The situation in poor suburbs and ghettos » is disconcerting, even alarming. Is it not the Church’s duty to go proclaim the good news that Christ came to save humanity ?
 From adoration to compassion
Missions in poor suburbs
are built on more than just prayer and good works, they are built on a heart ;
Christ’s heart. The contemplation of Christ our Saviour through adoration of
the Blessed Sacrament changes the way we see the others. That is where
compassion is born ; it is indispensable for any good work we wish to
accomplish. Because of this necessity prayer is given the first place.
Working
to help everyone
Most often the mission is
lived on the street, in house visits and in welcoming
houses to allow a real trust and foster confidence between the kids, the
families and the missionaries. The missionary, as well as an evangelising role
must also display educational and social values : we need to learn to live
together, while respecting others and ourselves ; most importantly we need
to discover hope !
Fighting unemployment,
learning the importance of rules in society, discovering the meaning of beauty,
the value of work and of personal talents… Many things become possible by a
simply daily presence and by talking with one another.
To
be and to do
Right in the heart of the
world, the missionaries try to be witnesses to the Good News with their lives.
They live with the people, side by side. They choose to fully embrace
the Gospel by loving their neighbour through a care-filled service.
The alliance of faith
and good works (James 2, 14-20) allows to love in truth and in deed,
proclaiming aloud Christ’s message for all to hear.
The large Islamic presence
in many traditionally Christian countries calls for inter-religious dialogue
and new evangelization. This presence is an opportunity to give
witness to a true Christian hope every day through the effort of volunteer and
full-time missionaries.
The twofold goal of these
missions is to participate in the development of justice in the world and
to be witnesses of God’s love.
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