Mission Immersion as a way of “Being”

*The following essays were from my notes and reflections from the “Mission Immersion Orientation” last April 3-8, 2014 in Baclaran Church, Paranaque City. Fr. Luc Mees, MJ was the facilitator of the second part of the orientation. These notes and reflections mostly come from his paper entitled Mission Today: To follow Jesus to Galilee.

Part 1:  A Good School

                “Go to a good school - that is the school of the people.” Mission immersions should be looked at this perspective. Immersion to the lives of the people gives wider perspective to students/religious about life and about faith. Hence, these immersions should be more on being than doing – that is to be able to live with the people, to eat with them, to work, play, laugh, cry, crack jokes, and tell stories. It is essentially spending and wasting time with them. It is in this way that we religious may be able to see life at the perspective of this people. In this way we may be able to witness their struggles and listen to their hopes and dreams.

                To be effective missionaries, it is essential to know who our people are, to be in solidarity with them in the many aspects of their lives. We are not to remain in our convents, students must go beyond the four corners of their classroom and to confirm and develop profoundly their theological studies in the slums, in the simple houses of the people or even with the presence of the homeless, the sickly, the dying and those who are fighting for justice and peace.

                In this way, we affirm that the Church has a mission, yet we do not own mission, but mission has us. This should be the attitude we missionaries and as a Church should relate and respond to the call of God to us. The mission of God (Missio Dei) in which mission means “being sent” does not really mean that God is sent but rather God himself is working as a missionary. In God, all missions originates. As the Father sent his Son to redeem the world and so the Father and the Son sent the Spirit to sanctify all creation.

                Yet, as a Church we are sent into the world to continue to proclaim and Good news to all creatures. Mission is the call also for universalism. Indeed, to be universal is the hallmark of our faith and that is why we call also ourselves as Catholics in Greek katholikos which means universal or in general. The Gospel message who is Jesus the Lord is the universal message that must be brought about.

 

 Immersions should be more on being than doing – that is to be able to live with the people, to eat with them, to work, play, laugh, cry, crack jokes, and tell stories. It is essentially spending and wasting time with them.

Part 2: The Divine Mandate

The fundamental divine mandate to all Christians is to be a witness “to all nations.” We find it in the Old Testament, Israel as the chosen race arrived in the destructive misinterpretation of God’s election. Their election at some point of time was thought to be a privilege that even God should be thankful to Israel or else there would be no one who will worship YHWH.

                Israel became arrogant and because of this theological degradation they demanded many things to God. They demanded to have their own king, temple and army like their powerful neighbouring kingdoms. And that was the beginning of more tragedies and destruction of the Israel nation. These catastrophes went beyond from the corruption of kings to destruction of the temple, exiles to their neighbouring kingdoms, division of the kingdom and many invasions.

                Hence, Israel failed in their mission to be a light to all nations and be a blessing to all people. Israel became ultimately a curse to everybody because of the stubbornness of their hearts to return to YHWH. However, God called and sent his messengers, the prophets to remind his people to return to the loving and forgiving presence of God, the God of all the nations.

                There are actually two fundamental myths of Israel. However, the word myth should not be understood as something which is mere illusory but rather a metaphor that expresses the truth. Nevertheless, these two are the Journey of Abraham and the Exodus Story. The journey of Abraham was about the call of God to this man to cross his own boundary and to journey towards the Promised Land and Posterity and thus to become the Father and a blessing to all nations. The story of exodus was also the redeeming love of God that delivered the Israelite from the bondage of slavery of the oppressive Egyptians. The Israelite through Moses was called and rescued to continue to journey towards the land promised by God where there is an overflow of milk and honey.

                Consequently, as people of God, we have to go back again to our original identity and calling.  This is the divine call to be the light for all the nations which includes the demand of the openness towards the foreigners (Dt. 10: 18-19).

                However, with the historical tragedies of Israel, in the eyes of the New Testament, Israel had failed to fully respond to the call to be universal and to accomplish that mission. It is in fact obvious on how the Israelite especially their authorities related with Jesus, the incarnate word. Israel was not able to recognize the messiah. This failure reflected in many occasions of stories and parables of Jesus. However, Jesus continues to call the people that they may recognize the Holy One and reclaim the universal mission of Israel- that is to be the “light of all nations.”


to be continued...