The Mission

I watched "The Mission" this past weekend with my sons. Hadn't seen it in a long time. I’d remembered the one theme of individual redemption, but had forgotten the parallel one – corporate sin.

In “The Mission” the struggle between organizational self-preservation clashes with the organization's chief missional objective. Which Neihbur was it who wrote that it is even easier to sin corporately than it is to sin individually? Certainly we are seeing this truth verified in the current Wall Street meltdown as honest and upright men (mostly) rob and destroy the resources of countless others.

The movie itself is hauntingly, painfully beautiful in every way, not the least its plot and character development. Just as the story appears to reach a climactic conclusion with the first theme, the drama starts anew. But far from bifurcated, the movie subtly weaves these two themes of corporate and individual struggles with sin and righteousness from beginning to end.

The Cardinal's dilemma is presented right from the start and the ongoing challenge of full redemption lies unsolved till the last. Is it even then resolved? I believe it is. Echoing the Apostle Paul's words that we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, the characters each wrestle with redemption's implications to the end of the movie and their own lives.

As to the Cardinal's dilemma or should we say, society's dilemma, the drama is the individual's redemption struggle writ large. How do we, the Community of the Redeemed, live out our faith in this present world? At the least it can be said, the task is never easy, the choices never quite so unambiguous as we desire.

The movie's underlying theme seems to be how far, in the end, are we to trust God. Am I really to risk earth bound pragmatic hopes for eternal truths? What do I do when faithfulness and justice fight to the death? Is it better to sacrifice the individual for the sake of the greater good? Is it ever acceptable to gamble small cultures for future options in much larger world conflicts?

When given the supposed choice between doing justly and rightly now and doing justly and rightly later, what are we to do? Life’s quandaries are far more often duels between competing “goods” than between good and bad. As much as we prefer the David and Goliath scenario of obvious good versus obvious evil, we are rarely granted such clear-cut options.

What we mere mortals can never predict, can never control is outcome, consequence. The effects of our actions, good or bad, are never fully predictable. At least in earth-bound conclusions. We want our world neat and orderly. We want the right to prevail, the wrong to fail. Instead we live in a quirky universe of fuzzy math and unlimited possibilities.

At the last, we can only do what is right and just now and trust God (assuming we believe there is a God) with the results. If what I do and my brother does appear, even in our best efforts, to clash, I can only trust that God is big enough to handle both of us. Redemption is trusting God for the salvation of me, my brother and everyone else.

Like a parable, the movie ends ambiguously. We, the viewers, are left to decide who has done right. It does feel like expediency has won over values. The Mission of the Church has morphed into the Cardinal’s Compromise to save the institution. The mission has been forfeited so that the organization might carry on that mission.

I wonder if there are times when, given such a choice, it is better to risk the institution than the mission. Let God be the keeper of our own future, be it corporate or individual.

As to the other theme, I have rarely seen as effective a cinematic portrayal of the process and profound depth of redemption. Two thoughts come to mind. One, redemption is played out in community. Are sins ever completely individual or even just between me and my Maker? Thus resolution is never solitary either. In the movie, it is only when the mercenary is proactively set free by those he has harmed – and before the whole community – that he is truly freed of his burden.

Two, true freedom comes by facing our failings, not by avoiding them. We do ourselves and others no blessed service when we simply break off relationships that have been damaged. Facing the problems fair and square and working through the mess to resolution is the only path to freedom. To avoid is to withhold, to rob ourselves and others of the gift of hope.

If a good movie is one that has you chewing on it days and weeks later, then this one is a 5-star gem.

HNK