BAPTIZED AND SENT THE CHURCH OF CHRIST ON MISSION IN THE WORLD

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BAPTIZED AND SENT
THE CHURCH OF CHRIST ON MISSION IN THE WORLD
Extraordinary Missionary Month

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GUIDE TO THE EXTRAORDINARY
MISSIONARY MONTH OCTOBER 2019
Pope Francis has given the invitation for the observance
of an Extraordinary Missionary Month in October 2019 to
commemorate the 100th
anniversary of the Apostolic Letter of
His Holiness Pope Benedict XIV written in 1919.
This booklet is offered with the intention of
encouraging a deeper reflection on the key elements in
Maximum Illud.
It can be used by individuals. However, it is hoped that
it will become an instrument for group animation. It can be
used profitably by the Salesian community, groups in formation
houses, Parish Sodalities and Associations, oratories, youth
centers, hostels, schools, and parishes. In the communities, it
could substitute the morning meditation or the prayers and
spiritual reading in the evening.
You can choose whether to use it every day of the
month or only on some days.
The booklet follows the outline of the Papal Document.
It can be used in that order or in whatever other sequence that is
better adapted to the community or the context of particular
days of the month.
Each day offers a quote from Maximum Illud, the
biblical basis for that thought, the reflection of one of the Popes
who came after, a thought of Pope Francis, and a guide given
by our own Institute. We do not pretend that these thoughts are

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the ones best suited to the thought expressed in Maximum Illud
or that these thoughts are more evolved than those in Maximum
Illud. You may identify better ones and use those.
We are encouraged to read the quotes offered, to allow
ourselves time for personal reflection on them, and to follow-up
with a sharing of thoughts within the group. We can think of
the similarities and differences in the ideas of the quotations,
the evolution of thought, and the spiritual and practical
implications of these ideas for us today.
The last section suggests a point for personal reflection,
an idea for group discussion or sharing, and the proposal for
concrete action. Then there is a prayer request to address to a
particular Saint and for a specific intention. A glance at the
biography of the Saint of the day can also offer inspiration. You
can take and choose from these suggestions and do only what
suits your circumstances. You can also make up your own
activities/ initiatives.
It may be good to keep in mind some important points
regarding Maximum Illud:
1. The exhortation is written in the immediate tragic post-
war period of the First World War.
2. Although the colonial powers continued to believe in
the indefinite continuation of their empires, and
although decolonization took place mainly only after the
Second World War, Pope Benedict XV had a better
understanding of the global reality. He anticipates the
end of colonialism. He intuits the dangers for the
missionaries who remain tied to their countries of origin
or to their being too intimate with the colonial
administrators. Repeatedly he invites them to inculturate

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themselves, respect the local population, their habits and
way of life, learn their language, identify themselves
with the people who evangelize and to distance
themselves from local administrators.
3. Despite the very difficult time of the war and its after-
effects, he looks positively at the opportunities that the
present situation offers, just like Pope Francis who
speaks of a ‘Third World War in pieces’ and, at the
same time, of the opportunities available to humanity
today.
4. It is good to remember and highlight once more that
Maximum Illud was written a hundred years ago. We
must not be shocked by the use of some words that
today would be considered inappropriate.
Note: this ‘booklet’ is available in complete form in PDF
format in a variety of languages. It is also available to you in
WORD format so that you can make adjustments according to
your circumstances. For any need, contact maike@cgfma.org.

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1 October 2019 – TUESDAY
ONLY A FIRE CAN SPREAD A FIRE
WORD OF GOD
“Love of Christ urges us”. (2 Cor 5: 14)
“Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel”. (1 Cor 9:16)
The Lord wants to reach other people through our word (cf.
Rom 10: 14-17)
MAXIMUM ILLUD
“Many of these people, while working for the salvation of
others, succeeded in reaching the heights of sanctity”.
LATER MAGISTERIUM
“We therefore urge all those who have, in some capacity and on
some level, the task of evangelization to foster the fervor of the
spirit”. (EN 80 – Paolo VI)
POPE FRANCIS
“Many men and women, and many young people, have
generously sacrificed themselves, even at times to martyrdom,
out of love for the Gospel and service to their brothers and
sisters. To be set afire by the love of Christ is to be consumed
by that fire”. (WMD 2018)

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SALESIAN THOUGHT
“Through a gift of the Holy Spirit and with the direct
intervention of Mary, St. John Bosco founded our Institute as a
response of salvation to the profound hopes of girls and young
women. He endowed it with a spiritual heritage inspired by the
charity of Christ, the good Shepherd, and imparted to it a strong
missionary characteristic”. (C 1)
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT / SHARE / DO
Think of one of the great missionaries of our Institute.
Share in a group what you admire most about her.
“As FMA we all have the task of evangelizing”. What
can I do “to nourish my spiritual fervor”?
Remember a missionary ad gentes of your
Province/nation and say a prayer for her “to be on fire
with the love of Christ”.
Say a prayer to St. Bartholomew, the apostle, the first
to set foot on the land of Azerbaijan, so that the seed
sown by him two thousand years ago can be born and
grow among the descendants of those to whom he
preached.
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2 October 2019 – WEDNESDAY
THE HARVEST IS GREAT
WORD OF GOD
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age”.
(Mt 28:19-20a)
“For creation awaits with eager expectation the revelation of
the children of God”. (Rom 8:19)
“Wield the sickle, for the harvest is ripe”. (Joel 4:13)
“[…] the Lord’s community may not be like sheep without a
shepherd”. (Num 27:17)
“At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for
them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep
without a shepherd”. (Mt 9:36)
MAXIMUM ILLUD
“Multitudes of people still remain in darkness and in the
shadow of death in the world”.
LATER MAGISTERIUM
“The mission of Christ the Redeemer, which is entrusted to the
Church, is still very far from completion… An overall view of

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the human race shows that this mission is still only beginning
and that we must commit ourselves wholeheartedly to its
service”. (RM 1 – John Paul II)
POPE FRANCIS
“So it is important to ask ourselves certain questions about our
Christian identity and our responsibility as believers in a world
marked by confusion, disappointment and frustration, and torn
by numerous fratricidal wars that unjustly target the innocent.”
(WMD 2017)
SALESIAN THOUGHT
“In fact, Don Bosco in founding our Institute, “imparted to it a
strong missionary characteristic” (C 1) and thus we are invited
today “to strive to keep alive the missionary fervor of our
origins” (C 6). Characteristic and fervor are words pregnant with
meaning. They speak of movement, journey, a pilgrim, an
essential style, free from all that retards the journey of the
Word of salvation. They are inner energy, spiritual force that
lead to the proclamation with the typical parresìa that
characterizes those who let themselves be guided by the Holy
Spirit”. (Mother Yvonne Reungoat – Circular 972)
SOMETHING ABOUT TO THINK/ SHARE/ DO
Who are the people most in need of evangelization in
our neighborhood? What can we do to reach them?
Do something today to become for a young person more
of “a friend, sister, mother”.

