On the day of the Ascension of the Lord (which was not moved to the following Sunday), the Holy Father addressed the Pontifical Mission Societies with a long Message with a very strong programmatic background, which aims to project this important missionary organization into the future, for an ever more qualified and fully evangelical service for the benefit of all peoples. It is an unexpected intervention, inasmuch as no one was aware that on the same day, May 21, the Pope intended to participate in the General Assembly of the PMS, which was then suspended because of the coronavirus. That is why the Pontiff addressed them in writing.
The first part of the Message is a very punctual presentation of some aspects related to the Missions that the Pontiff had already outlined at greater length in the other programmatic document of the pontificate, the Evangelii gaudiumOn this occasion, he wished to repeat it because he considers it "unpostponable" for the development of the PMS to assume and apply the same criteria and suggestions of seven years ago.
Right after that, the Holy Father focuses on what could be talents to be developed, but also temptations and illnesses to be avoided, burdens that threaten to hinder the journey, together with real insidiousness. The last part, on the other hand, gathers together a series of practical indications that should serve to reformulate a new face of the Missionary Works so that they may be a true reflection of love for the Church and for Christ.
It is singular that the Message opens with three passages, one from the Acts of the Apostles and two from the Gospels of Mark and Luke, which recount Jesus' farewell to his disciples and to this world -precisely the Ascension-, thus indicating the substratum of what the Pope expresses throughout the text. While the Lord is initiating the fulfillment of the Kingdom, his disciples are lost in conjecture; but as soon as he ascends to heaven, they return to heaven. "full of joy". The key to this "change" is dictated by the Holy Spirit, promised and then received at Pentecost.
The secret of a good evangelizing mission is given, therefore, by this received joy, and also by the fact that it is animated by the Holy Spirit, who preserves it from presumed self-sufficiency or desires for power that are always lurking in every ecclesial project, Pope Francis points out.
It is therefore necessary to start from the assumption that salvation comes for each person. "through the perspective of the encounter with Him who calls us."and only then is it possible to testify "before the whole world, with our lives."because we have been chosen and favored, "the glory of the risen Christ".
The distinctive features of the Mission
At this point, Francis goes on to mention the "distinctive features" of the mission animated by the Holy Spirit. In the first place, it must be attractiveThe others must perceive in the person who attracts them that he or she has been in turn "drawn by Christ and his Spirit": "when one follows Jesus, content to be attracted to Him, others will notice.".
A second feature is the "free of charge" that springs from the "gratitude" It would not, in fact, be appropriate to present mission and evangelization as "a binding duty, a kind of 'contractual obligation' of the baptized.".
Then, the announcement must be made with "humility"without arrogance or arrogance, and it is necessary to "facilitate, don't complicate". the process of bringing people closer to the Church, without "adding useless burdens to people's already difficult lives." and without hindering the desire of Jesus, which "wants to cure all, save all"..
Peculiarities of PMOs
In dealing with the characteristics of OMP and its possible "reinvention" in the present time for a more fruitful future, Francis recalled some of his "distinctive features", The main objective of the project is to develop and implement a comprehensive and integrated approach to the management of the natural and historical heritage, which is often neglected and which, on the contrary, is of primary importance.
First and foremost, being born spontaneously of the missionary fervor of the faithful people; the fact that they have always been driven on the basis of the prayer and the charityrecognized by the Church and by its bishops for their configuration simple y concretestructured as a capillary network which is integrated into the other ecclesial institutions and realities; insofar as they are spread throughout all continents, they represent "a plurality that can protect from ideological homologations and cultural unilateralism".In this sense, it is an image of the universality of the Church.
Some risks
On the basis of these peculiarities, the Holy Father warns the pontifical body against some "pathologies" that also affect other ecclesial bodies - as he denounced, for example, in the first meetings with the Roman Curia for the exchange of Christmas greetings - and that are: the self-referentialityThe "self-promotion" that leads to withdrawing into oneself, spending energies on self-promotion or seeking space and relevance within the Church; the "self-promotion" of the Church; and the "self-promotion" of the Church. desire for commandespecially in relation to the communities that should be served; the elitisma kind of "top class of specialists" competing with other ecclesiastical elites; the isolation of the townThe company's management of the company's own business is based on the following abstractionThe fact is that the world is losing touch with reality and falling into sterile intellectual initiatives that end up domesticating people's faith. functionalismtrusting everything to "models of worldly efficiency" and extinguishing grace.
The Pope's advice
They follow the Pope's advice for a reconsideration of the PMO itself. As a first point, a kind of return to the origins, with "a more intense 'immersion' in people's real lives."The process should always be based on prayer and charity, which are precious in their elementary and concrete condition, expressing themselves in their concrete circumstances and conditions, giving answers to real questions and demands. This process must always be supported by prayer and charity, which are precious in their elementary and concrete condition, expressing "the affinity of the PMOs with the faith of the People of God".. We should rejoice and be surprised by the stories of ordinary holiness that can be found through contact with so many realities and situations in which we act, learning to escape from self-referentiality both in the implementation of programs and in the flexibility of structures and the choice of reference figures.
It is also important not to fall back on cold and seemingly more "remunerative", but that the contribution, however small, of the multitude of the baptized should always be taken into account; as for the use of donations, they are to be redistributed taking into account the "real primary needs of the communities"while at the same time avoiding forms of assistance or the selection of initiatives that are not very concrete.
The Pope, finally, invites us not to forget the poor -a 'divine preference' that challenges the life of faith of every Christian".-to respect the rich variety of the peoples among whom we work, and to always be a reflection of the Pope's charity and gratuitousness in the world, "servant of the servants of God".
