Pope Francis says,"Reach out to the Poor!"
DevelopingEffectiveParishOutreach Programs forYourCommunity.
Catholic Mission is:
The official mission aid agency of the Catholic Church.
Catholic Mission aims to continue the mission of Jesus Christ in the world to share faith, care for people in need, and act for justice and creation..
Our mandate given to us at our Baptism is to continue the mission of Jesus...But what exactly is this Mission?
• "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full"
(John 10:10)
• "Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love another."
• (John 13:34)
But what exactly is this Mission?
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for He has anointed me. He has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to the captives and to the blind new sight, to set the downtrodden free, to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour.”
(Luke 4:18-19)
Imagine this world:
• Equality and respect for the dignity of all persons is ensured.
• Human rights are guaranteed.
• The intrinsic value of the each person at the centre of our lives and our societies.
• People have, ‘life to the full’.
• Truth, justice, grace, holiness, peace and love reign.
Imagine this world:
This is what Jesus referred to as...
the Reign or Kingdom of God.
So when we pray....
Thy Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven....
This is the world we are praying for, and this is the world
we are working to bring about. This is mission.
The ‘How’ of mission
How will I be liberated?
A reflection on reaching out to the poor
Your humanity will only begin to blossom when you come into intimate contact with the lives of the poor.The poor, by virtue of their ‘lower’ state, will not approach you. You must find ways to seek them out.From them, and in their presence, you will discover much about humanity. Without realizing it themselves, they will be your teachers.
How will I be liberated?
You will learn a lot about suffering, about patience, about hunger, about trust, about sharing, about community, just by observing them with an open heart. Believe me, you will rarely learn such things in the halls of fame! At the same time as you make these discoveries, you will come to a better understanding of your own weakness existing within yourself.
How will I be liberated?
Far from being fearful of this discovery, you will experience a sense of liberation, because the true self encompasses the complete range of positive and negative forces. Allowing yourself to acknowledge and reflect on this ongoing self-revelation is helpful in making real choices.
Thomas Merton
Think of a time when you
experienced what Thomas Merton is
describing.
Thuma Mina (Send me Lord)
Send me Jesus, Send me Jesus, Send me
Jesus, Send me Lord.
Lead me Jesus, Lead me Jesus, Lead me
Jesus, Lead me Lord
Thuma Mina (Send me Lord)
Fill me Jesus, Fill me Jesus, Fill me Jesus,
Fill me Lord.
Thuma mina, Thuma mina,Thuma mina Somandla.
The ‘How’ of mission
To recap;• We are called to mission
through our Baptism.• Mission is about building this
world where peace and love reign – the Reign of God.
• We work with people and my liberation is bound up with this work.
The ‘How’ of mission
And finally:• It is about going out, reaching
out, what some theologians have called
‘Border Crossing’.
The concept is this:
We have borders/boundaries, they mark individual and communal identity.
But these borders can become defensive, they can fence out other people different from ourselves.
When they are used positively they become the privileged meeting places. Frontiers from which new realities can be created.
Crossing BordersA Spirituality for Mission in Our Times from an Asian Perspective 1By Rev. Peter C. Phan from The Catholic University of America.
Border Crossing
Jesus, the one who crosses over bordersThe spirituality of mission is founded in this concept of Jesus.
He crossed from the divine to the human:The border is no longer a barrier preventing God and humanity from joining together.
He crossed the borders of ‘civil society’ to dwell with those at the margins.John 4 tells us his message about the Kingdom of God was that there was no longer:
Jews and non-Jews Men and women Clean and impure Righteous and the sinners Old and the young Rich and the poor Powerful and the weak Healthy and the sick.
He crossed the border of death to resurrection.
“Jesus’ violent death on the cross was a direct result of his border-crossing and ministry at the margins which posed a serious threat to the interests of those occupying the economic, political and religious centre. Even the form of his death, that is, by crucifixion, indicated that Jesus was an outcast and he died, as the letter to the Hebrews says, “outside the city gate and outside the camp”.
He crossed the border of death into new life.
Thus bringing hope where there was despair; victory where there was vanquishment, freedom where there was slavery.
In this way the borders of death become frontiers to life in abundance.
Pope Francis said:
"Go boldly forth!" (EG261)
Down to the detail – what works.• Build a supportive group