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Say a prayer for someone you know who seems
‘marked by confusion, disappointment, and frustration’,
or is an innocent victim, ‘unjustly struck’ by a
‘fratricidal war’.
Pray to Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and his 119 fellow
martyrs to end the confusion between the Churches of
their land - China.
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3 October 2019 – THURSDAY
PRAY FOR YOUR PASTORS
WORD OF GOD
“Because there arose no little dissension and debate by Paul
and Barnabas with them, it was decided that Paul, Barnabas,
and some of the others should go up to Jerusalem to the
apostles and presbyters about this question”. (At 15: 2)
“From Miletus he had the presbyters of the church at Ephesus
summoned”. (At 20: 17)
“The next day, Paul accompanied us on a visit to James, and all
the presbyters were present”. (At 21: 18)
“This saying is trustworthy: whoever aspires to the office of
bishop desires a noble task. Therefore, a bishop must be
irreproachable, married only once, temperate, self-controlled,
decent, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not aggressive,
but gentle, not contentious, not a lover of money. He must
manage his own household well, keeping his children under
control with perfect dignity; for if a man does not know how to
manage his own household, how can he take care of the church
of God? He should not be a recent convert, so that he may not
become conceited and thus incur the devil’s punishment. He
must also have a good reputation among outsiders, so that he
may not fall into disgrace, the devil’s trap. Presbyters who
preside well deserve double honor, especially those who toil in
preaching and teaching”. (1Tim 3:1-7; 5:17)

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“Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock of
which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers, in which
you tend the church of God that he acquired with his own
blood.” (Acts 20: 28)
“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were
already blazing!” (Lk 12: 49)
MAXIMUM ILLUD
Bishops or Apostolic Prefects … “All responsibility for the
propagation of the Faith rests immediately on them …”
LATER MAGISTERIUM
“From their heart this apostolic fire, brought by Jesus to the
earth, must communicate itself to the heart of all our children
and arouse in them a new ardor for the missionary action of the
Church in the world”. (FD – Pius XII)
POPE FRANCIS
“The Bishops, as those primarily responsible for this
proclamation, have the task of promoting the unity of the local
Church in her missionary commitment”. (WMD 2014)
“I hope that all communities will devote the necessary effort to
advancing along the path of a pastoral and missionary
conversion which cannot leave things as they presently are.
‘Mere administration’ can no longer be enough. Throughout the
world, let us be “permanently in a state of mission”. (EG 25)

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SALESIAN THOUGHT
“Taking a look at the missionary expansion of the Institute and
the testimonies of so many Bishops and Priests, we can affirm
that our ‘sentire cum Ecclesia’ is strong and manifests itself
almost everywhere with a lively participation in ecclesial life.
The charism, which was transmitted to us as a precious gift,
places us at the service of the Church with special attention to
the young, a portion so dear to the Heart of Christ. And the
many exhortations of the Holy Father in this regard find us in
full harmony and animate us to walk, with courage and hope, in
this direction”. (Parole che giungono al cuore con il sapore di
Mornese. Mother Marinella Castagno - Circular 783)
SOMETHING ABOUT TO THINK/ SHARE/ DO
Make an ‘examination of conscience’ in a group
concerning the depth of your awareness about the
priorities and policies of the diocese and your local
Bishop.
Read within the group the most important points of the
most recent pastoral letter of the local Bishop.
Make a courtesy visit to the local Bishop or to the
parish priest. Listen to his greatest concerns and hopes.
Recite a prayer for the intentions of your local Bishop.
Write a letter of appreciation and support to your local
Bishop.
Say a prayer to Saint Albert Jurado and Saint Teresa
of the Andes for the ecclesiastical hierarchy in Chile.

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4 October 2019 – FRIDAY
SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITY OF
CONSECRATED RELIGIOUS
WORD OF GOD
“I repeat the request I made of you when I was on my way to
Macedonia, that you stay in Ephesus to instruct certain people
not to teach false doctrines…” (1Tim 1:3)
“O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you…” (1Tim
6:20)
“Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you”.
(Hb 13:7)
“Let every person be subordinate to the higher authorities, for
there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have
been established by God”. (Rom 13:1)
MAXIMUM ILLUD
Superiors of Missions. “Their guiding principle is that each of
them must be, so to speak, the soul of the missions under their
care ... The mission government is in the hands of true
fathers/mothers - watchful, efficient people full of charity. ...
Everything about the subjects ... concerns them personally. ...
attentive superiors who always treat everyone with prudence
and charity ... have no reason to fall into complacency ... work
constantly and with all vigor possible”.

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LATER MAGISTERIUM
“Missionary institutes, drawing from their experience and
creativity while remaining faithful to their founding charism,
must employ all means necessary to ensure the adequate
preparation of candidates and the renewal of their members'
spiritual, moral, and physical energies”. (RM 66 – John Paul II)
POPE FRANCIS
“In a particular way, consecrated women and men are required
to listen to the voice of the Spirit that calls them to go to the
peripheries, to those to whom the Gospel has not yet been
proclaimed. The Decree Ad Gentes of the Second Vatican
Council called for a powerful missionary impulse in the
Institutes of Consecrated Life”. (WMD 2015)
SALESIAN THOUGHT
Don Albera writes of Don Bosco: “The missions were the heart
of his heart and seemed to live more only for them ... He spoke
of it with so much enthusiasm, that one remained amazed and
strongly edified by his ardent ardor for souls”.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT/ SHARE/ DO
In what ways am I as an individual and we as a
community an instrument of the evangelizing mission
entrusted to our Province and to our community?

