On Becoming a Missionary

INTRODUCTION

When I made the decision to become a missionary, I never thought one day I would be documenting the torture, abuse and inhuman conditions of children in prison with hidden cameras and taking legal action to rescue them and give them a new life free from abuse and the heavy hand of authority. Nor did I expect to be making undercover contact on the streets of an Asian city talking to prostituted women and children and working to help set them free from brothels, traffickers and pimps.

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Some pious Catholics were shocked when they heard of such work, thinking that a missionary priest was to be seen only in a church. Celebrating the Supper of the Lord and absorbing the meaning of His commands – to love one another as He loved us even to death on the cross – is the most essential of all. What He wanted to be remembered through the Eucharist is the work He began to transform the world, a work that is for us to continue. From His self sacrifice we are inspired and strengthened to be able to go out and confront evil and do good. How well we are doing it is the measure of our success.

I was taught to “imitate Christ,” and reading the gospel, I discovered He did all these things, and much more. If we are not out helping change the situation of the people who are oppressed, excluded, suffering and in need, then we, as Christians and missionaries, are missing a lot. Becoming a missionary is a life-long process but it is a call to action that gives idealism an opportunity to act, where the desire and spiritual commitment to serve and help can be fostered and strengthened by doing it rather than talking about it.

That’s why I advise missionary training to be less scholarly and monastic and more of a practical apprenticeship in the footsteps of Jesus of Nazareth. He was a man of action and wasted little time. St. Columban was the same, he left the monastery and went on mission to confront and change the evils of the world. He never hid away from a challenge; he was a doer less than a talker.
We missionaries, especially new volunteers, need to be doing many things to bring the gospel message to the poor and the needy. It is not fair for young people to be cloistered for seven years while the planet burns, the refugees starve, and the children are abandoned and abused. The temptations to such a life of scholarly ease are many.

St. Paul has always been an inspiration to me. He tried to be “all things to all men.” He went to the places where the leaders of the day gathered to convince them that through a commitment to Jesus of Nazareth and His teaching, we could transform the world from slavery and injustice to one of freedom and equality, respect and dignity.

That was my hope and dream when I joined the Missionary Society of St. Columban. Being in the slums, prisons, and on the streets are just a few of the many adventures that came my way when I found a purpose and a mission reaching out to others. There are no special qualifications needed to be a missionary or volunteer other than wanting to help others and make this a better and more just and happy world. That’s the key to happiness: forgetting our own desires and using our abilities, talents and gifts to be helpful to others without asking or expecting a reward. That’s at the heart of my songs, “Love is Giving and Not Taking” and “Open Up Your Heart” (free to download on www.preda.org).

Students and teachers researching on the internet find my web site or read my book, “Passion and Power,” and they write to me to ask how they can start a project or mission to help others. I advise them to look around their own school, college or community; there, they will find people in need, and they can help them and the environment. We can start to put our faith into action – by being a missionary today.

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