CATHOLIC FAITH AND MISSION

MRS LIZ MADDEN, DEAN OF CATHOLIC FAITH AND MISSION

MISSIONARY PEOPLE

This term we journeyed through the season of Easter which culminated in the celebrations of the Ascension of Jesus and the birth of the Church at Pentecost.

In the readings of the Church, we heard about the acts of the early apostles. This was a time when the foundational Church was finding its voice, its identity and its feet. Such feet would take the likes of Paul and Barnabas across the Roman Empire to establish and support the growth of new communities of believers.

In this way, they were fulfilling their founder’s dream, when Jesus instructed them to go out and make disciples of all the nations. Before Jesus returns to the Father, he entrusts his followers with the responsibility of carrying on his mission of proclaiming the Good News and of establishing the Kingdom of God. This ordinary group of men and women are the ones who were chosen by Jesus to be the heralds and witnesses of the power of God’s love.

Through their words and actions, the world came to know that Christ is alive and present. As Jesus’ earthly life ends, their mission and ministry begins. But they would not be abandoned. Jesus promised to be with them in a very personal and intimate way - forever. He promised them the gift of the Holy Spirit as strength, guide and advocate. Today, that responsibility and promise now belongs to us. We are the descendants of these early disciples. It is up to each of us, in our own way, to carry on the mission and ministry of Jesus. St Eugene de Mazenod and his Oblate brothers embraced this mission with zeal and determination. Sent to far-flung places, they too established and supported the growth of new communities of believers in places such as Canada, Africa and Asia. It was during our annual Founder’s Day Mass and many of our House Family Masses that we remembered and celebrated these humble and spirit-filled beginnings of the Oblate mission. At Iona, we continue to fulfil our founder’s dream. Through us, the world will know that the God of love is alive, present and active in our world. It was through our ongoing support of the work of Rosies this term that we made present the love of God in an authentic and tangible way. As Pope Francis says to each of us:

We have hope that Jesus has not deserted us. He is with us when we gather to break bread with each other. He is with us when we reach out to help and support each other. These are the signs that Jesus is in us and with us, today and forever.

“Every Christian is a missionary to the extent that he or she has encountered the love of God in Christ Jesus … every Christian is challenged, here and now, to be actively engaged in evangelisation; indeed, anyone who has truly experienced God’s saving love does not need much time or lengthy training to go out and proclaim that love.”