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Can we think of an initiative of evangelizing activity
that I or we can propose to the Mother General /
Provincial?
Say a prayer for the intentions of your Provincial.
Write a letter of appreciation to your Provincial
Superior for her care/concern for every member of your
community.
Pray to Saint Arnoldo Janssen, the founder of the
Society of the Divine Word, for God to grant wisdom to
the superiors of missionary congregations in the
guidance of their personnel.
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5 October 2019 – SATURDAY
APPROPRIATE STRUCTURES FOR
EVANGELIZATION
WORD OF GOD
“Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there
also. For this purpose have I come”. (Mk 1:38)
“But the Lord said: I have witnessed the affliction of my people
in Egypt and have heard their cry against their taskmasters, so I
know well what they are suffering. Therefore I have come
down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead
them up from that land into a good and spacious land, …Now
go!” (Ex 3:7-8,10)
“…When you assemble…Everything should be done for
building up”. (1Cor 14: 26)
“He traveled through Syria and Cilicia bringing strength to the
churches”. (At 15: 41)
MAXIMUM ILLUD
“… Make sure that more workstations and mission places are
implanted as soon as there is the practical possibility of doing
so. If they realize that their Orders or Congregations are not
making up for sufficient human energies for the task, they are
perfectly available to call helpers from other religious groups ...
to look for helpers everywhere for their ministry… ‘…What
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pretense or in truth, Christ is being proclaimed? And in that I
rejoice’.” (Phil 1:18)
LATER MAGISTERIUM
“Notwithstanding the high number of dioceses, there are still
very large areas where there are no local churches or where
their number is insufficient in relation to the vastness of the
territory and the density of the population. There is still much
to be done in implanting and developing the Church…
Responsibility for this task belongs to the universal Church and
to the particular churches, to the whole people of God and to all
its missionary forces.” (RM 49 – John Paul II)
POPE FRANCIS
“The parish is not an outdated institution; precisely because it
possesses great flexibility, it can assume quite different
contours depending on the openness and missionary creativity
of the pastor and the community… the parish proves capable of
self-renewal and constant adaptivity”. (EG 28)
SALESIAN THOUGHT
“It’s time to dare to change our perspective, our way of looking
at reality, creatively rethinking things beginning with the poor
and being able to live like Jesus, without safety nets and
privileges. We feel we need to move from the risk of favoring
comfortable ways of life, with a lot of security, to working
together to build flexible, less structured communities, imbued
with tenacious missionary passion”. (Acts GC XXIII, n. 39)

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Reflect on the measure of your willingness to listen, to
share your faith, and to offer the Gospel to young
people.
How can we collaborate with our parish to improve its
‘missionary creativity’, to prove itself ‘capable of self-
renewal and constant adaptability’?
Plan an invitation program for someone outside your
community to revitalize the dynamism of your pastoral
care.
Say a prayer to Charles Lwanga of Uganda so that his
life and martyrdom may attract many young people to
follow Christ as priests and religious to serve the
rapidly growing Churches of Africa.
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6 October 2019 –SUNDAY
COLLABORATION IN EVANGELIZATION
WORD OF GOD
“During those days Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers
(there was a group of about one hundred and twenty persons in
the one place). He said,...” (At 1:15)
“So the Twelve called together the community of the
disciples…” (At 6: 2)
“While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy
Spirit said …”(At 13: 2-3)
“The apostles and the presbyters met together to see about this
matter. After much debate had taken place, Peter got up and
said to them: ...” (At 15: 6)
MAXIMUM ILLUD
“Develop intimate and cordial relations with colleagues from
the nearby districts ... situations require joint action if you want
them to be treated successfully ... The people in charge of the
missions must meet at fixed and frequent intervals when it is
necessary to encourage each other”.
LATER MAGISTERIUM
“Greater coordination and collaboration has been achieved
among the missionaries who are working together for a

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common goal ... Experiments that have been prudently
attempted by different local Ordinaries are put together for the
common advantage and, by mutual agreement, more frank and
efficient apostolic methods have been adopted”. (EP – Pius
XII)
POPE FRANCIS
“But consecrated men and women also need a structure of
service, an expression of the concern of the Bishop of Rome, in
order to ensure koinonia, for cooperation and synergy are an
integral part of the missionary witness. Jesus made the unity of
his disciples a condition so that the world may believe
(cf. Jn 17:21). This convergence is not the same as legalism or
institutionalism, much less a stifling of the creativity of the
Spirit, who inspires diversity. It is about giving a greater
fruitfulness to the Gospel message and promoting that unity of
purpose which is also the fruit of the Spirit.” (WMD 2015)
SALESIAN THOUGHT
“The strength of a proposal and of social and evangelizing
action is rooted in the ability to coordinate to be united, to form
ourselves together. This is why we all need to share clear
guidelines and to strengthen the relationship between the
various components of the Salesian Family, developing
collaborative teams and strategic partnerships, both in planning
and in working. For us, foreseeing love is a real and concrete
witness of evangelization. The values of free, voluntary, active
citizenship must become the pillars of an educating community
and of a real policy of serving the citizens. Young people
believe in this and are ready for it. Open the doors more and

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more to young people. Commit yourselves to facilitating and
finding the space needed for their participation.” (Acts
GCXXIII, n. 14)
Analyze and discuss: how seriously have we
participated in the meetings of our community,
province, diocese ...
How can we improve the coordination between all our
services so that people see our unity of faith more
clearly?
How can I, my group, and my community contribute to
greater effectiveness of our witness and of our
apostolate?
Say a special prayer to Blessed Sister Maria Troncatti,
a missionary in Ecuador, for the success of the
Panamazon Synod, with the theme: ‘Amazon: new
paths for the Church and for an integral Ecology’,
which takes place in Rome, from 6 to 27 October. Ask
for her intercession that the Church will increasingly
have an ‘Amazonian face’.
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7 October 2019 – MONDAY
INCREASE OF LOCAL VOCATIONS
WORD OF GOD
“... people kept coming to him from everywhere”. (cf. Mk 1:
45c)
“(Paul and Barnabas) appointed presbyters for them in each
church and, with prayer and fasting, commended them to the
Lord in whom they had put their faith”. (Acts 14: 23)
MAXIMUM ILLUD
“(He) takes special care to ensure and exercise local candidates
for the sacred ministry. In this policy lies the greatest hope of
the new churches. The local priest, a single thing with his
people by birth, by nature, by his sympathies and aspirations, is
remarkably effective in calling on their mentality and thus their
attraction to the Faith ... He often has access to places where a
foreign priest would not be tolerated”.
LATER MAGISTERIUM
“May the Church establish itself on solid foundations among
other peoples and be established with its own hierarchy formed
of indigenous clergy”. (EP – Pius XII)
POPE FRANCIS
“In many regions vocations to the priesthood and the
consecrated life are scarce. Often this is due to the absence in

