Reconciliation is a very important theme in The Mission. The most significant part of the movie that shows reconciliation is when Mendoza, after struggling up the waterfall, collapses at the top. A few of the Guarani cut off his heavy bag for him, and Mendoza can't control his tears. This is significant for reconciliation because earlier in The Mission we see Mendoza capturing Guarani for the slave trade. After Mendoza comes back to the mission we see the Guarani accept him into their community. Eventually, Mendoza even gives his life protecting the Guarani against the Portuguese. 

            Reconciliation is an important theme to me because it involves taking something that is broken or separated or different and bringing it together. I think that there are a lot of broken things in this world and reconciliation for these things should be a major goal for all of us.

Louis Riel was a leader of the Metis people in their protests against the Canadian government during the 1800s. The government fought his resistance at every turn and eventually he was hung for high treason. Now his home is a National Historic Site of Canada. There has been reconciliation between the government that killed Riel and Riel's legacy. 

This old facade has been preserved and attached to the new modern building behind it. There has been reconciliation between the old and the new.

This picture shows a part of the Broadway Promenade, a pedestrian path that connects the Esplanade Riel bridge to Union Station and Broadway avenue. According to The Forks website, the Promenade "restores the original linear connection between downtown Winnipeg and St. Boniface". A reconnection between two parts of a city is reconciliation. 

One of the definitions of reconciliation is bringing two different ideas together. Art and technology are two different ideas, but something like architecture puts them together. When I think of interesting architecture in Winnipeg, the Human Rights Museum immediately stands out.

Photo credit: Lotte Dekker

Kintsugi, or kintsukuroi, is the Japanese art of repairing broken items using gold. The cracks in the object are repaired, but made even more visible by the gold. You can see how the broken pieces came back together. Reconciliation is about repairing things that are broken, such as relationships. Kintsugi is a good symbol of reconciliation because it brings the act of repairing something to attention. 

This picture shows a few different kinds of reconciliation. First of all, the quote itself. Hope, according to Parker Palmer, is where joy and struggle meet. Joy and struggle are two opposite things, but when they are reconciled there is hope. The second place reconciliation can be found in this picture is a little bit harder to notice. In the bottom right hand corner of the sign there is a rainbow flag with the words "Canada's first affirming congregation." This church is making it known that LGBTQ people, people who have a long history of exclusion and oppression from the church, are welcomed here. These two communities have reconciliation here. 

Photo credit: Karla Penner

In Canada, the word reconciliation is used most often about reconciliation between Indigenous people and other Canadians. There is a long, hard history of the Indigenous peoples of Canada being taken advantage of and shoved to the side and this still continues today. I believe that it is important for everyone to take concrete action to further reconciliation in Canada. My family has started volunteering on Sundays with Got Bannock. Got Bannock was started by an Indigenous woman named Althea. She would make bannock and other food by herself out of her own kitchen and serve it to people in her neighbourhood, the North end of Winnipeg. The city of Winnipeg tried to shut her down, but she got her food handling licence and now makes the food in a local rec centre's kitchen. Anyone is welcome to show up and help prepare and serve the food. This picture is of some of the bannock that Althea made last Sunday. When I work with Althea at Got Bannock, reconciliation feels so real. The kitchen is full of people from all walks of life and parts of Winnipeg, working together towards a common goal.  

Photo credit: Tara McTavish

The most important instance of reconciliation in history was Jesus's death on the cross. His death means reconciliation between all human beings on earth and our Creator. Communion symbolizes the sacrifice that Jesus made to bring this reconciliation. The passing of the communion cups from person to person also shows recon

This picture was taken during communion at my church, St. Benedict's Table. My church places a lot of value on communion. We have communion every Sunday. My church also places a lot of value on the communion table being open to absolutely anyone. St. Benedict's Table uses a liturgy for our services, and the invitation that is spoken before communion is served has always meant a great deal to me. 

This is the table, not merely of the church, but of Christ.

It is made ready for those who love him,

and for those who want to love him more.

So come, whether you have much faith or little;

have tried to follow, or are afraid you’ve failed.

Come, because it is His will that those who want to meet him

might meet him here.