Fr. Zezinho Leoni has been a missionary in the Amazon for the last thirty-five plus years. He exudes joy and enthusiasm for evangelization in his life among the “caboclos” and the “indios” of Brazil’s State of Parà. At the present time he is Regional Superior of the Xaverian Missionaries of northern Brazil. He speaks of his people as “the poor have been my teachers.” Reflecting on his long experience, he writes:
ruly, with growing urgency I feel the need to change. I’d be of better service to the mission if the change would begin with me, with my own conversion. Mission would be better taken care of and more effective if missionaries would undergo a “conversion.”
They must always start again, return to the beginnings, so that Jesus may be the missionary present in me and in the community, in the Amazon, and
wherever in the world we’re called to be His witnesses.
Too often the missionary is tempted to think of himself as initiator and champion of mission. And, in a sense, he is in as much as there would be no mission without missionaries. But I’m becoming ever more convinced that we ourselves are the first ones who need mission and need to be evangelized: “The poor have been my teachers. They are our teachers. It is what makes us missionaries.”
I believe that all missionaries can benefit from the richness that we find in serving the mission, which we must do together as community. It is the conversion that is constantly being asked of us. Mission changes us to the extent that we see ourselves as bearers of a gift, but together and mutually, and dispose ourselves to listen and accept the exchange.
The real missionary is not the one who knows how to formulate nice theories, but the one who truly believes and deeply senses the presence of Christ. He who wishes to bring Christ to others must be ready to undergo conversion together with those of others.
The real missionary is not the one who knows how to formulate nice theories, but the one who truly believes and deeply senses the presence of Christ.
We, Xaverian missionaries, must come together toward definite and clear objectives. We take for granted that our primary goal is the first proclamation of the Good News. In order that our dedication to this task be fruitful, we need to come together frequently to help each other re-discover and feel deeply our identity, live the options that are our characteristics and be always at the service of others. Being coherent to our
identity will make us serve mission better.
This also means that we plan our commitments and their time-schedule so as not to fall into vagaries. In this way, at the end of the set time period, we can evaluate the work done in order to continue in the chosen path, or to move to some other place or projects with the benefit of the experience gained. In fact, we cannot stay always in the same place and do always the same thing.
It is true that each one has his/her style of work and that, in order to change, time is needed, but that change will be much easier if sought together and gradually. We cannot forget that individualism and changes of plans often cause suffering to others.
The Church here in Brazil, as everywhere we’re called to serve, expects of us something in conformity with the charism, which our Xaverian family has received. And nothing puts in doubt the necessity to work together as community. The Xaverian charism is not something personal. We need to insist on this constantly in our meetings and communications so as that we may grow in this communal awareness. It’s part of our “mission spirituality.” We evangelize not so much as individuals but as community. “Where two or more are gathered in my name there am I in the midst of them,” means this, too.
(From Xaverian Mission Newsletter)