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the communities of a contagious apostolic fervor, for which
they are poor in enthusiasm and do not arouse attraction. Where
there is joy, fervor, desire to bring Christ to others, genuine
vocations arise”. (WMD 2014)
SALESIAN THOUGHT
“Knowing that in every age God calls some people to follow
Him more closely, let us take special care of those young
women who show signs of a religious vocation. In gratitude to
God for having called us to the life of the Daughters of Mary
Help of Christians let us be especially responsible for vocations
to our Institute…We shall propose alternative vocations in the
Salesian Family to young people and our lay collaborators who
feel drawn to share in the mission for young people and for
those of the working class”. (C 73)
Does our style of work, life and prayer have the quality
that “attracts” vocations?
How can we contribute to making our families,
communities and educational institutions fruitful
nurseries for vocations?
What can encourage young women to be open to go to
any population anywhere in the world to serve as
religious and missionaries?
Recite a prayer to Saint Joseph Vaz, a missionary in
Sri Lanka, so that God may inspire young Christian
communities to offer many men and women as
missionaries of the Word of God.

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WELL QUALIFIED LOCAL PRIESTS AND CLERICS
WORD OF GOD
“Jesus instructs the seventy-two”. (Lk 10: 1-17)
“He taught them in parables”. (Mk 4: 2)
“… But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some
tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he
immediately falls away”. (Mt 13: 21)
“… But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and
savior Jesus Christ”. (2Pt 3: 18)
MAXIMUM ILLUD
“It is therefore not sufficient to have any rudimentary
formation, so as to be admitted to the priesthood, but it must be
as complete and perfect as that which is usually given to the
priests of civilized nations”.
LATER MAGISTERIUM
“If each of you has to procure as many indigenous clerics as
possible, you should also study to direct them and form them to
the sanctity that is suited to the priestly rank and that spirit of
apostolate combined with zeal for the health of others, so that
they are ready to give even their life for the members of their
own tribe and nation”. (RE – Pius XI)

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POPE FRANCIS
“‘Missionary zeal is a clear sign of the maturity of an ecclesial
community’ (Benedict XVI, Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini, 95).
Every community is ‘adult’ when it professes the faith,
celebrates it with joy in the liturgy, lives charity, and proclaims
the Word of God relentlessly, leaving its own enclosure to take
it even to the ‘peripheries’, especially to those who have not yet
had opportunity to know Christ”. (WMD 2013)
SALESIAN THOUGHT
“We already have about sixty boarders and if their numbers
continue to increase, I would have to send the Sisters to other
houses to make space, since the other wing is still damp, but
what am I to do? They are still in need of spiritual and
professional formation, so we must have patience”11
. (Mother
Mazzarello - L 48 – To the Founder Don Bosco)
Note 11 – Faced with the problem of finding space for the
growing number of boarders, Mother does not take the easy
way out by reducing the time of formation for the Sisters, but
rather opts for the erection of more spacious buildings.
How do I continue my formation in order to remain up
to date in my work of evangelization?

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Which of the five signs of maturity of a community like
the one cited by Pope Francis seems to be the most
important? Why?
How could we make the celebration of the liturgy more
joyful?
Pray to Saint Andrew Dong-Lac and his 118
companion martyrs for God to bless the Catholic
community of Vietnam that sends so many missionaries
to so many countries.
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CHRIST IS AT HOME IN EVERY CULTURE
WORD OF GOD
“To the weak I became weak, to win over the weak. I have
become all things to all, to save at least some”. (1Cor 9: 22)
“So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you
are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the
household of God”. (Eph 2:19)
MAXIMUM ILLUD
“The Catholic Church is not an intruder in any country; nor is it
foreign to any people. ... Apply the appropriate remedies to the
various regions of the world and provide for the foundation of
seminaries both for individual regions and for groups of
dioceses”.
LATER MAGISTERIUM
“Innumerable pioneer researches and investigations carried out
with sacrifice, dedication and love by the missionaries of all
times, have proposed to facilitate the entire understanding and
respect of the most varied civilizations, and to make their
spiritual values fruitful for a living and vital preaching of the
Gospel of Christ. Everything that in such uses and customs is
not inextricably linked with religious errors will always find
benevolent examination and, when it is possible, will be
protected and promoted”. (Summi Pontificatus - Pius XII)

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POPE FRANCIS
“Today, the mission is faced with the challenge of respecting
the need of all peoples to start from their roots and to
safeguard the values of their respective cultures. It is a matter
of knowing and respecting other traditions and philosophical
systems and recognizing for every people and culture the right
to be helped by their own tradition in understanding the
mystery of God and in welcoming the Gospel of Jesus, which is
light for cultures and transformative strength for them”. (WMD
2015)
SALESIAN THOUGHT
“The incarnation of the Word of God made man, his human
experience, his closeness to each person teach us to be attentive
to every young person in their concrete life situation, in their
relationships, in their environment and in the culture that
characterizes them. Young people challenge us to qualify
ourselves in the capacity to face cultural changes and to be a
significant presence in the various contexts”. (To have life and
life in abundance - Guidelines for the Educational Mission of
the FMA, n. 37)
How can I improve my knowledge of the culture of the
people I live and work with? How can I integrate more
into the local community?

