Pope Francis says “Although you may come across many challenges, complex situations, burdens and weariness...do not be discouraged!...By focusing on the positive aspects and the joy...from contemplating God’s work..."

 SPEECH OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS
TO THE NATIONAL DIRECTORS OF THE PONTIFICAL MISSION SOCIETIES
Consistory Hall
Saturday, May 25, 2024
Pope Francis receives in audience the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) gathered, in Sacrofano, near Rome, for their Annual General Assembly. On Saturday, Pope Francis focused his reflection on three fundamental characteristics which, he said, are particularly relevant for their service to the Church’s mission: communion, creativity and tenacity.

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Eminence, Excellencies,

Dear National Directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies.
dear collaborators of the Dicastery for Evangelization,
brothers and sisters, good morning!
I joyfully welcome all of you who have come from more than one hundred and twenty countries on five continents for the annual general assembly of the Pontifical Mission Societies. I greet Cardinal Tagle, the Secretary Monsignor Nwachukwu, the Assistant Secretary Monsignor Nappa, President of the PMS, and the four General Secretaries: the leadership is good: a Filipino, an African and the pasta sauce, a Neapolitan!
We are on the eve of the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity, which makes us enter into contemplation of the mystery of God: a mystery of love that offers itself, gives itself, is totally consumed for the salvation of humanity. Precisely by contemplating this work of salvation, we discover three fundamental characteristics of the divine mission from the beginning: communion, creativity and tenacity. Let us reflect on these key words, which are relevant for the Church in a permanent state of mission and even more so for our missionary works, now called to renewal for an increasingly incisive and effective service.
First of all, communion. When we contemplate the Trinity, we see that God is a communion of people, he is a mystery of love. And the love with which God comes to seek and save us, rooted in his being One and Triune, is also what establishes the missionary nature of the pilgrim Church on earth (see Redemptoris missio, 1; Ad Gentes, 2). From this perspective, we are called to live the spirituality of communion with God and with our brothers. The Christian mission is not about transmitting some abstract truth or some religious conviction - less proselytizing, even less - but it is first of all allowing those we meet to be able to have the fundamental experience of God's love, and they will be able to find it in our lives and in the life of the Church we will be luminous witnesses of it, reflecting a ray of the Trinitarian mystery. On proselytism I would like to say a personal experience. When I was at one of the Youth Days, when I was leaving the theater where there had been a meeting, a lady who belonged to a Catholic group approached - ultra, too much, right-handed, "because of the smell" you could see that - and lady was with a boy and a girl and told me: “Your Holiness, I want to tell you that I have converted these two! I converted them!”. I looked into her eyes and said to her: "And who will convert you?". This mission of conversion, there are religious groups that carry the catalog of conversions, this is very bad. Just one anecdote.
I therefore urge everyone to progress in this spirituality of missionary communion, which is the basis of the synodal path of the Church today. I underlined it in the Praedicate Evangelium Constitution and I reiterate it now to you too, especially for your process of renewing the Statutes. It is important that the statutes are updated. A path of missionary conversion is therefore necessary for everyone and, therefore, it is important that there are opportunities for personal and community training to grow in the dimension of "communal" missionary spirituality. The mission of the Church, in fact, has as its aim «to make known and let everyone experience the “new” communion which in the Son of God made man entered the history of the world» (Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium, I, 4 ) [1]. And let's not forget that the call to communion implies a synodal style: that is, walking together, listening to each other, dialogue, arguing together, but always in community. This broadens our hearts and generates an increasingly universal outlook in us, precisely as was emphasized at the time of the foundation of the Work for the Propagation of the Faith: "We must not support this or that mission in particular, but all the missions of the world" ( cf. Mons. Cristiani and J. Servel, Marie-Pauline Jaricot, 39).
The second key word, the first was communion, the second key word that I propose to you is creativity. Rooted in the Trinitarian communion, we are inserted in the creative work of God, which makes all things new (see Rev 21:5). We too participate in this creativity and I would like to say two things about this. The first is that creativity is linked to the freedom that God possesses and gives to us in Christ and in the Spirit. In fact, "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" (2 Cor 3:17). What gives us freedom is the spirit. Let's read the first chapters of the Acts of the Apostles, there is creativity there, there is the Spirit... And for this reason, please, let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of our missionary creative freedom! Second thing, as Saint Maximilian Maria Kolbe, Franciscan missionary in Japan and martyr of charity, said, "only love creates", only love creates. And so, let us remember that evangelical creativity is born from love, from divine love, and that every missionary activity is creative to the extent that Christ's charity is its origin, its form and its purpose. Thus, with inexhaustible imagination, he creates ever new ways of evangelizing and serving his brothers, especially the poorest. An expression of this charity are also the traditional collections destined for universal solidarity funds for the missions. And for this purpose we must promote them, make it clear that this help that I give, that every Christian gives, makes the Church grow and saves people, and therefore help this participation not only of people, but also of groups and institutions which, with a spirit of gratitude for the graces received from the Lord, they wish to support the many missionary realities of the Church.
And third, the third and final word is tenacity, that is, firmness and perseverance in intentions and action. We can also contemplate this trait in the Love of God the Trinity who, to realize the plan of salvation, with constant faithfulness sent his servants throughout history and in the fullness of time gave himself in Jesus. Thus, the divine mission « it is a tireless going towards all humanity to invite them to encounter and communion with God. Tireless! Tenacity. […] For this reason, the Church will continue to go beyond every boundary, to go out again and again without getting tired or losing heart in the face of difficulties and obstacles, to faithfully carry out the mission received from the Lord" (Message for World Mission Day 2024). And this even goes as far as martyrdom. And I would like to focus on this to thank God for the martyrdom testimony given, in these past days, by a group of Catholics from Congo, from North Kivu. They were slaughtered, simply because they were Christians and did not want to convert to Islam. Today there is this greatness of the Church in martyrdom. And let's go back a little, five years ago, on the beach in Libya, those Copts who had their throats cut and on their knees were saying: "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus". The martyrdom Church is the Church of the Lord's tenacity that carries forward.
We are therefore also called to be persevering and tenacious in our intentions and action. And also live this martyrdom dimension with our example. You workers of the Pontifical Mission Societies come into contact with many different realities, situations and events that are part of the great flow of the life of the Church, on all continents. And then we can encounter numerous challenges, complex situations, heaviness and tiredness that accompany ecclesial life. Don't be discouraged! Here I would like to make a parenthesis to see the weaknesses of many of us brothers and sisters, who have sometimes fallen: please, let's be patient, let's take them by the hand and accompany them. Please don't be scandalized by these slips. “It can happen to me”, everyone must say “it can happen to me”: be very charitable, very delicate and wait. One of the things that touches the Lord's heart to me is patience: he knows how to wait, he knows how to wait. Let us look more at the positive aspects and, in this joy that comes from contemplating the work of God, we will be able to face even problematic situations with patience, so as not to remain prisoners of inactivity and a defeatist spirit. Tenacious and persevering, move forward in the Lord! And with brothers and sisters who slip and fall, remember that only on one occasion is it permissible to look down on a person, only one: to help him or her up. Always this gesture with the brothers and sisters who have slipped.
Dear brothers and sisters, I thank all of you and your collaborators again for your generosity and dedication in promoting the missionary responsibility of the faithful, especially in caring for the children of the Work of the Holy Childhood. May Our Lady intercede for you. I bless you from the bottom of my heart. I thank you for what you do… And you, Please, don't forget to pray for me, please!
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[1] ST. JOHN PAUL II, Exhortation. ap. postsyn. Christifideles laici (30 December 1988), 32.