Editorial

MISSIONARIES OF HOPE

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Vol. XVIII x No. 7

AUGUST 2006

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by José Rebelo

Visiting Uganda, a country in Central Africa, I was impressed, among other things, by the courage of our colleagues, the Comboni Missionaries, the amount of development work they realize and the grateful people’s answer to their dedication.

Four coups d’état in little more than three decades and the violence perpetrated by the Lord’s Resistance Army rebels have ravaged Northern Uganda, particularly in the last 20 years. In spite of the risky situation, missionaries decided to remain with the people, sharing their sufferings, fears and hardships, especially due to the lack of security, basic goods and essential living conditions. Simply by their presence, missionaries were a sign of hope – they were witnessing that God was present among the people, that He was not abandoning them to their fate; and they were also helping them to believe that it was possible to defeat injustice and war. A prophetic option for which some paid the ultimate price.

The missions have been a constant target of attacks. Missionaries were in danger both inside their own house – when the rebels came to assault and loot – and on the road – on their way to visit the Christian communities. Some were beaten and threatened at gun point by young and frightful soldiers, obliged by their commanders to kill or be killed as a punishment for not carrying out their orders. Missionaries showed an extraordinary courage – something that was only possible with God’s assistance and strength.

The number of projects the Church runs in the country is also remarkable. They make up for what the State doesn’t want or is not able to do: schools and nurseries; clinics and hospitals; hostels and scholarships for the poorest students; drilling of boreholes to provide water; encouraging agricultural projects; and taking many other initiatives aiming at improving people’s lives. Missionaries – priests, brothers, sisters and lay people, particularly medical doctors – are fully engaged in the battle against poverty, illiteracy, apathy, disease, injustice; and in promoting dignity, faith, culture, leadership and peace.

All these activities are possible because of the personal dedication and financial support from generous and innumerable benefactors, especially from Europe – people with an open mind and a missionary heart who renounce some commodities to share their resources with those in need. Without such support, missionaries could do little for the education, health and welfare of the Africans.

Wherever I went I observed that Ugandans are very nice and welcoming people – even those who are considered more rough and primitive, like the Karimojong, a semi-nomadic tribe who lives in the northeastern part of the country, and where a Filipino Comboni Missionary, Fr. Nolasco Robiso Jovilla, Jr., from Majayjay (Laguna) is learning the local language and getting inculturated. They appreciate what the missionaries are doing for them and they show up at church services in big numbers, even during the week. In times of crisis, they have been very supportive of the missionaries: helping them to feel at home and not to awfully miss what they had given up.

The missionaries’ common experience is that, as a reward for leaving their countries, natural families and friends, they acquire a larger family. As Jesus teaches in the Gospel: They “will receive a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and lands in the present times – with persecutions; and in the age to come eternal life” (Mk. 10:30). Persecutions – i.e. adversities, misunderstandings and setbacks – are part of the “package.” But they serve to purify and deepen the missionaries’ motivation to be committed with the poor, give them an occasion to experience more vividly God’s presence – and, paradoxically, they are a source of joy!

Witnessing to our colleagues’ generous endeavors, I couldn’t help but feel proud of being a missionary myself – sharing with them the same vocation and mission. <WM