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Mission Sunday challenges us to bring HOPE to the people

Mission Sunday has gained importance over the years to highlight the significance of mission and missionaries. Particularly, this occasion is emphasizing that all Christians have a mission, and all are missionaries. The message of Pope Francis for the World Mission Sunday 2020 revolves around the response “Here am I, sent me” (Is 6:8). This is in the context of the pandemic. What is the significance of this message to our confreres as well as to our lay partners especially in this time of pandemic? Still, many countries are struggling under the weight of pandemic. Currently, a few countries have come out of the stress and strain to some extent but no country is totally free. Some are crying out aloud “we are perishing”, some act in a manner that “we have to live with it”. Some don’t know what the future will be because of losing a job, and having no earnings, no savings and no support system.

Pope Francis says, “Mission is a free and conscious response to God’s call.” The conscious response comes when we are inserted into the context. Allowing the context to speak, listening to the context and responding to the context are formative values. Jesus gave his life in obedience and this comes from his love for the Father. Our obedience to respond to the context comes from love of the people with faith. Thus, our faith becomes a dynamic and creative faith. Our conscious response to the pandemic situation is our mission and this is seen in all our PRMs. The confreres have responded with creative and sublime faith. The mission offices in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and USA had mobilized a good amount of donations to reach out to various PRMs to care for the poor and needy during this pandemic.

Our lay partners listened to the Spirit and acted. The SVD Lay Partners Newsletter, no.13 (August, 2020) has a lot of stories of various groups who were imbued by the Spirit. IDJ lay partners noted, “We have distributed basic food to needy communities, take-away meal packets to scavengers and migrant workers, and masks to the communities around us. We have raised funds….” Thus, lay partners have tried to share our charism in the given situation by responding, “Here we are Lord.”

In our mission, “You move because the Holy Spirit pushes you, and carries you” (Pope Francis). This happens when we listen to the Spirit and allow the Spirit to push us. Our initiatives of online Masses, novenas and other spiritual activities have brought a certain solace and comfort to the people. But mission is beyond this and calls for an answer to the cry of “perishing”. We have responded in many different ways in spiritual and social spheres. One notable thing is that some of the countries experience mindless corruption during this pandemic. This crime has multiplied without any human consideration. This has caused excruciating pain. Some Government officials, hospitals, health workers and misguided groups inflicted more pain with corrupt practices manipulating this context. Our prophetic voice needs to be loud and clear and this prophetic mission is an urgent call. In this context, am I willing to take risk to speak the truth and stop the unjust practices? Can I say “Here am I, send me” as a prophet or as a warrior again coronavirus. In our involvement, we can find what is evil and how to eliminate it while promoting the truth. “Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people.” Take courage to tell the truth and eliminate the evil.

Mission is complex, yet there is only one mission − God’s mission. Mission is preaching the Good News! Mission is prayer and hearing the voice of Holy Spirit! Mission is bread! Mission is about involvement! Mission is about organizing! Mission is about acting compassionately! Mission is about being united with Jesus and doing what he prompts us to do in the local context. This Mission Sunday challenges us to bring HOPE to the people. God never fails, never inflicts pain, God is always Love. Sharing this love and giving hope to the people through our interactions, stepping out of our “safety zone”, searching for the “lost” in the pandemic, interacting with them and counselling them would be some of the ways of saying, “Here I am Lord”.

May all of us celebrate a meaningful Mission Sunday!

Fr. Stanislaus T. Lazar, SVD

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