Dear esteemed parishioners,

During our preschool catechetical instructions, our catechist often shared stories about the ultimate sacrifices made by the missionaries who brought the faith to our region. These narratives aimed to help us appreciate the efforts of those who gave their lives to evangelize the nation, instilling in us a desire to love and practice our faith.

The Missionaries of Africa, founded in 1868 by Cardinal Charles Lavigerie in Algiers, Algeria, were responsible for evangelizing many parts of Africa, including my home diocese of Bukoba in Tanzania. Originally, the congregation consisted of members from Europe and North America, but today it includes men from Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

It is said that before departing for their mission lands, the families of these missionaries bid a final farewell to them, much like one would to a loved one who is passing away. They did not expect to see each other again. Communication was limited-mail services were primitive, and there were no telephones-so upon arriving in their mission countries, they found themselves completely isolated from their loved ones.

Their ministry was fraught with challenges. They faced poor infrastructure and had to travel on foot through jungles and forests, often encountering dangerous wild animals, some of which claimed the lives of these missionaries. Upon arriving in territories occupied by indigenous people, they were often met with hostility from local chiefs, who would assign them barren lands in an attempt to discourage and deter them from their missionary activities.

The majority of these missionaries did not return to their countries of origin, and their final resting places can still be identified within the regions where they resided and rendered service. Despite the hardships they faced, the missionaries successfully evangelized our native regions, and I take pride in being one of the fruits of their labor.

What I intend to emphasize here is that these missionaries made immense sacrifices not out of hatred for their families or home countries, but because they chose to fulfill the requirements of being disciples of Jesus, as stated in this weekend's gospel. In the gospel, Jesus lays out two fundamental demands for anyone who wishes to follow Him, concluding each with a stark warning: "cannot be my disciple." While these demands primarily address priests and religious men and women, they are also applicable to every baptized individual. Let us take a moment to briefly examine each of these conditions.

The first condition states: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple." When Jesus Instructs us to "hate" our closest family members, He does not mean this Iterally. He Himself did not harbor hatred for His family: even in the agory of the Cross, He demonstrated care for His immediate family by entrusting His mother Mary to John's care and John to Mary's (John 19:27). Instead, when Jesus speaks of "hatred," He intends to convey that no love in our lives should surpass the love we have for Him.

The term "to hate" in Hebrew partly meant "to love the lnss" (Barclay, W. 2027). The Lord wants us to understand that we should love our fathers and mothers, wives and children, and even our own lives less than we love Him. In essence, we are called to prioritize our love for Jesus above everything and everyone else. Furthermore, the term "to hate" also suggests that we may need to break even the closest bonds if they hinder our love for God or if it becomes necessary to remain faithful to the service of the gospel.

The second condition is: "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple." This statement urges us to let go of trivial matters that can obstruct our devotion to God; it emphasizes the importance of sell-denial and the willingness to endure hardships for the benefit of others and out of love for God. Although suffering is inherenty painful, and we should aim to avold it, our love for God and fellow brothers and sisters may occasionally require us to sacrifice something valuable. At times, such sacrifices may demand significant self-denial, humiliation, and suffering in essence, it Involves shouldering our crosses and following in the footsteps of Jesus.

Cleary, these demands are unacceptable to those who think humanely. They can only be understood and accepted by those granted "wisdom from above," as mentioned in the first reading. May the Lord inorease in us this wisdom from above.

In God's Service and yours,

Fr. Thomas

BACK TO LIST