The Mission: Fr. Gabriel's Faith

        I was really intrigued by the Faith of Fr. Gabriel throughout the entire movie. He was a really neat guy, and truly loved and respected all those around him, even the Spanish and Portuguese representatives. Fr. Gabriel showed a Faith so full and complete from the beginning of the movie that he often encountered dangerous situations with little or no fear of death.
       Fr. Gabriel entered the territory of the natives fearlessly, despite the knowledge that they had just brutally murdered a priest. He went in all alone, with nothing but a musical instrument (a clarinet?) and the confidence that the natives were a peaceful people. From the beginning he spread the ideology of love of friend and enemy, and in a short amount of time he built a successful mission. Whereas other missionaries and the Spanish and Portuguese treated the natives as less than human, Fr. Gabriel treated them with the respect and love that Jesus taught. This is why Fr. Gabriel was successful as a missionary. Why would I worship a God who believes that I am inferior? By treating the natives as equals, living through their hardship as they did, and doing his share of work, Fr. Gabriel truly demonstrated the love and acceptance of Jesus.
       Fr. Gabriel’s Faith was further demonstrated by talking with Rodrigo and eventually initiating him into the Jesuit order. While others who worked with natives might have been wary to trust Rodrigo, a former slave trader mercenary, Fr. Gabriel supported Rodrigo throughout his whole conversion experience: talking him through the grief of killing a brother, making him realize his life is not a waste, supporting him through his penance, and instructing him in the beliefs of the Jesuit order. Rodrigo responded excellently because of the quality of instruction Fr. Gabriel provided, and his Faith was certainly well placed. By the end, Rodrigo was exactly the person St. Ignatius hoped would be a Jesuit when he founded the order.
       The incredible amount of Faith Fr. Gabriel possessed was demonstrated by the last battle against the Portuguese. He truly believed his course of action was the correct one, so much so that he was willing to give up his life without violent opposition. He followed what Jesus taught, pacifism, no matter how badly he wanted to kill the Portuguese. He knew that hatred breeds more hatred, and love breeds love. Fr. Gabriel said the Rodrigo, “If what you’re doing is right, then love doesn’t have a place in this world, and I don’t have the strength to live in a world like that…. You promised your life to God, Rodrigo! And God it love!” Fr. Gabriel’s Faith was certainly extreme, but it is what God asked of us. We view his Faith as extreme because so few people in this world possess so strong a Faith.
       I think Fr. Gabriel’s Faith was very realistic. We might not perceive it as being realistic from our point of view right now, but that is because that type of Faith is not present enough in our society. If our society lived as Jesus told us to live, Fr. Gabriel would seem like another good Christian. He merely did as he was taught. He appears so radical and faithful only when we compare him to the sinful people that live on earth. Any teacher would say his demands are realistic, and I think Jesus’ stance would be the same. Fr Gabriel did as he was told to do, and that is the most honorable thing anyone can ask. If we all followed his example, his decisions would not be so extraordinary.
       Fr. Gabriel’s Faith is very necessary to build God’s Kingdom on earth. Without people like Fr. Gabriel, the cycle of hatred will continue all over the world. Once again, killing breeds more killing, and hatred breeds more hatred. Fr. Gabriel and people like him promote love, not hate, peace, not war, and all the other aspects humanity must possess to create God’s Kingdom on earth. Fr. Gabriel may have created a community very close to what God wants with the natives, were it not for the outside influences of the Papacy, Spain, and Portugal. In order to fulfill what God wants for us, communities like Fr. Gabriel’s must form all over the world, based on love and respect, not oppression and greed.
       In terms of chapter one, I would place Fr. Gabriel directly in the middle with faith, beliefs supported by reason. One could say that his beliefs and actions were, in a way, not supported by reason. Every human being wants to live. However, Fr. Gabriel’s decisions seemed contrary to that assumption. However, his love of God and others and his hope for eternal life led him to make the decisions he did. As humans with imperfect Faith we might place him more on the radical spectrum. How can we be totally sure the afterlife and God exist? We might think this, and therefore we might be more reluctant to give our lives for our belief in God. However, Fr. Gabriel had complete and total Faith in God. He practically knew God existed, and so giving up his life seemed like less of a risk. He knew he would receive the afterlife as his reward for his actions. These were his beliefs, and, when we factor that in, his decisions don’t seem quite so radical anymore. Fr. Gabriel had a nearly perfect belief and trust in the Lord, a nearly perfect Faith, which he demonstrated by giving up his life in the most humble, peaceful, and loving way possible: peaceful disobedience.