Comboni Missionaries
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
In a circular letter of St Daniel from the Nuba Mountains, Sudan, soon after he was appointed Bishop of Central Africa. The Saint created a new title for his beloved Madonna and joined imagination, passion and devotion that should inspire us in this month of May which is dedicated to Mary.
This Month's Missionary Prayer
“That like Mary in her visit to Elizabeth, we may travel the roads of the world eager to communicate Christ, the Word made flesh for the salvation of all humankind. ” Let us pray.
The Holy Father's Missionary Intention
"That Mary, Queen of the World and Star of Evangelization, may accompany all missionaries in proclaiming her Son Jesus" Let us pray.
Commentary
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - By the will of God, Mary, Mother of the Incarnate Word, is inextricably linked to the person and work of her Son. With her "yes", pronounced once and for all and renewed every day, She put herself at the Lord's disposal. Mary is the model and type of Church.
In the Lucan passage of the Visitation, we see Mary sets off for Ain Karim to assist her cousin Elizabeth. She had just received Jesus in her womb, conceived by the Holy Spirit. Flooded with joy, she began to walk quickly. Love pushes her to bring the Good News to Elizabeth: The Savior, Jesus, is among men. Maria cannot keep this grace for herself. As Pope Benedict XVI said: " that of Mary is an authentic missionary journey. It is a journey that leads her far from home, impels her into the world to places alien to her daily habits. Here, also for all of us, lies the secret of our lives as men and women and Christians. Our existence, as individuals and as a Church is projected outside ourselves. As had happened to Abraham, we are asked to come out of ourselves, from where we feel safe, to reach out to others in different places and surroundings. It is the Lord who asks this of us: You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses ... to the end of the earth" (Acts 1.8). (Speech for the conclusion of the Marian month, May 31, 2010).
On the one hand, Mary goes before us in the pilgrimage of faith. She trusted God and, leaving behind her safety, she set off. She followed her son right to the end, and accompanied him to the cross. And thus became the Mother of the Church. She accompanies us with motherly love, and reminds us that Her Son is always with us, as he promised us: " I am with you always, to the close of the age" (Mt 28, 20).
