«We are called to love others as Jesus our Savior loved us. The love and joy that come from a missionary become viral and soon infect other people around us. We must remain open to receiving inspiration from the Holy Spirit to sow this love for others and to continue preaching and spreading the good news.»
These are the word of Archbishop Christophe Al-Kassis, apostolic Nuncio in Pakistan on the sidelines of a meeting organized by the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) in Pakistan, to prepare the animators of the Pakistani PMS for the Extraordinary Missionary Month to be celebrated in October 2019 on the theme «Baptized and sent: the Church of Christ on mission in the world.» 70 animators and delegates from all over the country among priests, nuns, and laity participated in the animation program. The comments were reported by Fides News Agency.
Archbishop Christophe Al Kassis also stated: «Jesus gave us a great example, by loving each one of us. Jesus did what he preached and in this love for us, he sacrificed his life on the cross to save us. We must learn from Jesus, who preached and prayed, as an authentic missionary. We too must pray and live according to what we preach». And he adds: «Good deeds, as well as words, are very important for a missionary: we must set an example for others, living and putting into practice the Word that is announced.»
Bishop Samson Shukardin, President of the PMS in Pakistan, addressing the assembly, said: «I strongly feel the need for mission and evangelization in Pakistan. The flame of mission and evangelization burns in my life: I love to continue to share my faith. This extraordinary missionary Month will be a fruitful moment for each of us to spread our faith. We must announce and live our faith, this is mission. Mission is the task of every baptized person: let us prepare ourselves for the Extraordinary Missionary Month with great zeal and enthusiasm. Let us leave our comfort zone, and do our best to live and spread faith, without worrying about what others say if things do not go according to expectations. I sincerely hope that the good works that we will promote in the extraordinary Missionary Month will bring about a healthy change in the Catholic Church in Pakistan», he concluded.
Fr. Zafar Iqbal, one of the delegates present, speaking with Fides, said: «Our God is love and we, his creatures, are made to love and be loved. All of us baptized are missionaries, called to bring his love to the world: through our baptism, we must carry on the mission of our Lord Jesus Christ, the mission he assigned to his disciples and which today is our responsibility to continue without any hesitation.»
