Resurrection!  What a beautiful aspect of our Church, that every year, we reflect on Jesus’ resurrection and have the opportunity to recognize our own daily resurrections.  And sometimes, resurrections seem to happen over time.  In this post-pandemic era, it seems as though some resurrections are happening so slowly.  As we look for signs of new life, as we place our faith and hope in our God who experienced our humanity, I believe we can find inspiration in many places.

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I am finding such inspiration from a recent broadcast from Georgetown University entitled The Francis Factor:  The Synod, Lay Leadership and the Social Mission of the Church.  Among the many interesting thoughts that touched me, one was from Dr. Cynthia Bailey Manns, commenting on the actual engagement in the Church’s present synod as “healing, messy, faithful and necessary.”

As we prepare for our MISEVI International Extraordinary Assembly, we are anticipating healing, messiness, and faithfulness through listening, dialogue, sharing, and being inspired.  But all of this has already begun.  In the last two years, MISEVI leaders have met virtually several times and have engaged in a survey to understand how these 18 participating countries are already working toward fulfilling the social mission of the Church.  It is heartening to hear stories of lay people involved in responding to the needs of those who are living in the margins, those who are most vulnerable, those who are often shunned by society.  They are responding by entering into relationship, by persevering when numbers are dwindling, by being creative, by literally resurrecting a once-vibrant group that was close to dying because of the pandemic, by reconciling differences among members, by awakening hope through generosity, by welcoming new members, young and old.

It truly is a privilege to, in some small way, witness both the struggles and the good fruits of the messiness of mission and ministry.  To witness the faithfulness of individuals who have embraced the Vincentian charism.  To witness the generosity of the human spirit that reaches out beyond self to respond to those who are most in need.  This is what MISEVI is about.  We are actively involved in these countries:  Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Ireland, Lebanon, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, United States of America, and Venezuela.

The upcoming Assembly is certainly necessary for the growth and direction of MISEVI moving into the future.  It may be messy.  It will hopefully be healing.  And we will draw on the faithfulness of each participant to lead us into the  future.