Pope: Missionaries, "heroes", ready to "burn up their lives" for evangelization

"I would like to say to say to the young men and women of today who do not feel at ease with themselves – I am not so happy with this culture of consumerism, narcissism ...': To look to the horizon!, Look there… look to these missionaries! '. Pray to the Holy Spirit to compel them to go far, to 'burn' with life ".

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Missionaries'  are today’s heroes of evangelization" they are " docile "to the Holy Spirit, ready" to 'burn' up their lives for the noble cause" said the Pope at Mass celebrated this morning in Casa Santa Marta, inspired by the day’s reading where Paul takes his leave from the community at Miletus and talks of being compelled by the Holy Spirit to go next to Jerusalem. He noted that Paul acknowledges the absolute mastery of the Spirit over his life who has always pushed him to announce the gospel despite the problems and difficulties.

I believe, the Pope said, this excerpt evokes for us the life of missionaries throughout the ages. “They went forward compelled by the Holy Spirit: a vocation!  And when we went to the cemeteries in those places, we see their tombs: so many of them died at an early age before they reached 40.  The reason is because they were not used to and couldn’t recover from the diseases present in those places. They gave up their young lives: they had consumed their lives.  I’m thinking of them in their last moment on earth, far from their homeland, their families and their loved ones, who said: ‘What I did was worth it!’”

Pope Francis went on to describe how a missionary sets out without knowing what awaits him or her and mentions in this context the final farewell given by St Francis Xavier on his deathbed which evokes that of St. Paul. In his speech bidding farewell at Miletus, Paul said that “in one city after another the Holy Spirit has been warning me that imprisonment and hardships await me.”  The missionary, he continued, ‘knows that life will not be easy but he goes ahead,’ just like the apostles of our times.

“Our missionaries, these evangelisation heroes of our times…..   Europe who filled up other continents with missionaries…. And these people went there without ever returning home….  I think it is only right that we give thanks to the Lord for their testimony. It’s right that we rejoice for having these missionaries who are true witnesses.  I’m wondering what the final moment on earth was like for these people: how did they bid farewell?  Like Xaxier: ‘I left everything but it was worth it!’  They passed away, nameless. They were martyrs who offered up their lives for the Gospel. These missionaries are our glory! The glory of our Church!”

Pope Francis said that “docility” is a particular quality of missionaries and he concluded with a prayer: that the '"dissatisfaction" that affects "our young people today" be overcome by the voice of the Spirit which "compels them to go out and proclaim, to 'burn' up their lives for the noble cause". "I would like to say to the young men and women of today who do not feel at ease with themselves – I am not so happy with this culture of consumerism, narcissism ...': To look to the horizon! Look there, look to these missionaries!'. Pray to the Holy Spirit to compel them to go far, to 'burn' with life. This expression may be somewhat hard, but life is worth living. But to live it right,  one must 'burn' with service, with proclamation, and go forward. And this is the joy of the Gospel".

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