In describing the mission, RMi declares that witness is "the first form of evangelization" (Cf. 42-43.) This order of things was already mentioned in the Council decree (nos. 11-12). Witness requires a "presence of charity" the indispensable groundwork for the explicit proclamation of the mystery of Christ.
The missionary encyclical goes on to say: "The first form of witness is the very life of the missionary, […] The missionary who, despite all his or her human limitations and defects, lives a simple life, taking Christ as the model, is a sign of God and of transcendent realities" (42).
In the light of our tradition and the Magisterium we would like to consider three aspects of our missio ad gentes: our presence in the midst of people, the spirituality of communion and holiness of life.

1. The Missionary Lives With the People

It would be helpful to take a second look at what Ad Gentes says to the whole Church - and in particular to missionaries - as it outlines the stages of evangelization. To be in a position to proclaim salvation to all the Church must implant herself in those human groups "for the same motive which led Christ to bind Himself, in virtue of His Incarnation, to certain social and cultural conditions of those human beings among whom He dwelt" (10). This is a foreshadowing of the concepts of inculturation and incarnation of the message.
Rooted in the midst of the people, the Church reveals the mystery of Christ the Savior and the newness of his message through her unambiguous proclamation and the example of evangelical life (Cf. ibid. 11). For this presence to constitute authentic witness it must be motivated by charity that reaches out to everyone regardless of ethnic, social or religious background. Consequently the Church has the duty and the right to work and join the projects of anyone - governments, social or religious groups - who promote human welfare (Cf. ibid. 12).

The Council's thrust was decisive and opened up several unexpected possibilities. RMi makes these concepts its point of departure and follows almost the same outline. It declares that witness is the premise and necessary concomitant of evangelization. The Encyclical (nos. 42-43) express the convictions, "People today put more trust in witnesses than in teachers, in experience than in teaching, and in life and action than in theories" (42).
We feel at home with this sort of reasoning. From the very beginning our missionaries, following the line of the Founder, cultivated an approach that emphasized formation and improving the human environment. This approach involved a spontaneous closeness to the people and a genuine commitment to understanding their lives in all aspects. Our Founder confirmed the validity of this approach in his 1910 circular letter (Cf. Quasi una vita … V, 407-411).
In its efforts at renewal the Institute has sought to remain faithful to this spirit. This is evident in our new Constitutions "Our desire is to live among the people with whom we work, in a simple and fraternal way, making personal contacts and being concerned about their problems and concrete needs" (73). In its explanation of the meaning of "consolation" the last Chapter lists "being near to the people" immediately after proclamation of the Gospel. It goes on to explain: "Our Founder and first missionaries perceived the truth that the dialogue of salvation comprises a sharing of life […]. It maintains today all its force" (XCG 56).
Our attitudes as missionaries must go in the same direction. Today as yesterday, living in the midst of the people, getting to know them and express solidarity with them in a spirit of sharing and collaboration is a primary demand of missionary witness. That reserve and discretion religious consecration implies does not require that we be aloof or closed in on ourselves: we are there for the people and for the proclamation of Christ the Savior.
Living in the midst of the people implies solidarity with the poor, and this is in line with the clear option of the Church in recent decades. For us, the poor are the chosen ones among God's people; they are the locus theologicus of our missionary work; they represent a pressing call to conversion in line with the beatitudes and fraternal solidarity. We must make our own the words of John Paul II in his allocution of December 23, 1984: "The Church has solemnly declared her preferential option for the poor. The hierarchies of Latin America have been especially forceful in expressing this option and I have repeatedly endorsed it … I have made and continue to make this option my own; I identify with it. I feel that it could not be otherwise since this is the eternal message of the Gospel: this is what Christ has done, this is what the apostles of Christ have done, and this is what the Church has done in the course of her two-thousand year history."

