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Thursday, April 2, 2020

A GOING FORTH EXPERIENCE



Ucchimunai, Kalpity, Sri Lanka is a beautiful peninsula with a very narrow attachment to the main land without any roads leading in or out of it essentially making it an island. The main occupation of the people is fishing. The islanders live a very simple life. My novitiate batch and I went to Ucchimunai during Holy Week for an exposure experience.
            There were many activities we organized along with the people, such as: praying the Rosary, Adoration, Holy Mass, English classes, playing card games, sports activities such as volleyball, and watching movies. We also had ecological activities such as picking up litter from the beach, helping the fishermen to clean their nets, and house visiting.
One challenge that I came across during my stay was to move past my shyness to be among the people. As a missionary, I should use all means possible to make God’s Word reaches the people. Each difficulty has its own grace for life. I thank God for giving me the grace to overcome my challenge so that I could go and do house visits.

The purpose of the house visits was to get to know the people better, to hear their stories.  We were divided into three small groups and we spread out across the different zones of the village to make sure that we did not miss anyone who would like a visit. This was the most memorable part of my stay at Ucchimunai because we were able to hear about the issues and struggles the people deal with on a daily basis. We ended each house visit with a short prayer for the family. I am certain that our house visits brought hope and courage to those who were facing difficulties or challenges in their life. I learned many things which are important for my Claretian vocation. The house visits were my “going forth” experience of being sent out to the peripheries.

“Going forth”: An important action for a missionary
            The term “Going Forth” is consists of two words: go and forth. Go (verb): to move or travel from one place to another, and forth (adverb): away from a place; out; towards a place. (Cf. Oxford Dictionary new eight editions). “Going forth” means to go out from one place towards another place. It is an act of going out.

Then Jesus called the twelve disciples and gave them power and authority… and He sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick… So they set out and went through the villages, proclaiming the good news and healing the people everywhere (Cf. Luke 9:1ff).
            The Father sent His Son to earth, and the Son, in turn, sends His disciples to the peripheries to proclaim The Kingdom of God and heal the sick. In this Gospel passage, we see how the disciples went through the villages. They met the people and did what Jesus had told them. That was a “going forth” experience for them. Without going forth, we will not be able to experience the life of the people in every corner of the world. It is an essential thing that a missionary should have in doing the mission of God.
            In order to face the many challenges of evangelization in today’s world, “the Church has proposed to serve the kingdom as a ‘Church going forth’ towards the human peripheries: accompanying the life of the poor, inserting herself into their lives and trying to understand the soul of each people, recognizing in them the signs of the presence of God, creating bridges and opportunities of the encounter between the Gospel and all cultures” (Cf. Witnesses and Messengers of the Joy of the Gospel, Declaration of the XXV General Chapter of Claretian Congregation, No. 19).

            Going forth is very important for servants of God. Missionaries are required to put it into practice in their daily life. A missionary should be ready to accept God’s invitation to leave their comfort zone and to go out to proclaim God’s Good News to all creation. Every religious is personally sent to proclaim the Good News through their life promoting communion and the mutual belonging to Christ (Cf. VC 72-73). Our God is a God who moves towards His people.

Br. Ram Busa Paga, CMF
Philosophy - I


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