In search of the lost sheep

Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? (Lk.15:4)

The first ones to visit the infant Jesus were the shepherds; however, to continue the work of his ministry Jesus chose fishermen so that, without losing their techniques, only changing their catch, they were transformed into fishers of men.

These fishermen in the first 300 years after Christ converted half of the population in the world of that time; it was only afterwrds that, the need to have shepherds to guide and govern this flock came about. Since then, and almost up to our times, the Church has lived with the belief that, just like before, the sheep would always increase as the sheep multiply inside the sheepfold. The reality however, is that for a long time the sheep have been multiplying outside the flock. In many Christian families, the children do not live by the faith they have received from their parents. In many cases the parents themselves also end up leaving the church after their children have abandoned it.

The Church has come to terms with this reality and proclaimed a New Evangelization in countries that were once Christian. Therefore the Mission is not only going out to distant lands but also caring for those who have lost their faith and helping them see that life has no meaning without it.

We are now once again in a desperate need of fishermen or shepherds who act like fishermen, that is, good shepherds. A Good Shepherd is the one who leaves the 99 to look for the one lost sheep.  Or, ironically referring to the actual situation, leave the one to go in search of the 99.  In search of the sheep or the lost sheep, I suppose this is what is meant by the New Evangelization which, in my view, has not yet gone beyond discourses of good intentions at the level of synods, conferences, and lectures. So far little can be seen from the point of implementation of plans or concrete achievements.

In the years following the Second Vatican Council, the problem of dissension was not so contentious, and yet the Church at that time came up with solutions to cope with it. Many religious orders engaged in Popular Missions; preachers were dispatched to all parishes and as the result many rejoined the flock.  Another initiative was the “Cursilllos” which still exist today was a worldwide initiative, there were others at local level.

Now the desertion of the faith and religious practices have turned into an Exodus that is far more serious and widespread, and it is sad to realize that the Church this time does not yet have a solid strategy…

Fr. Jorge Amaro, IMC

The Banner of the Itinerant Mission

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives... (Lk. 4:18)

Hello, I am a priest from the Portuguese Consolata Missionaries who have worked in Ethiopia, Spain, England, Canada and the United States. I have always seen myself as an itinerant and since the age of ten I have never lived in one place for more than four years; only God knows what lands I will be sent to yet. Meanwhile, while working in Portugal, I heard Pope Francis say that the Internet is now the sixth continent so I took this message and created a blog in Portuguese three years ago, in 2012.

This year a group of Canadian pilgrims I met in the Holy Land challenged me to do the same in English. Initially I refused but when one of them offered to do the translation, I had no more excuses. I ask God’s blessing upon the translator who wants to remain anonymous for helping to reach the people of goodwill in this World Wide Web.

The Dove - Represents, obviously, the Holy Spirit.  The Mission is Trinitarian because it started with God the Father who sent His Son and is being continued in the "here and now" of the human history by the Holy Spirit who animates, inspires, gives strength and courage to the mystical body of Christ which is the Church. The Author and the Landlord of the Mission is always God.

The Heralds - The three gospels, Mark, Matthew (10:10) and Luke (9:3) agree that the disciples should not have two tunics, bread, money or bag. Mark though to make the journey easier and faster, adds staff and sandals as we see in the picture. Since Mark (6:8-9) wrote his gospel long before the others did, we take his account as the one that is closest to what Jesus commanded.

The City - Is where the majority of the world's population lives nowadays. Centre of power and government even for those who do not live there. To better spread the Good News,  Peter and Paul set up camp in Rome, the capital city of the world at that time; nowadays disciples must also take the salt and the light of the gospel right into the power and decision-making centres of the world.

The Paschal Candle - Is the "i" of Mission and the "i" of Itinerant. Represents the Good News that the heralds are carrying into the city:

• The faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus;
• The proclamation that he is the Lord;
• The declaration that he is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end of the universe;
• He is also the way, the truth and the life and the most reasonable and convincing answer to the questions that every person who comes into this world asks himself: "Where do I come from? Where am I going? What is the meaning of life?"

The atheists and the agnostics who answer these questions by saying that they come from nothing and are going nowhere, what answer could they possibly give to the third question? Surely they will have to admit that something that springs up from nothing and ends up being nothing cannot possibly be something other than nothing or nonsense. 

"Go first to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt. 10:6) - Europe was entirely Christian when the gospel spread to the other continents; today, far from being Christian, it even denies its Christian root. Re-evangelization of the western civilization, which continues to exert power and influences over the rest of the world, has become a form of mission “Ad Gentes”.

Fr. Jorge Amaro, IMC