A life more meaningful

An unsung priest was tied on a cross and set afloat to die in the waterfalls. He was a ghost to the native South American tribe — the Guarani—to them. He was a strange being with fair skin, a bony nose and hair lighter than their complexion. His features were unknown to them. He was not human. He was something else.

This is a scene at the beginning of the classic epic, The Mission. A beautiful film directed by Roland Joffé of The Killing Fields to the accompaniment of heavenly music done by the legendary Ennio Morricone, The Mission is about love and hate, the paradox existing in these two emotions, which when heightened, can move people to die for others, or kill.

Fr. Gabriel, played by Jeremy Irons, was a Jesuit priest sent by the church to Christianize the tribe. The Indians were unaware that another man with white skin would venture above the falls and introduce to them his mission. This time their lives intertwine. Fr. Gabriel introduces music and songs which the Guarani welcomes and are inclined to. Their voices are heavenly; their melody, divine. The highlands of the plateau become a haven filled with the poetry of sound.

Rodrigo Mendoza, played by Robert de Niro, is a slave trader whose skills with the sword captures Indians and sells them to Portugal and Spain. Rodrigo and Fr. Gabriel live contrasting lives and have opposing stands. The Jesuit priest protects the Guarani, while the mercenary imprisons them by vending them as merchandise to interested buyers of slaves. They are animals, beasts, of no use to the earth’s beauty; meant to serve people of higher, civilized manners. This was what Rodrigo believed in, until one moment that changed his life.

Rodrigo falls in love with a woman in love with his brother. Out of jealousy and rage, he kills the younger Mendoza (Aidan Quinn). The slave trader isolates himself in a convent for six months. He’s untouched by law. His profession gave him immunity over punishment.

Another man of the cloth calls on Fr. Gabriel and assigns him to talk to the mercenary since he yearns to die. He says nothing and speaks to no one, so Fr. Gabriel dares him to do penance for redemption.

Threatened, Rodrigo wants the priest to leave him alone, but relents in the end. The priests take him above the falls and to paradise, where they teach songs of praise to the Indians.

The native Americans were scared of Rodrigo at first. They observe him; they think he is evil, then eventually accept him. This becomes the beginning of Rodrigo’s new life.

The Guarani are friendly to him, they play with him and make him feel part of their family. In return, Rodrigo respects them as people. He falls in love with the tribe. The man of the sword slowly understands something he never understood before. Rodrigo begins to smile more, for what he had is real, a happiness that’s genuine. But the serene place of heavenly voices and wise hearts will soon end.

The majesties of Portugal want to enlarge their empire. This is supported by the monarch in Spain. Hence, they pursue a transfer for the mission territory since it obstructs their plan. The Cardinal seeks guidance from his own conscience and from God. But in the end, he fears the instability that may rattle his church if he does not obey the sovereigns of these two lands. His Eminence yields to the order, and this creates war between men only different in color and culture.

Rodrigo and Fr. Gabriel protect the Guarani and fight for their home through ways which they have mastered. Rodrigo fights with weapons; Fr. Gabriel, with prayer. The man of the sword uses his skill to protect the Guarani, but the guns are powerful and the enemies were many. Fr. Gabriel dies while saying Mass.

This historical tale happened in the 1700s, yet it speaks of truth — of what is still happening to our people today. It speaks of death from ignorance and fear.

The white men fought and killed for they did not understand the other, and the brown Indians fought and killed for they were scared of their pale-skinned brothers.

Why do we comprehend life with such shallowness and define our importance through wealth or the color of our skin? What happened to man’s beauty and depth? Have we submitted our perceptions to distortions which have no value?

When shall we change? When shall we understand that life is not lived only for oneself ?

Your beauty is my beauty, too. Your peace is my peace. There is something bigger than "just me," and that is all of us. The power of compassion, maybe this is what we lack.