Every day we read or hear about heroes in our country. Some are men and women in uniform – in the military, police officers, firemen who are in the service of their country and/or in their line of duty. Some are ordinary citizens from all walks of life who have done incredible acts in a single occasion when someone is in danger or needs help for some other reason. Whether they are awarded a medal, lauded in the media, honored as a celebrity or not, they all deserve our praise and gratitude.
What is a hero? One simple definition of hero is a person “of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his achievements and noble qualities, and who has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal.” Most often we regard the heroic act as a single deed of courage, bravery, and sacrifice to save the life of another, help someone in distress, prevent destruction of property, or win the battle against the enemy. And soon we forget the name of the hero.
But there are many great leaders in this world whom we consider heroes too, not for just a single heroic act but for their distinguished traits, noble qualities, and exemplary characteristics and who will be forever remembered, honored and venerated. Who does not know of Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, or Mahatma Gandhi, just to name a few ”successful heroic leaders”? One writer names the following characteristics common to this kind of hero: courage, selflessness, sacrifice, compassion, humility, patience, passion, and dedication. And for a missionary like Mother Teresa I would add “faith.”
Our Catholic missionaries today share the same characteristics. Their heroic acts are not one single incident – they are lifetime commitments. They are priests, brothers, nuns and laymen all over the world serving in different countries of varying cultures and religious beliefs. Some are doctors, nurses, engineers, educators, and other professionals who give up their wealth, take the risk of their assignments in dangerous parts of the world, and live without the conveniences they had at home. They take care of orphaned children, they provide medical care to indigenous people who have never seen a doctor, they distribute food to refugees, they help victims of natural calamities rebuild their lives, they teach adults how to make a living through simple occupations, they construct wells to provide water in arid areas, and they provide other humanitarian services to the most destitute people in war-torn countries. They spend years patiently studying for their profession and training for their missionary assignment. They are courageous, selfless individuals who, with their deep faith in God, are strongly and passionately dedicated to their mission.
Over 2,000 years ago, Jesus told his 11 disciples, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matt. 28:18-20). Since then, thousands upon thousands have answered the call not only baptizing, but also feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the ill and in prison, and welcoming the stranger. And He reminded them that “whatever you did for these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matt. 25:40)
The Roman Catholic Church established several missions in the Americas during the Age of Discovery through Augustinians, Franciscans, and Dominicans in order to spread Christianity in the New World and to convert the Native Americans and other indigenous people. The same congregations, including Jesuits, were simultaneously moving into Asia, while the Portuguese were sending missionaries to Africa. These were the most well-known missions in history. While some missions were associated with imperialism and oppression, others were peaceful like the Jesuits. For instance, in China the Jesuits succeeded in rendering Christianity at least respectable to the sophisticated Chinese by translating Western mathematics and astronomical works to Chinese scholars.
In the early 17th century the Franciscan movement spread to the Caribbean, then to Mexico, Central America, parts of South America, and some parts of the southwestern United States. Although their main goal and top priority was to spread Christianity, they were regarded by some as tools of imperialism. Nevertheless, they were able to spread the Spanish language, culture and political control aimed at the urbanization of the Indians.
Today Catholic missionary societies and organizations in the country and in other parts of the world are following Jesus’ statement more than 2,000 years ago. Some of those I am familiar with are the Franciscan Mission Associates (now in the 54th year of their worldwide mission); the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (founded in France in 1816, now serving the United States and 60 countries); the Salesian Missions (with more than 28,000 priests, brothers and sisters around the world operating 3,200 Don Bosco technical schools, 70 colleges, 90 clinics and hospitals, and 330 orphanages and shelters); the Society of the Divine Savior, or Salvatorians (founded 130 years ago with various ministries around the globe); the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers (established a seminary for foreign missions in 1911); the Maryknoll Sisters (began in 1912 with a group of American Catholic sisters assigned to overseas missions); the Missionary Society of St. Columban, or the Columbans (with 480 priests serving in 16 countries); and the Catholic Relief Services (CRS). The CRS was founded in 1943 by the Catholic Bishops of the United States to serve World War II survivors in Europe. Since then, the CRS has expanded in size to reach 85 million people in 101 countries in five continents. Their mission is to assist impoverished people overseas “working in the spirit of Catholic social teaching and to promote the sacredness of human life and the dignity of the human person.” They are “motivated by the example of Jesus Christ” to ease suffering, provide development assistance and foster charity and justice to all people, regardless of race, religion, or nationality.
After Vatican Council II there have been many profound changes which make the missions explicitly conscious of social justice and aware of the dangers of cultural imperialism or economic exploitation disguised as religious conversion.
Contemporary missionaries argue that working for justice is a constitutive part of preaching the Gospel and as one group of missionaries state, they are “called to live God’s word as Jesus did, to proclaim it broadly to others, to work it into the fabric of human society and culture, and to express God’s love to all, especially to the oppressed, suffering, and poor.”
In his address to all Catholics on World Mission Day 2015, Pope Francis said that “Being a missionary is not about proselytizing or mere strategy, mission is part of the ‘grammar’ of faith, something essential for those who listen to the voice of the Spirit who whispers ‘Come’ and ‘Go forth’. Those who follow Christ cannot fail to be missionaries, for they know that Jesus walks with them, speaks to them, and breathes with them. They sense Jesus alive with them in the midst of the missionary enterprise.”
Our Catholic missionaries are also heroes, but they do not need trophies and medals nor to be honored as celebrities. They need our assistance and our prayers. Through our prayerful and financial support of our Catholic missionaries around the world we “live, speak, and breathe” our Catholic faith wherever and whomever they serve. As followers of Christ we, too, can be missionaries, and we join them to help others see the depth of Jesus’ love.