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Read an article about the best values of the people you
live and work with.
Visit a community cultural center where you live.
Say a prayer to Saint Martin de Porres for a greater
openness in our hearts towards peoples of all nations
and cultures.
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Pag.29
NOBILITY OF THE MISSIONARY CALL
WORD OF GOD
“The Lord said to Abram: Go forth from your land, your
relatives, and from your father’s house to a land that I will
show you”. (cf. Gen 12:1-3)
“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the one
bringing good news, announcing peace, bearing good news,
announcing salvation, saying to Zion your God is King!”
(Isaiah 52:7)
“We have found the Messiah!” (Jn 1: 41b)
MAXIMUM ILLUD
Missionaries: “Not even for a moment forget, not even for a
moment, the high and splendid character of the task to which
you have dedicated yourself. Your task is divine”.
LATER MAGISTERIUM
“This salvation God can accomplish in those he wants through
extraordinary ways that only he knows. Moreover, if the Son
came, it was precisely to reveal to us, by his word and his life,
the ordinary paths of salvation”. (EN 80 – Paul VI)

Pag.30
POPE FRANCIS
“We proclaim the most beautiful and greatest gift he has given
us: his life and his love”. (WMD 2016)
“The Lord gets involved and he involves his own, as he kneels
to wash their feet. He tells his disciples: ‘You will be blessed if
you do this’ (Jn 13:17). An evangelizing community gets
involved by word and deed in people’s daily lives; it bridges
distances, it is willing to abase itself if necessary, and it
embraces human life, touching the suffering flesh of Christ in
others. Evangelizers thus take on the ‘smell of the sheep’ and
the sheep are willing to hear their voice”. (EG 24)
SALESIAN THOUGHT
“In the realities in which we are present in different ways, we
express the predilection for the little ones and the poor lived in
the spirit of the da mihi animas coetera tolle, in obedience to
the word of Jesus: ‘Whoever welcomes even one of these
children in my name, welcomes me’ (Mt 18:5). We thus commit
ourselves to ‘keep alive the missionary fervor of our origins’ (C
6), working for the Kingdom of God in Christian countries,
often transformed by a reigning materialism, and in those not
yet evangelized.
Our vocation inserts us into the genealogy of so many women
who, in the course of the centuries, starting from ancient Israel
and above all with the advent of Jesus, actively participated in
the history of salvation.
The educational experience of Mary Domenica and the first
sisters of Mornese does not cease to inspire our lives. The first

Pag.31
community embodies a model of consecrated women who,
standing in the midst of the people, express the mystic of a
radical love for Jesus. They cultivate a missionary dedication
that opens broad apostolic horizons to daily life. Joy lives in
simplicity, ‘the sign of a heart that really loves the Lord very
much’ (L 60. 5)”. (Plan of Formation – Rooted in the Covenant)
How proud am I of my call to be an evangelizer? I am
ashamed in public or do I let others know that I am a
Christian?
Do my actions, my way of life show that evangelization
is my first priority?
What elements of my life as an educator make it clear
that I am educating to evangelize?
Do I transform my more secular work today into a work
of evangelization? How?
Say a prayer to Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Lily of the
Mohawks, for a renewed fervor in faith among the
natives of North America and the entire population of
Canada and the United States.
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Pag.32
11 October 2019 –FRIDAY
THE CALL IS TO BUILD HIS KINGDOM
WORD OF GOD
“… To whomever I send you, you shall go; whatever I
command you, you shall speak.” (Jeremiah 1:7)
When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said to him,
“Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your
house”. (Luke 19:5)
MAXIMUM ILLUD
“God spoke to you, to each of you, when he said: ‘Forget your
people and your father’s house’ (Ps 44:11)… Your duty is not
the extension of a human kingdom, but of that of Christ. Your
aim is the acquisition of citizens for a heavenly homeland, not
for an earthly one”.
LATER MAGISTERIUM
“Nothing, therefore, is more alien to the Church of Jesus Christ
than division; nothing is more harmful to its life than isolation,
the turning in on itself, and all the forms of collective
selfishness that induce a particular Christian community,
whatever it may be, to shut itself up in itself”. (FD – Pius XII)
POPE FRANCIS
“Missionary activity is not just a question of geographical
territories, but of peoples, cultures and individuals, precisely
because the ‘boundaries’ of faith do not cross only human

Pag.33
places and traditions, but the heart of each man and each
woman”. (WMD 2013)
SALESIAN THOUGHT
“What a pity in having to persuade us that this is not a place of
mission as we had imagined it! ... Well, if we are not
immediately missionaries among the peoples of the Pampas or
Patagonia, we will begin - as Don Bosco said - to consolidate
the kingdom of God in the midst of the already faithful; to
revive it among those who have abandoned it, to extend it
among the civilians who still do not know it”. (Letter of Sr.
Giovanna Borgna to Mother Mazzarello - Cronistoria Volume
2)
Could someone accuse me of being more interested in
the well-being of my family, clan, tribe, ethnic group,
language group or nation rather than the welfare of the
people I live and work with?
Do I show bias towards any individual or community?
Visit a person or family who, rightly or wrongly, feels
discriminated against or not appreciated.
Say a prayer to Saint Francis Xavier so that the
Gospel, whispered to the heart of the ancient cultures of
East Asia, can catch fire and become a living flame of
faith.

Pag.34
YOUR KINGDOM, NOT MY COUNTRY
WORD OF GOD
“We speak, not as trying to please human beings, but rather
God, who judges our hearts”. (1Thes 2:4)
“But seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and
all these things will be given you besides”. (Mt 6:33)
MAXIMUM ILLUD
“It would be tragic ... to spend oneself in attempts to increase
and enhance the prestige of the native land that was left behind
in the past. ... The true missionary is always aware of not
working as an agent for his/her country, but as an ambassador
of Christ ...”
LATER MAGISTERIUM
“(The missionaries) must, therefore, consider the country he is
going to evangelize as a second fatherland and love it with due
charity. Furthermore let him not seek any earthly advantage for
his own country or religious Institute, but rather what may help
towards the salvation of souls”. (EP – Pius XII)
POPE FRANCIS
“The mission tells the Church that it is not an end in itself, but a
humble instrument and mediation of the Kingdom. A self-
referential Church, which is pleased with earthly successes, is

