Father Renteria's Prepaid Sacrifice In Rulfo

Rulfo takes issue with how the church seizes control of the townsfolk through the use of fear. Catholics in this era did not necessarily believe the word of God out of faith, but because they feared the doctrine of damnation. However, the villagers are partially justified in thinking this way since the people who do not receive last rites also fail to receive peace after death. Fear is a very powerful emotion and the amygdala unfortunately tends to ignore critical thinking when it is triggered. However, The tragedy of this damnation motivation is that the Bible is more than just law. In fact, the law aspect of the Bible exists only to point in the direction of christ and his prepaid sacrifice for us. If Father Renteria would only read to his
The reason that Renteria would do this is because he seeks to get revenge on Pedro for exploiting his service. The problem with this decisions is that detracting from the faith of another person and hindering them from receiving salvation is a tremendous sin. As Jesus himself said, “If anyone causes [those who believe in me] to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.” Likewise, Renteria has switched from passively damning souls to actively seeking vengeance against his enemies. However, Susana is not his enemy. Susana is merely a character who has been placed through many trials in life that wore her down. The least that the Father could do would be to guide Susana through her final stages of life, free from wrath and bias. Much like how Pedro destroys the bodies in his town, Renteria destroys the souls of Comala by cursing them to wander Purgatory. Through this lense, Renteria is a much more powerful figure than Pedro could ever be, and the Father is also a much more dangerous figure than anyone in Comala could ever aspire to be. Likewise, the church has been given unlimited power in Mexico: the power to guide souls, to forgive sins, and even to mediate the very thoughts and actions of the country. Rulfo does not want to see this establishment fully destroyed,