10-01-2013, 11:49 AM
BEING CHRIST’S MISSIONARY WHEREVER WE ARE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: ISA 66:10-14; MT 18:1-5
In the first reading from Isaiah, we read of God’s desire to reach out to the inhabitants of Jerusalem to bring them peace and joy. This promise was addressed to the Israelites who returned from exile and to the nations, that one day there will be peace and happiness again. “For thus says the Lord: Now towards her I send flowing peace, like a river and like a stream in spate the glory of the nations.” This joy that they will experience is comparable to the comfort of a child from his mother’s love. “Like a son comforted by his mother, will I comfort you.” Indeed, we who have received this love of God for us in Christ, will desire to bring Jesus to the world. But who will bring them the Good News of joy, love, peace and hope?
Only those who love Jesus will also want to be His evangelizers and more specifically, to be His missionaries. It is partly for this reason that many of us have joined the religious and priestly life, or are serving as lay missioners, helping to spread the Word at home or abroad, in a variety of charitable works. Today’s mission trips are quite a novelty among Singaporean Catholics and other Singaporeans. Many mercy missions based on humanitarian reasons have been organized to the poorer countries in South East Asia. Besides mercy relief missions, there are some missions that are more religious in nature as well, with the intention to spread the faith. Many feel energized and empowered when they give themselves in service and love to the many impoverished people in the world, whether materially or spiritually poor.
Yet, very often, those of us who are serving at home might at times feel disappointed because we think we are not true missionaries, since we have not had the opportunity to venture to far flung places to proclaim Christ to others. We feel that we have not participated in the mission of Christ, because we have not personally gone out of our comfort zone to bring Christ to the world. This is especially so if we are given an assignment that does not put us in the ‘action’, and which can hardly be considered even ‘missionary’, for example, the work of a lecturer, educator, or even an administrator or a clerical position in an institution. So those of us involved in Church organizations do not regard ourselves as participating in the mission of the Church. Whenever we think of mission, we think of going abroad to another country to witness to Christ. For the same reason, it means that married couples, those working in the offices or even elderly who are invalid are not taking part in the mission.
If this is how we feel, that this is what mission entails, then we are wrong. The truth is that all of us, regardless whether we are directly working in the mission fields or in Church, at home or in the office, are participating in the mission of the Church. Today, when we celebrate the Feast of St Theresa, the patroness of mission with St Francis Xavier as the principal patron of Mission Countries, we are reminded that we can be very much involved in the mission of the Church, even if we do not step out of our country. St Theresa herself remained in the cloister, yet she has been declared by the Church as the principal patroness of missionaries. In so doing, the Church is giving us all a strong and clear message of what it means to be a missionary.
Who then is a missionary, or rather, who are those who can claim to share in the mission of the Church? Of course, the way of St Francis Xavier is obvious.
Every one of us knows that he gave up his life and country for the sake of bringing the gospel of Christ to the peoples living in the Far East and in South East Asia. Such missionaries are certainly commendable. We read of many of them who were eventually martyred for their faith. Admittedly, today it is difficult to find missionaries who would truly give up their lives, and expend all their resources and energy for the gospel, even living in poverty and undertaking risks of being attacked by enemies or being persecuted and put into prison for the faith.
However, this is not the only way. If the Lord calls us this way, it is a great charism. We share in the mission of the Church when we are one in heart and mind for the Church and her mission. To share in the mission of the Church is to be like St Theresa who offered her whole life for the mission of the Church. Whatever she did each day, whether at prayer, in community chores, daily sacrifices, and the pains she suffered in community life because her fellow sisters misunderstood her; she offered all these in union with all the missionaries in the world. Thus in a very real sense, in spirit, she was one with the Church. Without her prayers and the prayers of many people, no amount of preaching and evangelizing can be effective.
In simple terms, if we do the will of God like Theresa, according to the situation we are in and offer our work, penances and sacrifices for the mission of the Church, then we are indeed participating in the mission of Christ. In fact the mission is where we are – in our particular situation. If we cannot proclaim Christ in our homes, at the office or in our community by the way we live, proclaiming Christ elsewhere is just an illusion. So our mission begins here and now, and not when we go off to far flung places to proclaim the Gospel. Even here at home and in our parishes, we are already participating in the mission of the Church just simply by living our vocation as parents, workers, etc, faithfully.
