Story of a Soul
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17 July 1991
Nanga Pinoh, Indonesia

My dear Confreres,

One of the great spiritual classics of our times is the autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux which she entitled, The Story of a Soul. It is a book that is written with that simplicity which characterized the spirituality of her whom we know as the Little Flower. It is a book that is characterized by that simplicity for which Our Lord gives thanks in today's Gospel: "Father, Lord of heaven and earth, to You I offer praise for what You have hidden from the learned and the clever, You have revealed to the merest children." (Mt 11:25).

Each of us could write a book entitled, The Story of a Soul, recounting the way in which we found our vocation and the story of some of the great graces which God has given us since we entered the Community. Our book might not have the simplicity nor the depth of St. Thérèse's. Nevertheless, it is true that God calls each of us to the Community through different ways and different events. In our meditation it is good to reflect often on the fact that, while we share with others a common vocation, God thinks and deals with each of us individually. We can never forget Our Lord's parable of the lost sheep. The shepherd left the ninety-nine in order to seek out the one that was lost. "I am the Good Shepherd and I know mine and mine know Me." (Jn 10:14).

The first reading of today's Mass is about a shepherd and some lost sheep. However, it is much more than that. It is the story of the way in which Moses found his vocation. Moses was looking for some lost sheep when he noticed a bush which was burning but not being consumed. Out of curiosity he went over to see the strange sight. It was then that God called him to lead His people. "Come, now! I will send you to Pharaoh to lead My people, the Israelites, out of Egypt." (Ex 3:10). It was then that God gave him the assurance: "I will be with you." (Ibid., v. 12).

When you look back on the history of your own vocation, you will probably discover that it was a chance meeting with a person, a remark made about the missions, or a very casual contact with a Confrere, that led you to the Community. God used that event, that person, that happening, to say to you what He said to Moses: "Come." As time went on and the ideals of St. Vincent and the Community were put before you, you probably felt like saying, as Moses did: "Who am I?" And in the history of your soul, more than once you have heard the voice of God, saying to you as He said to Moses, "I will be with you."

When I think of the missions of the Congregation, I think of you here in Kalimantan as being among those who are in the front line. I can recall vividly my last visit here when I learned of some of the difficulties under which you work. Your vocation calls for great generosity of heart and I know that almost all of you have given more than ten years of your life to working in this part of the Lord's vineyard.

May the Lord continue to be your strength and your joy. My prayer for you is that in the midst of so much hard work, you may find time daily to rest in the Lord through time spent in meditation. Let me quote Pope John Paul II in his recent encyclical on the missions: "The missionary must be a `contemplative in action.' He finds answers to problems in the light of God's word and in personal and community prayer. My contact with representatives of the non-Christian spiritual traditions, particularly those of Asia, has confirmed me in the view that the future of mission depends to a great extent on contemplation. Unless the missionary is a contemplative he cannot proclaim Christ in a credible way. He is a witness to the experience of God, and must be able to say with the Apostles: `that which we have looked upon...concerning the word of life, ...we proclaim also to you.' " (1 Jn 1:1-3). (Redemptoris Missio, p91).

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