Pag.35
not the Church of Christ, His crucified and glorious body. This
is why we must prefer ‘a rough, wounded, and dirty Church
that has gone out into the streets, rather than a sick Church due
to its closure and the convenience of clinging to its own
security”. (WMD 2017 - EG 49)
SALESIAN THOUGHT
“I am here in America, but with our thoughts we sometimes
come to Italy, but we are neither from America nor from Italy,
our house is everywhere”. (There we will never be separated -
Sister Angela Vallese - L 3)
How is my love for my second motherland - the
community I live and work with - is it evident in my
life?
Do I smell a little like my sheep?
What can I do to show my sheep that I respect and love
them?
Say a prayer to Saint Eudocia of Moscow, great
princess of Moscow, for the Russian Orthodox Church
and for all the people of Russia.
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Pag.36
13 October 2019 – SUNDAY
THE KINGDOM IS UNIVERSAL
WORD OF GOD
“Then I saw another angel flying high overhead, with
everlasting good news to announce to those who dwell on earth,
to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people”. (Rev 14:6)
“This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you
have love for one another.” (Jn 13:35)
“…so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I
in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe
that you sent me”. (Jn 17:21).
MAXIMUM ILLUD
“He represents a Faith in which there is no nation on earth,
since it embraces all men who worship God in spirit and in
truth, a Faith in which ‘Here there is not Greek and Jew,
circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave,
free; but Christ is all and in all’ (Col 3:12)”.
LATER MAGISTERIUM
“It would certainly be a mistake to impose something on the
conscience of others. But to propose to this conscience the
evangelical truth and salvation in Jesus Christ with full clarity
and with absolute respect for the free options, that it will do -
without ‘coercive thrusts or dishonest solicitations or less

Pag.37
upright stimuli’ - far from being an attack on religious freedom,
is a tribute to this freedom, to which the choice of a path is
offered, which the non-believers themselves consider noble and
exalting.” (EN 80 – Paul VI)
POPE FRANCIS
“When properly understood, cultural diversity is not a threat to
Church unity… it is not essential to impose a specific cultural
form, no matter how beautiful or ancient it may be, together
with the Gospel. The message that we proclaim always has a
certain cultural dress, but we in the Church can sometimes fall
into a needless hallowing of our own culture, and thus show
more fanaticism than true evangelizing zeal”. (EG 117)
SALESIAN THOUGHT
“Each of us and each community asks itself about the
possibilities of missionary openness and its response. The
Lord's ‘go and preach’ is a strong call to all. No one feels
excluded because the opportunities are many and we can all
contribute directly or indirectly, replacing in some way those
who have the possibility of acting in more open and difficult
fields. Our Institute, one might say, was born a missionary,
because it arose precisely at the time when Don Bosco had the
famous dream of the missions (cf. MB X) and in Mornese, after
just five years of life, a great enthusiasm lit up with the first
missionary expedition, led by Fr. John Cagliero, then our
General Director. The da mihi animas urges us to go towards
the young and to keep alive the missionary impulse of the
origins (cf. C 6)”. (Parole che giungono al cuore con il sapore di
Mornese. Mother Marinella Castagno - Circular 681)

Pag.38
How much is evident to a person and to everyone
around me that I love and respect every human being
without making a distinction between them?
How can we make our community, our space, our
structures and our activities more welcoming for
everyone around us?
Visit a person or family that seems to have something
against us for any reason.
Say a prayer to Blessed Laura Vicuña to strengthen the
faith of all Christians, especially Christians in Latin
America.
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Pag.39
COETERA TOLLE
WORD OF GOD
“When you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the
lame, the blind”. (Lk 14:14)
Do not adore the golden calf. (Ex 32:1-35)
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.” (Mt 5:3)
“Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least
brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Mt 25:40)
MAXIMUM ILLUD
“Avoid the desire to profit beyond acquiring souls ... Paul
wrote to Timothy: ‘If we have food and clothing, we shall be
content with that’ (1 Tim 6: 8) ... Saint Paul used to provide for
his needs with manual labor”.
LATER MAGISTERIUM
“He does not seek his own things but those of Christ”. (EP –
Pius XII).
“The evangelical witness which the world finds most appealing
is that of concern for people, and of charity toward the poor, the
weak and those who suffer. The complete generosity
underlying this attitude and these actions stands in marked

Pag.40
contrast to human selfishness. It raises precise questions which
lead to God and to the Gospel.” (RM 42 – John Paul II)
POPE FRANCIS
“For the Church, the option for the poor is primarily a
theological category… They have a lot to teach us… We are
called to find Christ in them, to lend our voice to their causes,
but also to be their friends, to listen to them, to speak for them
and to embrace the mysterious wisdom which God wishes to
share with us through them”. (EG 198)
SALESIAN THOUGHT
“I emphasize with you the importance of renewing the passion
of the da mihi animas. The small number of vocations in some
Provinces does not justify attitudes of resignation, distrust or
passivity. If we let the Spirit of Pentecost live in us, we can
understand the new paths that He shows us. From the same
situation of weakness we learn to listen to all the voices, to
strengthen educational networks, to value the different
vocations in the educating community, and also to awaken in
the young people who feel called the desire to follow us. No
one undertakes a journey if it does not capture signs of hope, if
from our witness they do not see a future that gives meaning to
life and opens up to the gift of self”. (Mother Yvonne Reungoat
- Circular 894)
“I carry in my heart the desire that every Daughter of Mary
Help of Christians be inhabited by the passion of da mihi
animas cetera tolle whatever her age, health, situation, because

Pag.41
it is an essential dimension of our vocation”. (Mother Yvonne
Reungoat - Circular 905)
How can I make it more evident that I am hungry for
souls, not money, material wealth or personal comfort?
What can we do to make the poorest of the poor aware
that they are welcome in our institution?
Go out of your home today and bring some material
help to the poorest people in the neighborhood. Spend
some time in loving conversation with them.
Recite a prayer to St. Willebrand, apostle of the
Phrygians, first bishop of Utrecht, for the new
evangelization of the people of the Netherlands.
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Pag.42
NEED FOR SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE
WORD OF GOD
“What kind of wisdom has been given him?” (Mark 6:2)
“A new teaching with authority”. (Mark 1:27)
“Give me, therefore, wisdom and knowledge to govern this
people”. (2 Chronicles 1:10)
“What therefore you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you”.
(Acts 17:23)
“Because of his anguish he shall see the light; because of his
knowledge he shall be content; my servant, the just one, shall
justify the many”. (Is 53:11)
“I will appoint for you shepherds after my own heart, who will
shepherd you wisely and prudently”. (Jr 3:15)
“My people are ruined for lack of knowledge! Since you have
rejected knowledge, I will reject you from serving as my
priest.” (Hosea 4:6)
“For a priest’s lips preserve knowledge, and instruction is to be
sought from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the
LORD of hosts”. (Mal 2:7)

