Faith, Mission and Martyrdrom

In line with the Year of Faith proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI, Faith, Mission and Martyrdom is the annual theme of reflection for the entire Consolata family. This theme runs throughout and inspires our activities, meetings and retreats for this year.

True faith is more than a worldview, that is, a way of seeing and interpreting the world and life; more than an intellectual assent to the belief in the existence of a God, Creator of Heaven and Earth and Saviour in Christ his only son; more than a feeling of love for God and neighbour; more than a fundamental choice, because it permeates everything that we are, feel and do.  Faith is all this, but it is also, and above all, a gift from God. This faith finds its natural expression in mission.  Paraphrasing the apostle James (James 2:17), faith without mission is a dead faith.

Mission and martyrdom are one and the same thing. Mission is not fundamentally about preaching the word of God or doing works of charity. Mission is about bearing witness to our intimate relationship of love with Christ, and offering it to others. No one can give what he or she does not have. If we do not have an intimate, personal and loving relationship with Christ, then we cannot and should not be missionaries.

The word witness in Greek is 'martirete'; a missionary is one who bears witness to Christ, whatever the circumstances, in season and out of season, with purpose or without purpose, as St. Paul says. This witnessing can mean a short life, like Christ's, giving one's life readily; or it can mean a long life, being faithful minute by minute, every minute of one’s life.

There are therefore two forms of martyrdom, just as there are two forms of combustion: live combustion, "putting all the meat on the grill", or slow combustion, like how charcoal is formed, the wood is slowly changed into coal, which in turn burns slowly warming those who are cold.

"For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it." Mark 8:35

Mission calls for life, martyrdom calls for death. In Christ, life and death meet in harmony: “What is not worth dying for is not worth living for”. Do not occupy your life with things that you are not willing to die for; let the reason for your life be the reason for your death, and vice-versa.

Fr. Jorge Amaro, IMC