Welcome to the September edition of In the Word.
The stories in this edition highlight some of the many aspects of living Christ’s mission in our world today.
As we approach World Mission Sunday on October 20, it’s useful to step back and ask ourselves, ‘what do we mean by Mission?’
It used to be that people equated ‘being a missionary’ with heading off to a foreign land to share the gospel with those who have not yet heard it, while working with them to raise their human dignity. That is still a strong aspect of mission.
Mission theologians and practitioners have worked hard to deepen the lived understanding of mission today. We acknowledge that ‘being missionary’ lies at the very heart of what it means to be Christian. By virtue of our baptism and our life in Christ, we are mandated in the mission of sharing the love of Christ in the world.
Fr Jacob Kavunkal SVD gives strong endorsement to this in his comments in this edition of In the Word, when he says: “Mission is not just a theological concept or an activity that other people do in far-off lands, but it is something very real and immediate. It is about sharing the love of God with the people we encounter in our own lives.”
It’s true that some of us respond to the call to live our lives as missionary religious and/or priests. This can be lived out in places that are new to us, living with people from other cultures and sharing the love of Christ with them.
The story of our confreres beginning the preparation program for their final vows and, in the case of Paulo Vatunitu, being presented with his missionary cross as he prepares for his first missionary assignment to the Philippines, brings home again the commitment involved and the grace that upholds such a lifetime commitment.
Perhaps the last word should go to Fr Bosco Son SVD who was installed in April as Parish Priest of the Santa Teresa community in Central Australia. Reflecting on his time at Santa Teresa, Fr Bosco, who was born in Korea, says that when it comes down to it, his mission in this remote Aboriginal community has been simply to love the people. And, he says, it has been through living with them, coming to know them and being accepted and loved by them that he has learned how to do this.
Love is a central theme of the mission spirituality of our founder, Arnold Janssen. Indeed it is our mission in the world.
May God bless us all in our missionary endeavours!
Yours in the Word,
Fr Tim Norton SVD, Provincial