The hungry stomachs all over the world speak the same language…
The poor all over the world speak the same language…
The missionaries all over the world communicate the same language; the language of love…
The Extraordinary Missionary Month (October, 2019) was announced by Pope Francis to mark the 100th anniversary of Pope Benedict XV’s Apostolic Letter, Maximum Illud. The theme chosen is “Baptized and Sent: The Church of Christ on Mission in the World.” This initiative aims to awaken the awareness of the meaning of mission and reinvigorate the sense of responsibility for proclaiming the Gospel with new enthusiasm.
Mission is defined as, “the vocation or calling of a religious organization, especially a Christian one, to go out into the world and spread its faith.” The concept of mission is not new to the Church. From the very beginning of humankind, the Bible refers to the concept of mission. The love of God for His chosen people, the Israelites, created the need for missionaries who could communicate the message of God’s love and peace for this chosen people. The Prophets in the Bible were actually missionaries, leaving their homeland, people, and culture in order to live in the midst of a new situation, a new place to where God called them. In the New Testament we find Jesus ministering as a missionary, moving from place to place proclaiming the new life of the Kingdom of God. St. Vincent adopted the spirit of Christ by becoming a missionary. I believe that the Vincentian identity is founded on mission. Mission becomes possible and successful only when it is done with love and charity.
Pope Francis is asking us to redefine the concept of mission. He is inviting us to engage in an enthusiastic preaching of the Gospel. Nevertheless, redefining our mission should not be limited to the time of this Extraordinary Missionary Month but should be a lifelong process. We are all familiar with the traditional concept of mission. In order to redefine the traditional mission with greater responsibility and enthusiasm, I suggest that the following virtues be personalized;
- Faith in God: Faith is to believe beyond our expectations. I believe that everything is possible for and with God. It is a complete trust and confidence in God. Faith is believing in God’s promises. There could be times in the life of missionaries when they might feel alone, as thought they have been abandoned and forgotten by God. They can feel up at one moment and down the next moment. That is precisely why they need to believe in Jesus’ words when he proclaimed: I am with you always (Mt. 28:20). Let our missions become examples of childlike faith in God.
- Love for Neighbor: Love is a complex set of emotions, behaviors and beliefs associated with strong feelings of affection, protectiveness, warmth and respect for others. The warmth of St. Vincent’s love moved sinners to turn to Christ. Our mission becomes a place of encounter with God’s presence when we transmit the love of God to our sisters and brothers. It is difficult to love a strange place, culture and people as one’s own. We can do this only by clothing ourselves in the spirit of Christ in life (just as Our Founder, St. Vincent, did). Let our missions become places of love.
- Charity to All: Charity implies a willingness to be kind and compassionate. Charity is a gift of self-giving. As Vincentian missionaries, we should motivate people to extend their hands to the needy of this world. We can be charitable by giving our time, talents and resources to the people we serve. This, of course, means that we have a “giving” attitude. Let our missions become centers of charity where everyone is kind and concerned about others.
The identity of the Congregation of the Mission as an international missionary congregation explains its very purpose. Moving beyond the boundaries of local communities, regions, provinces in order to build up the Kingdom of God should be the aim of every member of the worldwide Vincentian Family. A missionary spirit should inflame our heats. A fire of love for Christ and for the people God should never allow Vincentians to be idle in life. The hungry stomach never looks at the color of the hands that feeds it. What is important in our life as Vincentians is kindness and compassion blended with love for God and for the people of God. If I am rich because I possess many things, then I become richer by sharing those possessions. The Extraordinary Missionary Month inspires us to redefine our attitude towards mission. Let mission become our priority. Let us be missionaries wherever we are. Let us try to extend the charity and love of God and our Founder to everyone we meet in life. May St. Vincent intercede for all of us so that to become rejuvenated missionaries who are enthusiastic and zealous about the mission.
Fr. Libin P Varghese, CM
Adamson University,
Manila, Philippines
If we use the optic of mystic, then call means incarnation, becoming one with the Spirit in doing the will of the Father. This will could be summarized in John 17:22-23 – “I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.” The oneness is not an imposition but a discovery of the truth. And so I agree with my confrere Fr. Varghese, let us be inflamed so that others are also ignited.
Thanks father. Let’s all be united in prayer 🙏🏻