Movie: the mission

[daughteroftruth]

To those of you who saw the Mission (with jeremy irons) I was wondering what you thought of the decision both of the priests made, who was right? Do you believe that the other sinned, or that they both sinned for not leaving the mission? what would you have done in the same situation? Just curious.

 

[dang71]

To those of you who saw the Mission (with jeremy irons) I was wondering what you thought of the decision both of the priests made, who was right? Do you believe that the other sinned, or that they both sinned for not leaving the mission? what would you have done in the same situation? Just curious.

great movie.

i don’t think either priest sinned. i would probably take up arms with Robert Deniro, but i have just as much respect for the other guy.

 

[IrishDude45]

Great movie! We watched it in our European history class and me and another guy were the only Catholics in there, after it was over everyone talked about Catholicism for about a week!
I think that b/c each priest did what he thought was right, I don’t think either man sinned. As far as which one I would have sided with, yeah I would have been fighting with Deniro!

 

[abucs]

Interesting question.

I agree with the first two posts. I thought it was a great movie too.
Especially with De Niro carrying that huge net up the mountain.

Are you talking to me ?

 

[Hesychios]

It has always been one of my favorites. Powerful story, great acting, wonderful location. And it is based upon a true situation, although I don’t know if there actually were any De Niro type resisters.

It illustrates the political dilemma caused be the success of the reducciones, and how the European powers handled it. It illustrates very well how the church can be compromised by the state.

And it very powerfully displays the vitality and zeal of the early Jesuits. Whom, by the way, were eventually banned from both the Spanish empire and the Portuguese empire.

The king of Spain rounded up every Jesuit in his country in a coordinated purge, and sent them all by ship to the Papal States, supposedly about 15,000 men. The Pope refused to let them land and the ships sailed around until they could dump them all sick and hungry off somewhere, I think on Corsica. Later the Pope suppressed the order.

 

[Chiltepin]

I watched this movie in a college Anthropology class. I was definitely one of very few awkwardly crying in a room full of people at the end. I didn’t care though, the end was so sad and the devotion of the natives was so beautiful.

I don’t think that either priest sinned, but I do think that Jeremy Irons’ character made the right decision. We are all tempted to fight like DeNiro, but you must consider that they are acting as priests.

You would want to defend the innocent lives, but as a priest your duty is to their souls. Irons’ character chose to minister to them according to that. They became holy martyrs and he was there to guide their souls. In the end when the crowd is being gunned down during Eucharistic Adoration, Irons holding the monstrance falls dead. His parishioners pick it up and elevate it continuing to walk towards their attackers, giving their lives out of devotion for Our Lord present in the Eucharist.

As has been said, both did what they thought was right. Irons’ decision to have his followers engaging in acts of religious devotion in their last moments was superior to DeNiro’s decision to have them engage in acts of violence (which are acceptable as this was self-defense) in my opinion.

 

[Sunflower15]

Oh, wonderful movie! VERY special place!

I lived in Bolivia for a while a in the beginning of the '90s, and visited the Mission at Concepcion, where the real story happened.

It is in the middle of nowhere, in the Amazon basin. To this day, hours and hours of driving on dirt roads are the only way to get there.

I’m attaching a couple of photos…they are old, but you can see how beautiful the place is!

On the outside, there are lots of sunflowers…large ones. The church is huge for being in the middle of nowhere!
A very tall structure, very “organic” looking, is the only way to describe it. It is the oldest church in this Hemisphere [as far as I know] and it contains rows and rows of tall hand-carved pillars made from single trunks…the very strange thing is that nowhere did I see tall trees around, just small bushes. I wonder where they got them from!

Something that I notice many people miss [from the movie] was the importance of the chorus signing. The act of singing was considered spiritual and human. Only humans could sing, not animals. Therefore, the priests kept insisting on having the Amerindians sing, so that they could not be enslaved! They were trying to “prove” that these were people, not animals, and couldn’t be enslaved. The missions protected them. Only there were they safe…or deep into the jungle.

I would definitely be the priest who dies with the Blessed Sacrament in procession! Victory is present…though it is not evident at that moment.

*btw, that is my oldest son [2 yrs. old], who is in college already!

 

[Hesychios]

Oh, wonderful movie! VERY special place!

I lived in Bolivia for a while a in the beginning of the '90s, and visited the Mission at Concepcion, where the real story happened…

Thank you so much for the terrific insight into this true story!

I had forgotten that the motion picture had put an emphasis on the singing…and was it beautiful!

Now I have a much greater appreciation for this entire story, and the deep significance of the background details.

I want to see it again.

Good luck to the kids in school

Michael

 

[The_Prodigal]

Regarding Rodrigo: now that’s what I call penance!