Kichijiro: Silence and Our Daily Denials

I, not long ago, watched the movie Silence, orginally written Shusaku Endo. Without spoilers, it is not a happy movie. It details human weakness, crisis of faith, and sacrifice.





SPOILER WARNING



In what may be my new favorite movie, there is a character named Kichijiro. We find him to be a drunk, who had renounced the faith to avoid persecution, but continually converts and apostasizes, over and over again. He sells Fr. Rodrigues for money, and then again repents.



As we get to know Kichijiro, he becomes a frustrating, untrustworthy character, to say the least. He is a thorn in the sides of the Jesuit priests, and yet, he is the character I love the most, and I think we should most identify with.



He is the only character to persevere, somewhat, to the end, when he is taken away after the priests have denounced the faith for wearing a Christian symbol. Time and time again he repents. Aside from the martyrs of the film, he is the only one to sorrow over his weakness, to constantly want to turn back to Our Lord.



We may think, "I would have stayed strong, I would never step on an image of Christ," but how often do we turn from Christ in our daily lives? Day after day we sin, we fall and repent. We detract against neighbor, or bear burdens with impatience and anger. We are slothful and lazy, we downplay our faith when confronted. If we cannot avoid this "small" sins, which still wound our Lord, which put cuts in his flesh and thorns into his most venerable head during his passion, how can we say we would stand strong on our own? Did not Peter, who said he would die with our Lord, deny him three times?



If we can ever hope to persevere, should we ever be put to the test, even to death, we must put our total confidence in our Lord who loves us, and seek to conquer even our smallest imperfections which still so grievously wound our Blessed Lord. For he says, " He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in that which is greater: and he that is unjust in that which is little, is unjust also in that which is greater. "



Memento Mori