Nathalie Marytsch. Photo: Columbans Britain.
Six years ago, the Society of Saint Columban celebrated its centenary. It was a blissful celebration to commemorate this milestone in the history of the Society. A hundred years ago, Frs. Edward Galvin and John Blowick envisioned a new missionary organisation with the purpose of doing missionary work in China. A hundred years have passed since then, and the dream and vision of these Irish men and countless extraordinary missionaries who left home and uprooted themselves for the sake of the Gospel, continue to live on. They set out to announce the ‘Good News’ in places where Gospel values hadn’t been preached and to share their lives among God’s vulnerable people. Thus, the mission has changed and reached a context far from China today.
The slogan chosen for the celebration was ‘Sharing Gospel Joy’. This has led me to reflect on the deep meaning of not only what we celebrated six years ago, but what it means today, in today’s world.
It’s probably fair to say that each generation faces its own challenges. Nonetheless, I feel I can relate better to the contemporary ones that my companions and I face, as opposed to those we learnt about and heard from our seniors or history books – well, the internet nowadays! Since 2018, the world has been going through what I consider a tumultuous and worrying time. Within a short period, most of humanity came to a halt, and severe and diverse restrictions were imposed on people’s movements, just to protect human beings from the then unknown, which was the coronavirus pandemic. There’s the military coup in Myanmar and the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, which saw millions of people seeking protection elsewhere. There has been internal conflict in South Sudan and the horrendous attack on October 7th, 2023, followed by the deadly war that unfolded. These, and many other events, have contributed to a gloomy socio-political and economic landscape. How can one remain joyful?
Even within the Columbans, we face declining numbers, aging membership, and the continual search for what God’s mission is today. Challenges that the recent General Assembly in Lima sought to address. The lay missionaries, also aging and declining in numbers, decided at their latest international meeting, to have a moratorium period of five years. One wonders how we can joyfully continue to share the joy of the Gospel amidst these uncertainties.
I can only take comfort and refuge in the conviction that I am not the owner of this mission of sharing the Gospel with joy. I am a mere instrument striving to enable others to discern and discover the values of God’s kingdom in the world today, despite the multiple challenges, despite the growth of the secular world and the lack of trust in church structures. Because above all these, God is present, working among all of us, sowing seeds of a world needing greater compassion and justice towards those fleeing persecution, and seeds of care for an abused planet.
When I go out to my ministries every day, I am reminded of the words beautifully written in the Gospel of Matthew. ‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. Whatever you did for one of these least brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ This conviction is the mark of my missionary journey. The one that gives me hope to share the joy of the Gospel.
Nathalie Marytsch, who is from Chile, has been a Columban Lay missionary in Britain since 2002.
Related links
- Read more from the current Columban eBulletin.
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