The Mission (1986): A Theological Reflection on Justice

Introduction: The Mission and Its Setting

The 1986 film The Mission portrays 18th-century South American society during a period when Jesuit missionaries were undertaking their evangelical ventures in the region. As they entered the land, they encountered the native Guaraní people, who had previously resisted contact with slave traders. Father Gabriel and Captain Mendoza — the latter a former slave trader who had converted — were instrumental in bringing Christianity to this region. They met significant resistance, and it was only through sustained acts of goodwill toward the local population — expressed through music, philanthropy, communal work, and the word of God — that they gradually won the community's trust and affection.

More decisive in this process was the fact that the missionaries chose to stand alongside the local people, defending their land and their community from the encroaching colonialists. This act of solidarity became the foundation for everything that followed in their relationship with the Guaraní.

The Suffering of the Guaraní People

The suffering of the Guaraní tribe in remote South America is depicted through the film's portrayal of extreme poverty and a history of enslavement. This suffering is made even more vivid through scenes of wanton killing carried out by colonialists — violence that occurred even inside churches, where the Guaraní had sought refuge. The film does not allow the viewer to look away from the human cost of colonial ambition, anchoring its theological concerns in the concrete reality of indigenous suffering in South America.

Solidarity and the Struggle for Social Justice

Solidarity and the struggle for social justice is another theme that emerges clearly in the film. The Guaraní tribe remains united with the two priests in resisting the colonialists. They find no justification for surrendering their land to a foreign political authority, and despite the overwhelming violence directed at them, they refuse to capitulate. As a community, they stand together and fight back. The film presents this collective resistance not as mere political defiance but as a morally grounded response to injustice — one that the missionaries themselves come to share fully.

Justified Violence and Liberation Theology

The film also raises the theme of justified violence in the context of liberation. The writer invites viewers to consider the reasons behind the two priests' decision to take up arms, and to ask what they themselves would have done in the same position. The Mission challenges Christians to understand their theology in practical, lived terms. Until that point, the priests had been living peacefully among the Guaraní; suddenly they are confronted with violence, discrimination, injustice, and racism. Both priests ultimately choose to lay down their lives for what they believe in.

This portrayal resonates with the thinking of Gustavo Gutiérrez, the Peruvian theologian widely regarded as the father of liberation theology. Gutiérrez stated: "I have always thought that as a priest, my work is basically pastoral, which means to follow the life and the march of a people and try to proclaim the gospel from this accompaniment" (Kristenson, 2009, p. 6). He made this remark in response to the political injustices faced by the people of Peru during the 1980s and 1990s — a context that closely mirrors the moral landscape depicted in the film. For Gutiérrez, as for the missionaries in the story, pastoral commitment cannot be separated from engagement with suffering and oppression.

Reference

Kristenson, O. (2009). Pastor in the shadow of violence. Retrieved May 01, 2018, from http://uu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:273909/FULLTEXT01.pdf