrama special premiering Dec. 9 on ABC, then streaming as of Dec. 10 on Hulu and Disney+.
Too often, when secular producers make films about Christianity, they include scholars instead of clergy — and if there are clergy, they’re often not Catholic. That’s not the case here.
But first …
What Is Kevin Costner Presents: The First Christmas?
From ABC:
Kevin Costner hosts the “Kevin Costner Presents: The First Christmas” special which explores the extraordinary journey of Mary and Joseph as they navigate the hardships, trials and triumphs surrounding Jesus Christ’s birth, offering an inspiring way to experience the true meaning of Christmas.
The two-hour special also features reenactments of pivotal moments in their story as their future’s uncertainty and the miraculous gift which they have been entrusted with unfolds, while delving deeper into the emotional significance of the events and diversity of the Christian faith. The special is produced by Warm Springs Productions and directed by David L. Cunningham.
Warm Springs Productions is located in Missoula, Montana, and previously worked with Costner on the Fox Nation documentary series Yellowstone One-Fifty and Yellowstone to Yosemite.
The dramatic re-enactments of the events around the birth of Christ were filmed on location in Morocco (including actors cast out of London).
Now, as for that Catholic …
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Meet Father Raftis
The Catholic voice in the film (which does include scholars and non-Catholic Christian clergy) is Father Sean Raftis of the Diocese of Helena, Montana. He’s pastor of two parishes — St. Richard in Columbia Falls, and St. Charles Borromeo in Whitefish — in the upper northwest corner of the state.
You might wonder if he’s in this film because it features Kevin Costner as the host and narrator, and Costner was the longtime star of the drama series Yellowstone, set and partly filmed in Montana.
You might think that, but you’d be wrong.
The Father Stu Connection
In the interests of full disclosure, Father Raftis is a friend of mine. I’ve visited his parish, and he’s visited Los Angeles, for the premiere of the 2018 movie Tag, based on a lifelong game of tag among Raftis and his friends.
We also talked for the 2021 film Father Stu, starring Mark Wahlberg as Father Stuart Long. Also a priest of the Diocese of Helena, Long had a remarkable conversion story and an impactful priesthood, before dying at 50 from a rare autoimmune disease.
Raftis counted Father Stu as a friend, confessor and spiritual director. So, when the Knights of Columbus made a short film about Father Stu, to coincide with the movie, Raftis was featured.
In a phone chat last night about his role in Kevin Costner Presents: The First Christmas, Father Raftis said, “And so one of the guys saw, I think it could have been Mr. Cunningham, who saw the documentary and said, ‘OK, let’s pick this guy.’
“So, it was just like one of those things, how do people get roles in movies? How do people get picked to be an extra in a movie? It’s like some people are professional actors and work in theater or summer stock, and then you get somebody who gets cast in a movie, who never had an acting part before in their life.”
Is Kevin Costner Presents: The First Christmas Faithful to the Gospel Narrative?
As of our conversation, Father Raftis hadn’t seen the special, but I had seen a rough cut. I was a bit surprised to hear Costner — whose family was active in a Baptist church — say he was a believer, just because I haven’t heard him discuss that before.
Costner said to USA Today:
“I have had tremendous ups, and I have been bruised equally,” Costner says. “I’ve had things said about me that I know, you know − but I have to endure them. And so how do I choose to live my life, in anger or in faith that things will reveal themselves in the right way? And so I’ve just chosen to do that.
“But being a human, you keep thinking to God, ‘You need to hurry up, God. Listen, I’ve been praying for this for a long time. You got to pick it up a little bit.’ But we live with faith, so we’re going to be tested. It’s just, we’re tested all the time.”
The special is a reasonably accurate and realistic depiction — with some assumptions and artistic license — of the Christmas story, including the oft-omitted, or underplayed, Massacre (or Slaughter) of the Holy Innocents (whose feast day is on Dec. 28).
Some Catholics might dispute Mary being shown as having labor and birth pains, and to the appearance of a pair of midwives.
Father Raftis addresses the first point, saying that there is an interpretation of Scripture which can lead to the belief that Jesus’ birth was painless, but adding, “It’s one of those things where it’s speculative theology.”
As for the midwives, he says, “They make no mention scripturally of midwives. I mean, could there have been? Could be.
“Maybe they’re taking artistic license, just like Mel Gibson took artistic license [in The Passion of the Christ] when Jesus sees the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove [during His trial]. So yeah. That’s very interesting.”
The Meaning of Costner’s Declaration of Faith
Of course, all believers are sons and daughters of God — but Jesus does say that there’s great value in retrieving a lost sheep.
While it wouldn’t be fair to describe Costner as a lost sheep, he has always been known as a secular movie star. So, there is some significance to his willingness to proclaim himself a believer, especially in a TV special intended for mainstream outlets.
I asked Father Raftis about the possible impact of that declaration.
He said, “Costner could have said no, but he said yes. And I think that’s a very laudatory thing for Mr. Costner to do, and a very courageous thing to do, to put his face and his voice out in the public square, in the secular world.
“He’s part of a very secular profession. It’s laudatory; it’s courageous; and it’s really good, I think, for him. It’ll help buttress the faith of other believers, because he says in the trailer, whether you’re a believer, or if you’re curious about the tradition, this will be a very good program for you to watch.
“So God’s ways are mysterious, and God doesn’t operate in the ways we think or the way we act.”
Kevin Costner Presents: The First Christmas premieres Tuesday, Dec. 9, on ABC, and as of Dec. 10, is available to stream on Hulu and Disney+.
Images: ABC (Hulu, Disney+)
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