Passing on of faith by personal witness is best

If there is one area of life that has changed rapidly in recent decades, it is communication. We have instant access to information at our finger tips. Families can keep in contact, sometimes on a daily basis, with loved ones at the opposite end of the world. Last weekend’s celebration of Mission Sunday in our parishes reminded us of another form of communication that hasn’t changed - the personal touch. There are over 2,000 Irish-born missionaries who are not content to proclaim the Gospel by satellite. They do so in person. They leave behind the comfort and familiarity of home and depart for distant lands, giving witness to the Gospel by the example of their own lives. The Gospel, Pope Paul VI used to say, is preached not so much by word as by example. Irish priests, religious and lay missionaries put a human face on Christianity. They learn the local language but, more effectively, they speak a language of love by the activity of their hands and feet. When the earthquake struck in Haiti, Sr Mary Hardiman was there to feed the hungry and give make shift shelter to the homeless. When floods rose in Pakistan, Fr Raferty from Ashbourne gathered much needed supplies for his parish in the Swat Valley, where thousands were displaced. Columban Sisters in Myanmar are to the fore in caring for people with HIV/Aids, just like the Mercy Sisters from Meath who are doing the same in Zambia. Their option is for Christ. They have become “champions of the newness of life” (Pope Benedict XVI, Message for World Mission Day 2010). Another area where life has changed in recent decades is that mission has come closer to home. The new territories to be claimed for Christ may be nearer to us than the far away fields of distant continents. One of the workshops which took place at our diocesan assembly with priests and lay people earlier this month reflected on our local mission to reach out to young people and young families. Every generation faces the task of handing on faith, which is strong in our communities, to the new 'continent’ of young people and their families. In this regard, I would like to pay tribute to the enormous work which takes place in our Catholic schools in teaching faith and in preparing children for the sacraments. As schools develop and expand in response to the growth in population across this diocese, the work of handing on Christian faith continues to be an integral part of the schools’ ethos and mission. The schools and teachers need the active support of parents and the local parish. New programmes are already in place, like 'Do this in memory’ for First Holy Communion, which aim at reaching out to parents as part of the sacramental preparation. If there is one thing we can learn from the missionaries, it is that the best way to hand on faith is by personal witness. Yet many parents too may struggle with the task of handing on faith. The living of faith is never a static experience. Faith walks with us through life; sometimes strong, other times challenged. Perhaps the 'community’ dimension of faith, so much to the fore in the reflections of the Second Vatican Council, is one which continues to need attention. Faith is not lived in isolation. Faith is shared and better nurtured in our local communities, when we act together and pray in common, not least of all on the Lord’s Day. Even when faith at home may not be so strong, it can be helped to grow by taking part in the activities and liturgies of the local parish. For the Church to be missionary, both at home and abroad, it always requires renewal. A cursory glance through the history of the Church gives a reminder that the Church in every age faces the challenge of renewal. As people of faith, the whole community has a role to play. The growth in Eucharistic Adoration in recent years gives witness to the power of prayer, which is the bedrock of our faith. Activities for young adults, including the World Youth Day experiences and caring for the sick in Lourdes, have helped young people to put their faith into action and to share it with others. The celebrations for the Sacrament of Confirmation, which I see at first hand, and the parish preparations for First Communion provide important opportunities at key moments in family life to reach other to children and their parents with the invitation to grow in faith and love. The mission of this new millennium, as Pope John Paul II said, is “to launch out into the deep”. That depth is there in all our communities and “champions of the newness of life” will always be required. Dr Michael Smith is the Bishop of Meath.