N. 106 - october 2017
Newsletter for Salesian Missionary Animation
A Publication of the Missions Sector for the Salesian Communities and Friends of the Salesian Mission
O ctober, missionary month par excellence! The whole Church stirs up and wakes up, recog-
nizing once again its deep missionary roots. Pope Francis, through his message for the World
Mission Day 2017, reminds us also of the synodal and youthful path that we are already going
through together: "Young people are the hope of the mission. The person of Jesus and the good news
proclaimed by him continue to fascinate many young people " (No. 8). We have just seen this fasci-
nation in Valdocco on the face of each of the young Salesians from around the world, members of the
newly commissioned 148th Missionary Expedition. We have also admired it in many Provinces all over
the world. We see the courage and enthusiasm of so many young people who give to God and to the
world a generous part of their lives through the Salesian Volunteer Movement. Our common mis-
sionary responsibility, Pope Francis con-
cludes, needs the "rich imagination and
creativity of young people" (No. 8). It is,
indeed, the young who are renewing the
missionary spirit in our houses and
Provinces. May they keep us awake!
D. Guillermo Basanes SDB
Councillor for the Missions
In this
missionary month of
October we encourage you
to sudy deeper the message from the Holy
Father. For lack of space we share, just a few
phrases:
"This Day invites us to reflect anew on the mis-
sion at the heart of the Christian faith. T he
Church is missionary by nature; otherwise, it
would no longer be the Church of Christ, but one
group among many others that would soon end
up serving their purpose and passing away. So it
is important to ask ourselves certain questions
about our Christian identity and our responsibility
as believers in a world marked by confusion, dis-
appointment and frustration, and torn by numer-
ous fratricidal wars that unjustly target the inno-
cent. What is the basis of our mission? What is
the heart of our mission? What are the essential
approaches we need to take in carrying out our
mission? [...]
The Church’s mission, directed to all men and
women of good will, is based on the transforma-
tive power of the Gospel. The Gospel is Good
News filled with contagious joy, for it contains
and offers new life: that of the Risen Christ who,
by bestowing His life-giving Spirit, becomes for
us the Way, the Truth and the Life (cf. Jn 14: 6).
He is the Way that invites us to follow him with
confidence and courage. In following Jesus as our
Way, we experience Truth and receive His Life,
which is fullness of communion with God the Fa-
ther in the power of the Holy Spirit. That life
makes us free from every kind of selfishness
and is a source of creativity in love.
The Church’s mission, then, is not to spread a
religious ideology, much less to propose a lofty
ethical teaching. Many movements throughout
the world inspire high ideals or ways to live a
meaningful life. Through the mission of the
Church, Jesus Christ himself continues to evange-
lize and act. Her mission thus makes present in
history the kairos, the favourable time of salva-
tion. Through the proclamation of the Gospel,
the risen Jesus becomes our contemporary, so
that those who welcome him with faith and love
experience the transforming power of His Spirit,
who makes humanity and creation fruitful even
as the rain does with the earth [...]
Thank God, many significant experiences contin-
ue to testify to the transformative power of the
Gospel. I think of the gesture of the Dinka stu-
dent who, at the cost of his own life, protected a
student from the enemy Nuer tribe who was
about to be killed [...] We can think too of
countless testimonies to how the Gospel helps
overcome narrowness, conflict, racism, tribalism,
and to promote everywhere, and among all, rec-
onciliation, fraternity and sharing [...]
Young people are the hope of the mission. The
person of Jesus and the Good News He pro-
claimed continue to attract many young people.
They seek ways to put themselves with courage
and enthusiasm at the service of humanity.
"There are many young people who offer their
solidarity in the face of the evils of the world and
engage in various forms of militancy and volun-
teering [...]. How beautiful it is to see that
young people are ‘street preachers’, joyfully
bringing Jesus to every street, every town square
and every corner of the earth!"