Pag.43
“And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more
and more in knowledge and every kind of perception…” (Phil
1:9)
MAXIMUM ILLUD
“If a man has not been given a credible portion of learning ... he
lacks what could have been an important asset in the fruitful
realization of his ministry. ... The more he is cultured, the
greater his reputation and authority will be. ... He must acquire
professional competence in all branches of learning ... both
sacred and profane ... The teaching of missiology, as a branch
of study, is henceforth included in the curriculum”.
LATER MAGISTERIUM
“It is necessary that they not only obtain the spiritual and
intellectual formation that is suitable for ecclesiastical students,
but should also learn subjects such as languages, sciences of
medicine, agriculture, ethnography, history, geography, etc.”
(EP Pius XII)
POPE FRANCIS
“Proclaiming the Gospel message to different cultures also
involves proclaiming it to professional, scientific, and academic
circles. This means an encounter between faith, reason, and the
sciences with a view to developing new approaches and
arguments on the issue of credibility, a creative apologetics
which would encourage greater openness to the Gospel on the
part of all. When certain categories of reason and the sciences
are taken up into the proclamation of the message, these
categories then become tools of evangelization”. (EG 132)

Pag.44
“Universities are outstanding environments for articulating and
developing this evangelizing commitment in an
interdisciplinary and integrated way”. (EG 134)
SALESIAN THOUGHT
“All phases of life require careful formation in order to live our
vocation in a way that is meaningful and joyful. The new
cultural situations demand preparation and continuous updating
in view of our educating and evangelizing mission”. (Acts
GCXXIII – n. 32)
“Interest and openness to the values of different peoples opens
the door to the Gospel. This is why it is important to overcome
the temptation to complete formation in a way that is hasty or
improvised. We must commit ourselves to care for cultural and
religious preparation, so that we can contribute to the renewal
of society from within. (Acts GCXXIII – n. 46)
How do I ensure I learn something new every day?
How do I favor my habit of reading and encourage
others to read?
Am I a victim of superstitions based on ignorance?
Learn to improve your use of the internet to broaden
your intellectual horizons.
Say a prayer to Saint Augustine of Hippo, for the
revitalization of faith in North Africa.

Pag.45
THE MUSIC OF THE MOTHER LANGUAGE
WORD OF GOD
“Each one heard them speaking in his own language”. (Acts 2:
6c)
There is joy when they speak to us in our mother tongue and
mother culture. (cf. 2 Mac 7: 21 - 27)
“Speak, young man, only when necessary,… Be brief, say
much in few words…” (Sir 32: 9)
MAXIMUM ILLUD
“The first thing the missionary needs to know is the language of
the people, to whose conversion he intends to dedicate himself.
And it is not enough that he has some knowledge of it, but
rather, he must possess it so that he can speak it correctly and
quickly. In fact he... cannot ignore how easy it is for someone
who speaks well, to win the benevolence of all”.
LATER MAGISTERIUM
“The first Areopagus of the modern age is the world of
communications… there exist new ways of communicating,
with new languages, new techniques and a new psychology…
It is also necessary to integrate that message into the ‘new
culture’ created by modern communications”. (RM 37 – John
Paul II)

Pag.46
POPE FRANCIS
“The preacher must know the heart of his community, in order
to realize where its desire for God is alive and ardent,…” (EG
137).
“Just as all of us like to be spoken to in our mother tongue, so
too in the faith we like to be spoken to in our ‘mother culture,’
our native language (cf. 2 Macc7:21, 27), and our heart is better
disposed to listen. This language is a kind of music which
inspires encouragement, strength, and enthusiasm”. (EG 139)
SALESIAN THOUGHT
“In the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium the Pope
invites us to leave our enclosures to announce the Gospel also
in the mother tongue: a language that the recipients must be
able to understand. We are not asked to know all the possible
languages, even though many missionaries have made this
effort, but above all to ruminate the Word and make it resound
in our missionary heart, abandoning presumption,
superficiality, routine. We announce the joy of those who have
found true hope in Christ and let themselves be transfigured by
Him. Warmed by His presence and His Word, we can set out
without fear to meet the young, even those who do not dare to
approach our environments or they do not know us”. (Mother
Yvonne Reungoat - Circular 965)

Pag.47
How fluent am I in the language(s) of the people I work
with?
Plan a short intensive course in the most forgotten
language of your community.
Prepare a plan to learn 20 new words every day in the
local language.
Say a prayer to Saint Peter the Apostle to ask for the
gift of tongues for our missionaries.
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Pag.48
HOLINESS IS INDISPENSABLE
WORD OF GOD
“So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect”. (Mt
5:48)
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is
made perfect in weakness.” I will rather boast most gladly of
my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell
with me”. (2Cor 12: 9)
“Strive for peace with everyone and for that holiness without
which no one will see the Lord…” (Heb 12: 14)
“… For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus
Christ”. (Phil 2: 21)
“For from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks”. (Mt 12:
34)
MAXIMUM ILLUD
“The only indispensable attribute, the most critical is that of
having sanctity of life ... He who preaches God must himself be
a man of God”.
LATER MAGISTERIUM
“Since they are members of the Church by virtue of their
Baptism, all Christians share responsibility for missionary

Pag.49
activity. ‘Missionary cooperation’ is the expression used to
describe the sharing of communities and individual Christians
in this right and duty. Missionary cooperation is rooted and
lived, above all, in personal union with Christ. Only if we are
united to him as the branches to the vine (cf. Jn 15:5) can we
produce good fruit. Through holiness of life every Christian can
become a fruitful part of the Church's mission” (RM 77 – John
Paul II).
POPE FRANCIS
“We are not asked to be flawless, but to keep growing … Yet if
he does not take time to hear God’s word with an open heart, if
he does not allow it to touch his life, to challenge him, to impel
him, and if he does not devote time to pray with that word, then
he will indeed be a false prophet, a fraud, a shallow impostor
… Christ’s message must truly penetrate and possess the
preacher, not just intellectually but in his entire being. The
Holy Spirit, who inspired the word, ‘today, just as at the
beginning of the Church, acts in every evangelizer who allows
himself to be possessed and led by him. The Holy Spirit places
on his lips the words which he could not find by himself’.”
(EG 151)
SALESIAN THOUGHT
“I recommend that you never allow the fervor that the Lord has
enkindled in your heart to die. Remember that only one thing is
necessary, to save your soul. For us religious, it is not enough
simply to save our own soul. We must become holy and
through our good works, help many other souls who are
waiting for our help to become holy too. Take courage then,

