Mission as Cross-Cultural Journey ll

The Gospel shows us Jesus, always on the move, from town to town, region to region, not letting himself be shackled by the limited interests of a small group. He travelled up to Jerusalem, where he offers himself as a sacrifice for "all". And he sends his disciples into the world. Ever since that first sending, generations of disciples have set out, crossing frontiers and tying bonds between peoples, as bearers of a message of universal love.

Starting out, the journey, is an essential element of the missionary vocation ~ the willingness to leave what you know, to start out on a new path. It demands a constant leaving of what is "ours" and of our very selves, to go to the "other" who is not within our horizons, our patterns, our perceptions. It requires a permanent openness, the seeking of an encounter, so as to offer to the other in a welcoming atmosphere, the treasures of the love of God that one has discovered personally.