A Submerged Sacrifice: A missionary perspective (part of theological course)

A Submerged Sacrifice: A missionary perspective

“Some day you will find out that there is far more happiness in another’s happiness than your own.”

Honor de Balzac, Pere Goriot

This thought is exactly what the people of Vaddem lived for and continue to do so, without any complaints but a joyful smile on their face. They believe that they have sacrificed a lot on their part so that others may enjoy the fruits of their sacrifice.

As part of our theological course on Theology of Missions at the Rachol Seminary, we were blessed with the opportunity to visit a beautiful village of Sanguem taluka Vaddem, for a living mission experience.

This place has a historical significance. The building of Selaulim dam which started in 1975 totally submerged the village of Curdi, thereby displacing the villagers significantly. The government compensated the families with agricultural land and land for housing purpose. The people who originally belonged to the village of Curdi now reside at Vaddem and Valkini.

The village is situated in a remote area surrounded by forests and mountains. The people here live a simple life with very limited facilities. They do have the supply of electricity but time and again, they face voltage problems which hampers their daily household activities. Another major problem, which these people face, is the very limited supply of water. People express their disappointment by saying “we sacrificed our lands so that others may get water, and the place from where the water is supplied does not receive benefits of the sacrifices made.” The people in the village do not enjoy proper medical facilities. There are no health centres available. This results into delay in medical assistance to these people. Unfortunately, many people remain untreated of their illness due to unavailability of doctors and health centre. Children have to travel a long distance to educate themselves. The colonies which are allotted to these people are away from the Church therefore it becomes difficult for people to attend daily mass and other religious activities.

Even though the people of the village face so many difficult situations, they try to be happy with whatever they have. In fact we found that these people are very generous. Faith in the divine providence was seen in their day to day life. “We might not have some basic things or facilities but what we have is joy and peace and a sacrificing heart” an elderly man expressed with a smile. The unity among these people, their concern for each other and their reaching out to help each other is noteworthy.

The contemporary society is offering new challenges to the missionary activity of the Church, What is our effective response to these challenges? How do we face them?

Firstly, the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples speals about the enhancing of the identity of the priest. John Paul II affirms that in the Mission territories “the personal witness of the holiness of priests acquires a singular importance and becomes, even more than elsewhere, a mark of credibility and guarantee of the efficacy of apostolic activity.” Today, it might be difficult to preach our faith openly. Therefore preaching through actions rather than words gains prominence. St. Francis of Assisi puts this beautifully when he says, “Preach the gospel at all times; when necessary, use words.”

Secondly, we need to develop a missionary conscience. This basically means preparing oneself to accept the gift of priestly ordination and devote himself effectively and generously to the preaching of the gospel. It means following the words of Jesus in Acts 1:8: “that you will be my witness…to the ends of the world.” Missionary conscience would help one to view missionary activity not in a limited and narrow perspective but view it keeping in mind the long term and wider perspective. With this attitude, we work towards salvation of all, the good of all humanity.

Thirdly, we need to develop a pastoral conscience. This means developing in oneself a sense of belonging of being a good shepherd; one who knows to guide and feed his sheep. While carrying out missionary work, the minimalistic attitude, doing just bare minimum, will not help a priest to exercise his ministry fruitfully and it will not enrich the faithful with spiritual experiences and Christian values. The Priest needs to constantly push the boundaries, be creative in his approach and strive towards the maximum.

Fourthly, we have to be ministers of liturgy and sacraments. A priest is the minister for administering sacraments. Usually the problem that is faced in the missions is that people live far away from the Church, where the liturgical services and sacraments are celebrated when a priest is available. Hence, it becomes difficult for people to receive and participate in the liturgical services and sacraments regularly. The faithful cannot easily come to Church, we have to take the Church to them. Church should not be viewed as a static fixed structure but a mobile, movable body which always goes out to where her children are. “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20).

Fifthly, priority has to be given to the poor. The Church believes in the integral development of men and women. The Church is not a political, economic and a social order, but is religious and therefore while undertaking missionary activity, a priest should work towards taking care of the urgent needs of the people. Being one with them is what counts while being a missionary. Be a guide that understands their needs, their weaknesses and stands by them in times of difficult situations.

Finally, the Church is missionary by nature. Mission can be anywhere. We should not think that missionary work starts right where a priest lives. Every priest is called to be another Christ; to love, serve and to guide others to God. A priest will be effective in his ministry only when he has a missionary approach in all that he does. Therefore, the scope of missions extends to any place. This is what St.Pope John Paul II meant when he spoke about ‘New Wvangelisation’ way back in 1983.

This mission experience has taught us many valuable lessons. To remain happy even when something most precious to you is taken away from you, is what these people have taught us. This even when they don’t get to enjoy the minimum benefits of what they have given. They have taught us to be cheerful givers, because God loves them. They have taught us to depend on God for everything. And finally, to sacrifice, because real happiness lies in the happiness of the other.

*II & III year Theology Seminarians, Rachol Seminary