Vocation, any kind of vocation, I think is mysterious whether it is secular or religious. A sense of vocation does not happen to everyone. Some priests and religious will say that from an early age they knew that they were meant to follow a vocation in religion. Other people will say they remember the defining moment when they knew what they wanted to do with their life. It may have led them to life as an artist, musician or doctor.
In the scheme of things in our secular world missionaries are unusual people. They come and go from their homes and deliberately opt to spend their lives in other countries and cultures as they say, ‘for the sake of the Gospel’ It seems hardly to be a good reason for many people. My uncle on my father’s side commented to me that there wouldn’t be a lot of money in it. He was correct as I have found out.
There is also another opinion which states that missionaries are too zealous, leaning towards being fanatics, otherwise why would anyone choose to live in poor countries in dangerous circumstances in some cases, knowing they will miss so many family celebrations, not to mention the increasing need for priests and religious at home... And so much more, both from within the family, the Church and outside it.
The missionary can live in a strange set of circumstances. Uncle Fred or Auntie Beryl come home from the Philippines and their siblings remind the children who Uncle Fred or Auntie Beryl are; the children say they speak funny, not like Mummy and Daddy. While it is good to be home, tensions can arise because Uncle Fred or Auntie Beryl have changed, they see life quite differently because of their missionary experience. It can be a relief for all sides when Uncle Fred or Auntie Beryl return to a mission where they know how to act, where they feel they belong.
Usually fathers die before mothers and the sense of ‘Home’ is associated with mothers . But the day comes when she dies and the family home is sold and a fundamental change takes place. When Uncle Fred or Auntie Beryl come home, home is missing. Siblings are welcoming but they have their own lives and families. It is a hard transition.
It seems even more strange that someone would leave their home and end up not belonging anywhere. Our country is no longer home in one sense yet we can never be ‘a local’ in another country no matter how hard we try. One Columban remarked that he always felt at home when he was flying between his home country and his mission.
So far this is one part of the story. But it misses the riches of being with God’s people in different cultures and languages and encountering profound spiritualities, both Christian and non-Christian. Pope Francis’s Apostolic Letter The Joy of the Gospel is like music for the missionary’s life. We have a marvellous God revealed in Jesus Christ. What a privilege and joy to share that Good News with others.
The missionary vocation is mysterious like all vocations; we don’t have a vocation, it has us. The only other words worth writing are what so many missionaries experience: ’I received more than I gave’.
Fr Gary Walker
director@columban.org.au
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LISTEN TO: From the Director - Vocation is a mystery (Duration: 4.15mins, MP3, 1.94MB) |
Read more from The Far East, August 2014
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