Following Jesus in the Gospel: The Jesuits and Their Mission - Essay Example

?Following Jesus in the Gospel: The Jesuits and Their Mission "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.” (Matt. 16:24). These were the words that Jesus told his disciples when they expressed their longing to come with him. These are the very same words that the Jesuit missionaries demonstrate in the movie, “The Mission.” The movie illustrates the kind of life that Jesuit missionaries lived in South America in the middle of the 18th century. The movie is historically meaningful as it relates the struggles of the Jesuits to convert the Guaranis and defend them against colonialists during the expansion of the Portuguese territory under the Treaty of Madrid. The sacrifices of the Jesuits in the movie closely mirror the life that Jesus lived in the Bible. “The Mission” is a movie written by Robert Bolt and directed by Roland Joffe. Produced by Fernando Ghia and David Puttnam, it stars Jeremy Irons as Father Gabriel, the head of the Jesuit mission, Robert de Niro as a former Spanish slaver who becomes a Jesuit, Liam Neeson as a young Jesuit, Ray McAnally as the Spanish cardinal sent by the Catholic Pope to look into the Jesuit missions, and Chuck Low as the Spanish Governor Cabeza who led the Spanish troops to attack the Guaranis. The setting of the story is in the 1970s. The movie’s historical background suggests that under the Treaty of Madrid, the Portuguese were given the power to take over the Guarani community, which at that time was run by Jesuit missionaries. The natives themselves resisted and many died including the Jesuit missionaries headed by Father Gabriel. The introduction presents an example of how the Jesuits risk their lives in their mission to convert non-Christians. The scene in which one priest is salvaged by tying him to a cross and letting him run down through the Iguazu falls depicts how cruel the Guaranis could be towards the missionaries. In fact, history recounts Jesuit missionaries in different countries who died for their belief. Martinez (73) reports the death of eight missionary Jesuit priests in an attack in Mexico. Tylenda (372), Butler (68) and Molinari (26) also report the sacrifices of the Jesuit missionaries in different parts of the world especially in Japan, China and Southern America. The scene in which Fr. Gabriel plays his oboe in a river illustrates the courage and determination that Jesuits should possess in order to enter the mission. This is despite the death of the other missionary priest in the falls. Fr. Gabriel plays his instrument to capture the hearts of the Guaranis. Soaked in the river, he positions himself on a rock and plays his oboe until the Guaranis pay attention to him and ask him to come with them. Fr. Gabriel uses music to communicate and bring peace to the people because that is the only way to communicate with them. In sending his disciples, Jesus did not mention the use of music but he equipped them with different languages in order to spread the Word. On the part of the Jesuits, music serves as the way to capture the hearts of the people. In the latter part, we see the people singing in harmony, a scene that touches even the heart of Cardinal Altamirano. This shows the strategy of the Jesuits in converting non-believers. The music of Fr. Gabriel communicates peace and harmony with the people. Until now, Jesuits are known for the beautiful music they make, which one can hear from mass in Catholic churches. The movie also sets the example on how the Jesuit missionaries deny themselves of material pleasures in life. Mendoza, the Spanish slaver, leaves his armor and other personal belongings behind when he follows Fr. Gabriel. The scene is momentous because leaving his sack signifies Mendoza’s preparedness to enter the mission by denying his personal needs and embracing the missionary life. It is also in this scene that the Jesuits and the Guaranis welcome him as their brother. Based on his reaction, Mendoza experiences true happiness and finds relief from the pain caused by his unfaithful his wife. He finds a family in the Jesuit community as they embrace him in laughter and tears. In addition to the denial of material needs, the priests have to walk and cross mountains in order to get to the Guarani community. They eat with the converts, play, carry and comfort the children as if they are their own. Needless to say, the Jesuits do not get married and devote their time to God and the people. They are dressed in dark suits and sandals, and rely on planting and hunting for food. Jesuit missionaries also demonstrate great talent in teaching people about the Gospel, livelihood, and music. During the visit of Cardinal Altamirano, he is amazed at the way the people sang and served in the mass, performed their jobs in the plantation and created handicrafts that demonstrate their ingenuity as a people. The scenes showing the missions illustrate that the Guaranis are capable of surviving on their own; they should not be slaves to the Portuguese or Spanish. They are a free people who can learn to build their houses, worship God, and produce art crafts that can be sold commercially. Although they have obscure rules such as abortion or killing their own child, Fr. Gabriel assures the Spaniards that they are doing such for survival. The way Fr. Gabriel explains implies the Jesuit thought of the “common good.” According to Hopfi (273), for the Jesuits, the end and justification of law and policy are not the bases of the common good. As the movie illustrates, the Jesuits may have made a great transformation in the lives of the Guaranis but they sustained the people’s beliefs and customs. Viewers may argue on this idea in the same manner that the Spanish governor argues with Fr. Gabriel but one thing is clear, that Jesuits lived harmoniously with the people because of the respect they gave the converts. On a different note, the success of the Jesuits in promoting livelihood is viewed in two ways. One, it helped primitive regions develop livelihood and support their basic needs. Two, it made the Jesuit society