2. The Missionary is an Expert on Communion

Communion has something to say to us today. Our work with the local Church and other missionaries, our contact with lay people and the numerous workers in the apostolate make it necessary for us to be people who make communion a style of life. We know that the life of concrete and mutual love that characterized the early Christian communities was a decisive factor in their evangelization of pagan society. This miracle can happen again!
More than ever contemporary society longs for us to communicate God - and not just with our speech. What is it that distinguishes us from all the other agencies that work for human welfare with professionalism and efficiency? It is our lives given in joyous service and mutual love. The quality of our communion is the key to a new evangelization. The Pope is speaking especially to us - consecrated persons and missionaries - when he affirms that the spirituality of communion is the key to an effective proclamation of the Gospel and a precious vehicle of dialogue with others. "A spirituality of communion indicates above all the heart's contemplation of the mystery of the Trinity dwelling in us, and whose light we must also be able to see shining on the face of the brothers and sisters around us. A spirituality of communion also means an ability to think of our brothers and sisters in faith within the profound unity of the Mystical Body, and therefore as "those who are a part of me". This makes us able to share their joys and sufferings, to sense their desires and attend to their needs, to offer them deep and genuine friendship. A spirituality of communion implies also the ability to see what is positive in others, to welcome it and prize it as a gift from God […]. A spirituality of communion means, finally, to know how to 'make room' for our brothers and sisters, bearing 'each other's burdens'" (NMI 43).
Because of our charism this call of the Pope must find special resonance in us. How can we forget those concepts of "esprit de corps" and "common action" recommended by the Founder? From the time of the Founder our tradition reveals an understanding of the Institute as a "unitary body" (team and family spirit), in which each of us may have a distinct role but we all share a common purpose. It is the Institute which evangelizes even though individual missionaries may be engaged in varying activities. The Institute's efficacy in evangelization is in direct proportion to the communion of its members. What is important is that each of us possess a deeply-rooted esprit de corps and that we each feel involved in the missionary activity carried out by the Institute community.
Perhaps we should own up to the fact that we have not entirely overcome certain ideas: the community is an obstacle to effective missionary work; confrères of different background hinder rather than enrich fraternity; individual ambition is more important for effective evangelization than "common efforts." We hope that frequent recourse to the sources of our charism and closer attention to the documents of the Church and of the Institute will lead us back to that path our Blessed Founder dreamed about for all of us.

3. The True Missionary is the Saint

The conclusion to RMi is entitled "the true missionary is the saint" (Cf. 90-91) and would almost appear a rehash of Allamano's teaching. Obviously this is not the case but it nonetheless gives us pleasure that the Holy Father in his centenary message to us chose to link the statements of his mission encyclical to the thoughts of Allamano. Paragraph three of this message is a synthesis of what the Founder so often said on this subject. Although he was a practical man he still dreamt of all his missionaries being "first class" - "we must first of all be good and holy and then we can make others good; otherwise we will be no good for others or for ourselves" (Conf I, 279). In Allamano's thinking religious consecration is linked to the ideal of holiness: "If you hope to become first-rate missionaries, you must first be excellent religious; before converting others you must be saints yourselves" (Conf III, 342, Cf. I, 623, 626; III, 336-342, 436-437). For us, the expression "missionary-religious" is equivalent to "missionary-saint."
Obviously a commitment to sanctity precedes and surpasses the witness of our life. This how we look at it because we are convinced by experience that saints are the most credible missionaries - they speak with their lives. Our Founder said: "Its [the missionary state] excellence is evident from the fact that all the saints wanted to be missionaries; they were full of love of God and souls" (Conf III, 270); "All the saints are natural missionaries because in their lives they have been zealous for the glory of God and the salvation of souls" (Conf III,349). The Pope comments upon Allamano's exhortations to holiness, "It is not enough to discover new methods or programs to reinvigorate the missions. As I said in my encyclical Redemptoris Missio, it is first necessary to be zealous apostles because 'the true missionary is the saint (90)' (3)."

SUGGESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

- How do you make the Founder's insight that we must be close to and in solidarity with the people a reality? Do our missionary structures promote this closeness? How do you cultivate interest in the language and customs of the people among whom you live?
- How do you think the Founder's "promotion of the human environment" ought to be carried out today? What are the new needs in this area we must meet in today's mission?
- In the spirit of the Founder and new evangelization how do I understand the spirituality of communion? How do I live this spirituality in the IMC, the local Church and with the faithful?
- Are we recognizable as sons of Allamano in our commitment to live "first as saints and then as missionaries" and our use of those means he promoted?
- Is my life a clear and evident "sign" that gives witness to Jesus and the Gospel to the people in whose midst I live?