One of my favorite movies of all time is The Mission staring Jeremy Irons.  He plays a Spanish Jesuit who goes into the South American wilderness to build a mission in the hope of converting the Indians of the region. Robert DeNiro plays a slave hunter named Mendoza.  To make a long story short, Mendoza kills his own brother in a fit of rage. Only Father Gabriel's guidance prevents his suicide. Gabriel brings Mendoza to work at his mission with the natives, and Mendoza finds peace and asks to become a priest. Later, the church , under pressure, cedes the land to the Portuguese which will allow slavers in again. Mendoza breaks his vows of non-violence and organizes the natives to resist while Gabriel warns him to help them as a priest, instead. 

For me, the most poinient scene in the movie happens when Mendoza is trying to do penance for the killing of his brother.  He is doggedly pulling a large net filled with his armor and weapons through the forest and mud as the party he travels with scales the Iguazu Falls. 

Eventually, Mendoza proceeds until he collapses. One of the Jesuit priests Fielding (Liam Neeson) cuts away the bundle, releasing Mendoza of his penance. But, Mendoza recovers the bundle, re-ties it, and resumes the grueling journey.  Reaching the Guaraní camp, the tribe is alarmed that the priests are accompanied by Mendoza (who had previously enslaved them). A member of the tribe appears prepared to slit Mendoza's throat - instead, he cuts the ropes to which Mendoza's burden is tied and pushes the armor and weapons over a cliff. Finally symbolically relieved of his violent past, and the recipient of the tribe's forgiveness, Mendoza breaks down into weeping and eventual laughter.

What a powerful message of grace and forgiveness. It reminds me of John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress.  The character Christian is on a journey, carrying a large bundle on his shoulders. Finally, after many experiences, the bundle (burden) drops to the ground, rolls down the hill, and disappears into the empty grave. 

With our recent celebration of Resurrection Sunday, isn't it wonderful and comforting to know that our burdens are stripped away from us and swallowed up in the empty tomb?  This isn't to imply that we don't need to make amends for past mistakes.  However, we are freed from any guilt by the blood shed by our Lord Jesus on the cross, and made to stand victorious over our past by the resurrection!  "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death" (Romans 8:1-2).  Celebrate it!  Walk, Run, and Dance in the Light of God's Love and Grace TODAY!