For All Are One in Christ Jesus: Reflections of the Mission
+AMDG
This summer I had the wonderful experience of traveling to our Uruguay/Argentina Region for more than five weeks. It was an incredible experience of the charism of Mother Pauline lived in another part of the world. The following is an excerpt that I had written for Colegio Mallinckrodt's publication about a mission trip I took with the students at Colegio Mallinckrodt. I was asked to answer the question, “What was it like experiencing the mission from the perspective of an American?”
From July 26 to August 2, I had the privilege of accompanying Sr. Maria Graciela, Sr. Maria Luisa, parents, and Mallinckrodt students, for the mission trip to Santa Ana, Cordoba Province. During this week, we lived at the Santa Ana parish church. With more than 85 people, sleeping and eating was always crowded. We went without showers, and many other modern conveniences, and ministered to the poor in the surrounding areas. This was one of the most grace-filled experiences I had during my thirty-six days spent in Uruguay and Argentina. The Holy Spirit moved and breathed through the missionaries, as they went from house to house, bringing the Good News. I am grateful to God for allowing me to experience the simplicity of the people in the region of Cordoba, and the beautiful spirit of so many that I met.
One evening I had the opportunity of speaking to the youth about the Pearl of great price, the Pearl that one sells everything to acquire. We all had some experience of “selling all” that week—our homes, beds, privacy, bathrooms, showers, comforts. I was so impressed by the generous spirit of the missionaries. After a long day, they would return to Santa Ana exhausted, sometimes to the point of collapsing on an air mattress for an hour or more. Despite the challenges, I never heard one of them complain—their love and service of the Christ in His poor was entirely selfless.
More than the sacrifices mentioned above, one of the most difficult parts of the trip was hearing the question: “Is this difficult for you being an American?” or “This must be difficult because you are an American.” In my heart, seeing such poverty was not difficult because of my nationality, but because of my faith. Despite what is portrayed on the media, poverty exists in every country; it only has a different face, and a different name. As an American, I might have been tempted to ask questions such as, “How can a public school have such little funding?” or “Why is such mistreatment of the defenseless allowed, as in the case of a man we visited in Rio Seco?” What moved my heart was not my nationality, but my faith that Christ lives and dwells in each person. For as Saint Paul says in his Letter to the Galatians, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28).
It was this same faith, the same Spirit who makes us all one, that allowed me to share in the joy of the missionaries. Their love for the Lord is truly evident by their desire to adore Him and receive Him in the Eucharist and in one another. I will never forget my time in Argentina with the students from Colegio Mallinckrodt. Thank you for making me feel so welcome. Gracias por permitirme ser parte de su familia. Siempre estaré agradecida a Dios por darme este tiempo con ustedes, como misionera.
Oremus pro invicem
Sr. Maria Angeline