Of course, this entails that we must have a childlike spirit like St Theresa. This is the kind of attitude the gospel invites us to imitate. Jesus in the gospel makes it clear that to be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven is to be little in the world. “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” God does not regard success and achievements in the way the world sees it. For us, success in mission is to have done great feats for the gospel. In the eyes of God, success is when we do our best, according to our situation, talents, resources and limitations. God does not judge us by how much we do and what great works we have performed but how much we give of ourselves in humble love and generosity.
Following St Theresa’s childlike faith means that we must learn that greatness does not lie simply in being in the limelight or in the forefront of the Church’s mission. It means that some of us might simply be called to be in the background working silently without publicity for the good of the Church, unknown to the world but giving indispensable contribution to the mission of the Church. When the good news reaches the whole world, we can rejoice. Even if these people do not receive the good news directly from us, it does not really matter. What ultimately matters is that these people have received the Good News through some people appointed by God.
What we do might seem insignificant and unappreciated, but it is not what we do that God is honoured but why we do and how we do what we do. So if we do everything for Jesus and His mission, and do it with all our being and with love, such work is truly redemptive. Greater is one who does everything for the Lord and yet not be recognized by the world or even the Church. When we do things without publicity and acknowledgement from the world, God will honour us instead in our hearts. It is to the lowly of heart that God will reward greatly. “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others…Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Mt 6:2-4)
So if we truly want to be great missionaries, we need to have this love first and foremost for Jesus and then His Church. This is the faith of children since their first love is their parents. We too need to cultivate not only a deep love for Jesus but for His body, the Church. We must cultivate this sentire cum ecclesia, a love for the Church, for the People of God, for His Body and for all of humanity who are called to be God’s children since ”He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Mt 6:45) Only when we have this kind of devoted love, will we be willing to sacrifice our lives for the good of the Church. Then we will not demand that we should be in the forefront of the Church’s mission, for in the end we might be serving our ego and our selfish ambitions. Nay, to be truly participative of the Church is to be like Mary who is addressed by the Church unofficially as the co-redemptrix and unofficially as the mediatrix, because she shared totally in the mission of Jesus in her silent and quiet ways. What is ultimately important is not what we do in the mission, but how we offer our lives for the mission of the Church!
SCRIPTURE READINGS: ISA 66:10-14; MT 18:1-5
In the first reading from Isaiah, we read of God’s desire to reach out to the inhabitants of Jerusalem to bring them peace and joy. This promise was addressed to the Israelites who returned from exile and to the nations, that one day there will be peace and happiness again. “For thus says the Lord: Now towards her I send flowing peace, like a river and like a stream in spate the glory of the nations.” This joy that they will experience is comparable to the comfort of a child from his mother’s love. “Like a son comforted by his mother, will I comfort you.” Indeed, we who have received this love of God for us in Christ, will desire to bring Jesus to the world. But who will bring them the Good News of joy, love, peace and hope?
Only those who love Jesus will also want to be His evangelizers and more specifically, to be His missionaries. It is partly for this reason that many of us have joined the religious and priestly life, or are serving as lay missioners, helping to spread the Word at home or abroad, in a variety of charitable works. Today’s mission trips are quite a novelty among Singaporean Catholics and other Singaporeans. Many mercy missions based on humanitarian reasons have been organized to the poorer countries in South East Asia. Besides mercy relief missions, there are some missions that are more religious in nature as well, with the intention to spread the faith. Many feel energized and empowered when they give themselves in service and love to the many impoverished people in the world, whether materially or spiritually poor.
Yet, very often, those of us who are serving at home might at times feel disappointed because we think we are not true missionaries, since we have not had the opportunity to venture to far flung places to proclaim Christ to others. We feel that we have not participated in the mission of Christ, because we have not personally gone out of our comfort zone to bring Christ to the world. This is especially so if we are given an assignment that does not put us in the ‘action’, and which can hardly be considered even ‘missionary’, for example, the work of a lecturer, educator, or even an administrator or a clerical position in an institution. So those of us involved in Church organizations do not regard ourselves as participating in the mission of the Church. Whenever we think of mission, we think of going abroad to another country to witness to Christ. For the same reason, it means that married couples, those working in the offices or even elderly who are invalid are not taking part in the mission.
