Hello, dear friends,
I am Marcela, from Argentina, and in a few months it will be 25 years since I became an Ad Gentes missionary in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
What does it mean to be an Ad Gentes missionary? It does not mean going far away; it means going beyond.
Beyond my comfort, my language and my culture. It means leaving my homeland, my plans, my loved ones and my family, like Abraham, without knowing exactly where I am going, but knowing with Whom I am going, knowing with Whom I walk.
Jesus invited us to «go»; He told us: “Go” (Matthew 28:19). Ad Gentes is that voice that takes away our fear and tells us: your home is the world; your family is every person who does not yet know Love.
That is why, in this land so deeply wounded by so many wars, alongside a suffering people who nevertheless have great hope, who suffer but believe, and who do not lose their faith or their joy, we share life together: the life of mission, the life of evangelization.
As Saint Magdalene of Canossa said:
“To make Jesus known and loved by those who do not know Him, because He is not loved precisely because He is not known, is the greatest gift of charity that we can offer our brothers and sisters.”
Being an Ad Gentes missionary means saying every day: “Here I am, Lord; send me.”
And I leave you with this question:
What about you? Are you willing to go beyond as well?
Until we meet again, and have a blessed Missionary Month! Let us pray for one another, and let us pray for all missionaries.
Marcela López, HCC
