También la Lluvia

Elizabeth and I watched Even the Rain (También la Lluvia) Tuesday night. E works with a Christian non-profit, Servant Partners, that works with urban poor doing community development and church planting. Several of her colleagues recommended the movie to her and I can see why. I'm not going to review it for you, but you can read more about it here if you want, but, basically, it is a movie within a movie; Gael Garcia Bernal's character was inspired to make a film after reading the sermon of Antonio de Montesinos, where he confronted his flock over their unchristian treatment of the natives:

This voice declares that you are in mortal sin, and live and die therein by reason of the cruelty
and tyranny that you practice on these innocent people. Tell me, by what right or justice do you hold
these Indians in such cruel and horrible slavery?... Are they not men? Do they not have rational souls? Are you not bound to love them as you love yourselves? How can you lie in such profound and lethargic slumber?

When the opportunity comes in the film for the crew to help the locals in their time of need, most fail to do so. And they have very understandable reasons, but it's very frustrating for the audience to watch. And then you realize that is a perfect picture of us. We all have so many very understandable and valid reasons not to help our brothers and sisters, not to love them as we love ourselves, to lie in profound and lethargic slumber. I'm not one for New Year's resolutions, but I want to make 2012 a year where I was awake to the needs of my brothers and sisters. Lord, help me to do it!