If this is how we feel, that this is what mission entails, then we are wrong. The truth is that all of us, regardless whether we are directly working in the mission fields or in Church, at home or in the office, are participating in the mission of the Church. Today, when we celebrate the Feast of St Theresa, the patroness of mission with St Francis Xavier as the principal patron of Mission Countries, we are reminded that we can be very much involved in the mission of the Church, even if we do not step out of our country. St Theresa herself remained in the cloister, yet she has been declared by the Church as the principal patroness of missionaries. In so doing, the Church is giving us all a strong and clear message of what it means to be a missionary.
Who then is a missionary, or rather, who are those who can claim to share in the mission of the Church? Of course, the way of St Francis Xavier is obvious.
Every one of us knows that he gave up his life and country for the sake of bringing the gospel of Christ to the peoples living in the Far East and in South East Asia. Such missionaries are certainly commendable. We read of many of them who were eventually martyred for their faith. Admittedly, today it is difficult to find missionaries who would truly give up their lives, and expend all their resources and energy for the gospel, even living in poverty and undertaking risks of being attacked by enemies or being persecuted and put into prison for the faith.
However, this is not the only way. If the Lord calls us this way, it is a great charism. We share in the mission of the Church when we are one in heart and mind for the Church and her mission. To share in the mission of the Church is to be like St Theresa who offered her whole life for the mission of the Church. Whatever she did each day, whether at prayer, in community chores, daily sacrifices, and the pains she suffered in community life because her fellow sisters misunderstood her; she offered all these in union with all the missionaries in the world. Thus in a very real sense, in spirit, she was one with the Church. Without her prayers and the prayers of many people, no amount of preaching and evangelizing can be effective.
In simple terms, if we do the will of God like Theresa, according to the situation we are in and offer our work, penances and sacrifices for the mission of the Church, then we are indeed participating in the mission of Christ. In fact the mission is where we are – in our particular situation. If we cannot proclaim Christ in our homes, at the office or in our community by the way we live, proclaiming Christ elsewhere is just an illusion. So our mission begins here and now, and not when we go off to far flung places to proclaim the Gospel. Even here at home and in our parishes, we are already participating in the mission of the Church just simply by living our vocation as parents, workers, etc, faithfully.
Of course, this entails that we must have a childlike spirit like St Theresa. This is the kind of attitude the gospel invites us to imitate. Jesus in the gospel makes it clear that to be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven is to be little in the world. “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” God does not regard success and achievements in the way the world sees it. For us, success in mission is to have done great feats for the gospel. In the eyes of God, success is when we do our best, according to our situation, talents, resources and limitations. God does not judge us by how much we do and what great works we have performed but how much we give of ourselves in humble love and generosity.
Following St Theresa’s childlike faith means that we must learn that greatness does not lie simply in being in the limelight or in the forefront of the Church’s mission. It means that some of us might simply be called to be in the background working silently without publicity for the good of the Church, unknown to the world but giving indispensable contribution to the mission of the Church. When the good news reaches the whole world, we can rejoice. Even if these people do not receive the good news directly from us, it does not really matter. What ultimately matters is that these people have received the Good News through some people appointed by God.
What we do might seem insignificant and unappreciated, but it is not what we do that God is honoured but why we do and how we do what we do. So if we do everything for Jesus and His mission, and do it with all our being and with love, such work is truly redemptive. Greater is one who does everything for the Lord and yet not be recognized by the world or even the Church. When we do things without publicity and acknowledgement from the world, God will honour us instead in our hearts. It is to the lowly of heart that God will reward greatly. “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others…Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Mt 6:2-4)
So if we truly want to be great missionaries, we need to have this love first and foremost for Jesus and then His Church. This is the faith of children since their first love is their parents. We too need to cultivate not only a deep love for Jesus but for His body, the Church. We must cultivate this sentire cum ecclesia, a love for the Church, for the People of God, for His Body and for all of humanity who are called to be God’s children since ”He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Mt 6:45) Only when we have this kind of devoted love, will we be willing to sacrifice our lives for the good of the Church. Then we will not demand that we should be in the forefront of the Church’s mission, for in the end we might be serving our ego and our selfish ambitions. Nay, to be truly participative of the Church is to be like Mary who is addressed by the Church unofficially as the co-redemptrix and unofficially as the mediatrix, because she shared totally in the mission of Jesus in her silent and quiet ways. What is ultimately important is not what we do in the mission, but how we offer our lives for the mission of the Church!