wealthy because they benefitted from the plantations that they handled. In the movie, everybody partakes of the resources that they gain. However, in other communities, the Jesuits thrived to make their community, the Society of Jesus, wealthy. Nowadays, one can find vast lands owned by the Jesuits. In the earlier days, the Jesuits maintained slaves in their plantations, thus they share the negative reputation of landlords, especially in America (Murphy 197). For instance, in his book, Murphy reports the selling of slaves by the Jesuits in Maryland in the 18th century. According to Murphy, some Jesuits denounced slaveholding, while other priests consented. Still others consented to keeping slaves but treating them as sons and daughters and teaching them the right examples. Nevertheless, it remains a question how the Jesuits of today have owned the land properties that they have in all the countries they went to. With this, it is not surprising if the congregation continues to get wealthier as days pass by. At the end of the movie, the Jesuits also show their piousness. In particular, Fr. Gabriel shows no resistance to the army troops of the Spanish and the Portuguese. Despite Mendoza’s plea to fight, Fr. Gabriel still insists on a peaceful submission to the government. Until the end, Fr. Gabriel shows nonviolence until he is shot while conducting mass and holding the Eucharist. Meanwhile, Fr. Mendoza also shows heroism as he defends the Guarani people from the oppressors. The two show opposing attitudes regarding violence. Fr. Gabriel insists to Fr. Mendoza that “God is love.” Therefore, he commands the latter not to let his hand be stained with blood but until the end show love. In the example of Christ, love means dying on the cross to show the people’s need to ask for penance. This is what Fr. Gabriel does and what he wants his Jesuit brothers to do. However, the other Jesuits, especially Fr. Mendoza have decided to fight to defend the Guaranis and the mission. At the coming of the enemies, Fr. Gabriel chooses to sacrifice his life by relenting to the Spanish order and offering mass that day while Fr. Mendoza, who is a former slaver, prepares himself and the men for the battle. Between these two priests, Fr. Gabriel is the one that replicates Christ’s example. It is he who truly takes up his cross and follows Christ’s example. In the end, both of them die but Fr. Gabriel’s deed will be more valued by God because his sacrifice mirrors that of Christ, thus it is a perfect offering to God. Meanwhile, Fr. Mendoza defends the people so his deed will be valued by the people. As Jesus said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's” (Mark 12:17). The final scene shows a comparison between the love and sacrifice that Fr. Gabriel shows and the avengement that Fr. Mendoza executes. Another thing that the movie reveals about the Jesuits and their mission is the politicking that happens in supporting the missions. In the movie, Cardinal Altamirano guiltily recommends the submission of the Guaranis and the Jesuits to the law despite the recognizable success of the missions. He favors the destruction of the missions to please his own will. Cardinal Altamirano reveals that he is once a Jesuit but he fails to be a priest under the religious congregation. This shows the bitterness he has for the Jesuits, especially when he sees Fr. Mendoza qualifying the Jesuit order. Cardinal Altamirano is responsible for the death and the sacrifice of the Jesuits and the Guarani people because he recommends their submission or surrender, which later results in the Guarani war. His role is an allusion to the role of Pilate in Jesus’ crucifixion. Like Pilate, despite the bold truth that the Guarani missions are worthy of commendation, Altamirano still causes the destruction of the missions due to his own selfish intent. Like Pilate who wants to please the Jews by obeying their will to crucify Christ, Altamirano yields to the desire of the governors to secure power and authority. The decision of Altamirano, prompted by his bitterness towards the Jesuits, implies another difficulty that the Jesuits faced in the 18th century, the difficulty of being overruled by the government. In spite of the good intentions of the Jesuits, they were still opposed and lambasted in courts, ignored in social functions, and persecuted in places of their missions. The missionary life that the Jesuits took in the 18th century was not an easy path. As Jesus said, it is similar to a cross that each has to carry in order to follow Him. As the movie reveals, the Jesuit life during the time of massive conversion in South America was full of sacrifices. They had to brave death and violence, keep up with the decrees of the government officials, and deny their own needs. In order to be true to their order, Jesuit missionaries had to be talented, intelligent, open-minded, patient, forgiving, sacrificial and true to the will of God. The selection of men to the order is not easy and although several anomalies have been reported regarding the Jesuit missions, the Catholic Church cannot deny the great contribution that the Jesuit missionaries had made to convert nations and improve their lives. Works Cited Butler, Alban. The Lives of the Primitive Fathers, Martyrs and Other Principal Saints. London: J. Moir, 1798. Print. Hopfl, Harro. Jesuit Political Thought: The Society of Jesus and the State c.1540-1630. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Print. “Mark 12:17.” N.d. Biblos.com. Web. 10 April 2013. Martinez, John. Not Counting the Cost: Jesuit Missionaries in Colonial Mexico. London: Jesuit Way, 2001. Print. “Matthew 16:24.” N.d. Biblos.com. Web. 11 April 2013. Molinari, Paolo. Companions of Jesus: Spiritual Profiles of the Jesuit Saints and Beati. London: English Prov of the Society of Jesus, 1974. Print. Murphy, Tomas. Jesuit Slaveholding in Maryland 1717-1838. NY: Routledge, 2001. Print. The Mission. Dir. Roland Joffe. Perf. Robert de Niro, Jeremy Irons and Liam Neeson. Warner Bros, 1986. Tylenda, Joseph. Jesuit Saints and Martyrs. London: Jesuit Way, 1998. Print. Read More