Comboni's Call: Where Sacrifice Becomes Joy

The mission and missionary life is associated with difficulties, challenges, and risks of many kinds. This has been the experience of outstanding missionaries! See how St. Paul describes it (2Cor. 11:23-29). St. Francis Xavier in a letter to St. Ignatius confesses: “ The dangers to which I am exposed and the task I undertake for God are springs of spiritual joy, so much that these islands are the places in all the world for a man to lose his sight by excess of weeping: but they  are tears of joy”. St. Comboni in one of his last letters wrote, “I am exposed to death so as to serve Jesus in the midst of suffering and crosses, happy to even die to save the poor and in fidelity to my arduous, difficult and holy vocation”.

The martyrdom connotation of mission sooner or later is to be experienced by all missionaries; martyrdom is not negotiable, as Ad Gentes puts it: “The missionary must be ready to take initiatives, constant in the execution of projects, persevering in difficulties, patient and strong of heart in bearing with the solitude, fatigue and fruitless labor... Let him in the spirit of sacrifice always bear about in himself the dying Jesus so that the life of Jesus may work in the life of those to whom he is sent” (25).

Put in another way; Mission transforms the missionaries for the better ~ mission makes them new!

Fr. Francesco Pierli mccj

In embracing the cross of mission, we discover that what we thought we were giving away becomes the very gift we receive.