Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Fides Service) - “Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.” (Jn 17,3). Jesus Christ said this to God the Father while he was giving his last instructions to his disciples. To know Jesus Christ. In a globalised and yet fragmented world it is important to harness every energy to promote recognition of human rights to education and culture, particularly in poor countries. A longing for God is present in the heart of every human being in any situation. We might say than when God created man he left a sign, a seal in human nature which propels us to search for our Creator. The wonderful personal experience which Saint Augustine shares with us: Lord you have made us for yourself and our heart is restless until it rests in you ” (Confessions. 1.1.1) is more than ever relevant today. The present day changing and complex panorama is a hard test for the virtue of hope. This is why we must be “missionaries” filled with joy and trust in God’s promises. God never abandons his people, he calls them to conversion so that his Kingdom may become a reality. The Kingdom of God means not only that God exists and lives, but that he is present and active in the world. “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1,14). Men and women of today have a longing for truth in human relations, in relations between nations and in relations in general through which we share ideas and values. United with Christ in the Bread and in the Word, in prayer and in the sacrament of reconciliation we come to an ever deeper understanding of the truth. The Church’s missionary activity guided by the Holy Spirit can render this world a beautiful garden where the beauty of our God, expressed in his Son Jesus Christ, is reflected in participation in divine life through the grace of baptism. We are children in the Son! What a splendid prospect for the men and women of today! Now this is eternal life, that they should know you...and the one whom you sent ..who is Jesus Christ? He is the incarnate Word, the only Son of the Father: true God and true man. Christ is the truth: he is the prefect man and this is why he teaches man who man is. In Christ the human person discovers his or her true identity: a child of God. This is the mystery of our faith: that God took a human body, he became a man with a heart of flesh like ours, to save us, to love us and be loved by us. Saint John tells us that eternal life consists in knowing Christ and that “God is love” (1Jn 4,16). Jesus taught us that the greatest of all the commandments which sums up all the others is to love God and love our neighbour. To know, love and make loved: this is the challenge of mission. It is much more than knowing and making known, it is loving God and making him loved. In other words knowing God and making him known means as Saint Josemaria Escrivà used to say “living the commandment to serve the poorest of the poor is essential for Christians”. This means Christians must make every effort to “bear authentic witness to Christ so that all may learn to know and love the Lord and discover that we can meet God in everyday life in the world in our daily work” (Conversations, n.70). With sincere gratitude let us thank God for the work of the many missionaries all over the world who make their entire life a ‘mission’. If Christian life is the presence of Christ’s life in every baptised person, then we realise that every Christian is associated with the mission of Jesus. Who better that the Mother of God, our Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary can lead us with Peter to her Son? (Card. Juan Luis Cipriani) (Agenzia Fides 28/11/2005, righe 44, parole 688)
