Approach of the Study Method of the Study
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Actually, Rodrigues ‟ desire going to Japan is not about to convert Japanese
people into Catholic, but his main mission is to find his former teacher in the Seminary, Cristovao Ferreira, who is rumoured, apostatize after enduring the
torture. This mission becomes the most important goal on his “mission” trip to
Japan. Although “evangelism” is not the main mission of Rodrigues‟ check list,
he remembered the story of Francis Xavier who came to Japan and brought the gospel to the island. This great apostle to the East brought him an imagination to
follow his path and to spread the good news. As a priest, he remembered that he has a duty to baptize all the world.
Go into the whole world and preach the gospel to every creature....What did the face of Christ look like?...Yet tonight for me the face is that of
the picture preserved in Borgo San Sepulchro. There still remains fresh in my memory the time when I saw this picture as a seminarian for the
first time. Christ has one foot on the sepulchre and in his right hand he holds a crucifix. He is facing straight out and his face bears the
expression of encouragement it had when he commanded his disciples three times, „Feed my lambs, feed my lambs, feed my lambs..‟. It is a
face filled with vigor and strength. I feel great love for that face. I am always fascinated by the face of Christ just like a man fascinated by the
face of his beloved. p.35
Murphy 1972, in the theory of characterization states that a character is influenced by the past life. In this quotation, Rodrigues remembered about his past
life when he lived in the seminary. There, he found a picture that became the motivation for him to go around the world and preach the gospel. Later, the face
of Jesus from Borgo San Sepulchro always came in Rodrigues mind and became PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
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his friend in the suffering ‟s time.
Although there are many obstacles that might be faced, Rodrigues still wants to go around the villages to find the hidden Christians. He believes that
there are other Christians who lived in the rural villages outside Tomogi. Garrpe did not allow Rodrigues to go around, because it may overcome the danger from
the government. But, Rodrigues‟ desire was overflow, he convinced Garrpe about his mission.
It is not impossible that there are still Christians in the villages and islands west of Tomogi, but under the circumstances we cannot so
much stir outside our hut during the day. And yet I am determined, come what may, to seek out and find the lonely and abandoned flock.
p.47