No room for arrogance

01.10.2008

Being a missionary is all about relationships. With each you can transform people’s lives by listening to their struggles, hurts and pains, dreams, hopes and most importantly, by sharing the way they express their faith.

My heart and soul always go back to the wonderful memories of the many kindhearted people who, during my missionary experience in Brazil and Chile, welcomed and received me unconditionally and shared with me their lives for the good of our common mission.

When Jesus started His mission among His people, He focused primarily on relationships. His teachings are based upon personal connections about mercy, faith, trust, love, forgiveness, building communities, preaching the Good News and leading people to God.

He walked with the people, accompanied them, listened to them, ate with them, cured and healed them and, above all, loved them. He cried when His friend Lazarus died. He rejoiced when sick people were cured. He prayed for His mission. He washed the feet of others. He sacrificed for others. He gave His life to save us.

The cross is the ultimate expression of His love for us because He accepted it with complete humility for the sake of the world.

A renowned theologian once gave a talk about poverty in which he stressed the importance for a missionary to be with the poor and what it takes to be poor.

It’s also about pushing ourselves to our limits, challenging the gifts we have and exploring new dimensions in building relationships. This is how we missionaries must cross boundaries to make fully alive the real message of the Gospel.

Jesus showed the world that a relationship with our global brothers and sisters based on love and justice transforms us to live a new and full life. Therefore, it’s important for all baptised people to realise that the core of our own spirituality is the Gospel message - that is, to build relationships of trust with everybody.

If we are to become the bearers of salvation, we must follow the same examples that Jesus set 2,000 years ago.

Missionary work, as exemplified by the life of Jesus, is a journey into a discipleship, shaped by the way of the cross and transfigured by the Risen Jesus Christ. Thus, we missionaries must empty ourselves of cultural arrogance and political superiority to walk in an atmosphere of respect and humility among our companions on this journey.

Fr Arturo is the Director of the Columbans in the US.