EUROPE/ ENGLAND – UPM Secretary General: “The example of Christian life and the proclamation of Christ are inseparable”
London (Agenzia Fides) – Cultivating the missionary spirit: this was the theme of the speech by Father Dinh Anh Nhue Nguyen, OFM Conv, Secretary General of the Pontifical Missionary Union (UPM), Director of Ciam and Agenzia Fides, which opened the work of the National Assembly of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) in the United Kingdom. The UPM Secretary General opened the three-day event with an afternoon session on missionary spirituality. After an introduction by the English OPMs to give an overview of their work in the context of the local church, Father Nguyen continued his presentation, which began with the episode from the Gospel of Luke on the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. The Gospel episode was taken as a model to introduce the larger theme of a life lived under the sign of mission. Father Nguyen explained the missionary context of the multiplication of the loaves, the “whole” bread offered by Jesus, and the mission of the community of believers.
Then, inspired by Pope Francis’ message for World Mission Day 2022, Fr. Dinh provided the participants of the English OPM assembly with food for thought.
“A closer look at the words ‘You will be my witnesses’ can clarify some still current aspects of the mission that Christ entrusted to the disciples. The plural form of the verb underlines the community and ecclesial character of the missionary vocation of the disciples, comments Father Nguyen, each baptized person is called to mission, in the Church and by the mandate of the Church: therefore, the mission is carried out together, and not individually, in communion with the ecclesial community, and not of their own initiative.
The UPM Secretary General addressed the indissoluble link between the example of Christian life and the proclamation of Christ: “One is at the service of the other. They are the two lungs with which each community must breathe if she wants to be a missionary. This type of full, consistent and joyful witness to Christ will certainly also be a force of attraction for the growth of the Church in the third millennium. I urge everyone to recover the courage, the frankness and the parousia of the first Christians, to bear witness to Christ in word and deed in all areas of life”.
Father Nguyen then recalled the charismatic origin of PMS, as declared by Pope Francis in the message for World Mission Day 2022, and suggested to those present some concrete themes to cultivate missionary spirituality in daily life. .
The Assembly then continued with sessions devoted to the fundraising strategy, its analysis and possible avenues to take, and ended yesterday with the conclusions of the national director of the English PKOs.
(EG) (Fides Service, 6/23/2022)
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