Fire of mission – testimony of hope!
Holy Week is the most important week for us Catholics in Mexico. Since the year 2000, the Schoenstatt Youth in Mexico has spent this week in the remote areas of our country to bring the Gospel to the parishes. In everyday life, we want to see the face of Christ up close, to share his suffering, to discover his joy and his tiredness, but the most important thing – to experience his suffering and his resurrection.
Over the years, our missions have developed under the name “Mexico, Light of Mary” – this name was decided in 2012. What distinguishes our missions on a national level is that we prepare them well and that we live them with and as Mary. She is the great missionary. She comes to meet us and to bring to others the joy of Christ through us, her instruments.
Also this year, in the light of the events that took place in Mexico – violence, change of government, insecurity, vocational crisis, crisis in the Church, etc. – we wanted to be ignited with the fire of the first love for our Church, for our faith, for our Mother and Queen of Schoenstatt.
About 560 young adults from San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Iguala and Chihuahua and 6 coordinators brought the motto of Mission 2019 to life:
Fire of mission – testimony of hope!
We are aware that we are living in a time that challenges us to be a sign of hope, to respond with our own testimony of life, the testimony of a young and joyful faith. Through the Holy Spirit, who enkindles the light in our hearts, we want to bring the fire of mission with joy and inner enthusiasm when we encounter Christ in others.
To live the Covenant of Love in every mission is what matters to us.
When we go on missions with this fire in our hearts, we are part of a generation that our Father and Founder so longed for. It is a generation that is making history anew. If we accept the great mission, we will become builders of the future of Schoenstatt, “witness of hope” for Mexico.
At the end of last year, the representatives of the individual states of Mexico met as the National Staff to begin the organization and planning of the activities of the missions.
This year’s “Missions México Luz de María” began on Saturday, April 13th, with a trip to the city of Huasteca Potosina, to the parish of Tancanhuitz. The parish priest awaited us and welcomed us together with the bishop of the “Huasteca”, Reverend Roberto Octavio Balmori. For them, it was a great joy to welcome so many young adults of a movement who wanted to stay there for a week on mission in the simple and poor communities.
The first day is organized as a national holiday, i.e. a day on which all the missionaries of all the states of Mexico meet. During various workshops and the celebration of Holy Mass in the parish of St. Michael, the originality of the youth was expressed in their songs and prayers. It is a great joy to see all these young adults who have a common mission: To bring Christ and Mary to remote communities, which in some cases only have the opportunity to celebrate Holy Mass once a year when the parish priest visits them.
This first day ended with the night prayer and the presentation of the crosses for each missionary as a sign of the mission entrusted to us by Christ: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation”. (Mark 16:15).
Very early in the morning, on Palm Sunday, we went to the two churches where the missionaries were expected. To make the mission work as effective as possible, there are smaller groups of about 8 to 10 missionaries accompanied by two young adults. These youth groups are called “friendships” or “fraternidades”. In this way we were able to visit about 44 churches in the Huasteca area.
Each “Pate” experienced Holy Week in a small community and shared the Gospel with the children, youth and adults who opened their hearts and lives to the message of love and hope that life near Jesus gives us.
In the morning we visited the families in their homes and invited them to the various activities that would take place in the afternoon and to the liturgy prepared by the liturgical team of missionaries and priests. Through the services and sermons, they brought the mystery of the redemption of Holy Week closer to these congregations.
The “Fregatten” organized and motivated the participation in the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the Way of the Cross, a silent procession and the Way of Mary, which became a profound experience of faith for all.
This year we wanted to convey the grace of home in a special way in each parish. We began the first of the three years that we will be there by getting to know the communities, informing them about the contributions to the Capital of Grace, helping them recognize the value of their respective chapels by painting, repairing … so that they have a place where they can feel close to God.
We will remember this week full of experiences, learning and sharing together, new friends, all our lives. We let Mary send us out anew – into our daily lives – as faithful, joyful and zealous instruments in her hand to conquer our homeland consecrated to her, our Lady of Guadalupe, anew for her. –