Dear Friends,
It seems that Pope Leo XVI has already endeared himself to the world, with his warm smile, calm demeanour and steady influence.
But if we listen carefully to his words, we find that behind that serene exterior, he is calling us to step up as Christians and missionaries and launch a revolution! Not a revolution of arms or violence, but a revolution of love.
For Pope Leo, it seems, complacency isn’t an option for Christians. We are called to share the love and compassion of Christ which we have received ourselves.
The Pope spoke of this revolution of love while celebrating his first Sunday Mass at the Parish of St Thomas of Villanova in Castel Gandolfo, while taking his summer holiday.
Preaching on the parable of the Good Samaritan, he said that when we experience God's love and healing, we are able to offer the same consolation to others we encounter.
With this in mind, Pope Leo insisted, "Today we need this 'revolution of love".
Just a few days earlier, the Pope released his Message for World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly and once again called for a revolution, this time a Revolution of Care for the elderly.
In his message, the Pope called on every parish and Church group or association to become part of a “revolution” of care and gratitude by regularly visiting older people.
“Christian hope always urges us to be more daring, to think big, to be dissatisfied with things the way they are,” the Pope wrote in his message for the day, which will take place July 27.
As a missionary, these two calls to a revolution of love and care really spoke to my heart.
A revolution speaks of energy and a joint commitment to a cause. What better cause than the cause of love? Especially at a time when our world is so troubled.
In asking us to “think big” and “be dissatisfied with things the way they are”, Pope Leo is inviting us to throw fresh energy into our mission.
Like the Good Samaritan in the parable, we are called to up-end convention by acting first with compassion, the same compassion and mercy we have received from Jesus.
As I look around our ministries and missionary activities, I see so many instances of love and compassion, both given and received.
And yet, I wonder, what would happen if we took up Pope Leo’s invitation to launch a revolution of love and care in our hearts, our lives, our relationships and our ministries?
So many people down through the centuries have done exactly that. Not content with the way things were, they launched revolutions of love in their own time and place. In this 150th Jubilee Year of the SVD we are celebrating St Arnold Janssen who launched his own revolution by setting up a missionary congregation to take the Good News of Jesus Christ out to the world. Many people tried to talk him out of it, but, motivated by love, he was determined to push on. Today, there are more than 6,000 Divine Word Missionaries serving in more than 70 countries.
Pope Leo is asking us to launch a revolution of love in our own lives. He is inviting us to take the love we have received and “think big” about how we can share it.
Yours in the Word,
Fr Asaeli Rass SVD,
Provincial.