Pag.50
after a few days of struggle we will have Heaven forever.”
(Madre Mazzarello - L 18)
“While studying the languages of this world, study also the
language of the soul with God. He will teach you the science of
becoming holy which is he only true science.” (Madre
Mazzarello – L 22)
What more can we do to ensure that people see us as
men/ women of God?
How regular are we in our personal prayer, in the
sacraments and in community prayer?
Plan a joint day of retreat for the religious community
and our lay collaborators.
Recite a prayer to San Pedro Calungsod, a missionary
in the Philippines, to increase vocations in his adopted
country.
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Pag.51
THE POWER OF EXAMPLE
WORD OF GOD
“Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” (1Cor 11:1)
“Do not be conquered by evil but conquer evil with good”.
(Rom 12:21)
“Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall
reap our harvest, if we do not give up”. (Gal 6:9)
MAXIMUM ILLUD
“Preaching by example is a much more effective procedure
than vocal preaching, especially among non-believers, who
tend to be more impressed by what they see than by any other
argument ... Moral integrity ... humble, obedient, and chaste ...
dedicated to prayer and to constant union with God”.
LATER MAGISTERIUM
“The first form of witness is the very life of the missionary, of
the Christian family, and of the ecclesial community, which
reveal a new way of living. 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. But everyone in the Church, striving to imitate the
Divine Master, can and must bear this kind of witness; in many

Pag.52
cases it is the only possible way of being a missionary”. (RM
42 – John Paul II)
POPE FRANCIS
“All members are called to proclaim the Gospel with their
testimony of life ... On this point there is no compromise: those
who by the grace of God accept the mission, are called to live
the mission”. (WMD 2015)
“We need to remember that all religious teaching ultimately has
to be reflected in the teacher’s way of life, which awakens the
assent of the heart by its nearness, love and witness”. (EG 42)
SALESIAN THOUGHT
“In the complex reality in which we live, God calls us to
express with simplicity and courage who we are, to give a
reason for our living together, for the choices we make, to
believe that the presence of Jesus builds us as a community and
that the Spirit makes the mission effective. The mission, in fact,
‘presupposes that the communities are united, that is, they have
one heart and one soul (cf. Acts 4:32) and are willing to witness
the love and joy that the Holy Spirit infuses in the hearts of the
faithful’ (WYD 2007). The quality of relationships is a
verification of the experience of God's foreseeing love, of the
honest and joyful following of Jesus, of fidelity to the Spirit of
love, and helps to ensure the fascination that makes consecrated
life a credible and effective sign”. (In comunione su strade di
speranza. Mother Antonia Colombo - Circular 887)

Pag.53
What can we do to make our personal and community
life more exemplary?
How can we show more humility in our relationships
with people?
How can we make it more obvious to people that we
respect and obey our superiors and others in authority?
How evident it is that our love for people is a reflection
of our first love - that for Jesus Christ?
Say a prayer to Saint Patrick for the healing of the
wounds of the Church in his beloved Ireland.
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Pag.54
AN ARDENT LOVE FOR EVERYONE
WORD OF GOD
“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were
already blazing!” (Lk 12: 49)
“Neither do I condemn you. Go, [and] from now on do not sin
any more”. (Jn 8:11b)
“I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for
although you have hidden these things from the wise and the
learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father,
such has been your gracious will.” (Lk 10: 21)
“They tie up heavy burdens [hard to carry] and lay them on
people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move
them.” (Mt 23: 4)
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (Mt
5:7)
MAXIMUM ILLUD
“Like his model the Lord Jesus, the good missionary burns with
charity and also counts the most abandoned unbelievers among
the children of God ... He is never contemptuous or pedantic ...
neither severe nor rude”.

Pag.55
LATER MAGISTERIUM
“The Church is called to bear witness to Christ… by using her
resources to serve the poorest of the poor and by imitating
Christ's own simplicity of life. The Church and her missionaries
must also bear the witness of humility, above all with regard to
themselves.” (RM 43 – John Paul II)
POPE FRANCIS
“Mercy procures intimate joy in the heart of the Father when it
meets every human creature; from the beginning, he lovingly
addresses even the most fragile, [...] in the face of their fragility
and infidelity, he is moved in his depths and trembles with
compassion. Yet he is merciful towards all, his love is for all
peoples and his tenderness expands over all creatures”. (WMD
2016)
SALESIAN THOUGHT
“The Family Spirit, the creative outpouring of Don Bosco’s
heart, must characterize all our communities and requires the
commitment of everyone. Let each person therefore, always
welcome her Sisters with respect, esteem, and understanding, in
an attitude of open, family-like dialogue, of good will and true
sisterly friendship. … living sisterly love, not only on great
occasions but more especially, in the circumstances of everyday
life.” (C 50)

Pag.56
What we need to do in order for each person to feel
loved and respected by us, whatever their background or
reputation may be?
How can we make our relationships with people less
severe, kinder?
Which of our attitudes is more like vinegar than honey?
Let’s pray for someone who has hurt us in the past.
We pray to Saint Francis of Sales for a sharing of his
gentleness, kindness, and courtesy in our relationships
with people.
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Pag.57
20 October 2019 – SUNDAY
CHARITY SUPPORTS EVERYTHING
WORD OF GOD
“The Jews, however, incited the women of prominence who
were worshipers and the leading men of the city, stirred up a
persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from
their territory”. (At 13:50)
“Beloved, do not be surprised that a trial by fire is occurring
among you, as if something strange were happening to you.” (1
Peter 4:12)
“For to you has been granted, for the sake of Christ, not only to
believe in him but also to suffer for him.” (Phil 1:29)
MAXIMUM ILLUD
“He gladly endures any hardships or adversities that come to
him. Fatigue, contempt, lack, hunger …”
LATER MAGISTERIUM
“And may the world of our time, which is searching, sometimes
with anguish, sometimes with hope, be enabled to receive the
Good News not from evangelizers who are dejected,
discouraged, impatient or anxious, but from ministers of the
Gospel whose lives glow with fervor, who have first received
the joy of Christ, and who are willing to risk their lives so that

Pag.58
the kingdom may be proclaimed and the Church established in
the midst of the world”. (EN 80 – Paul VI)
POPE FRANCIS
“This must be clear especially to the people who embrace the
missionary consecrated life: with the vow of poverty we choose
to follow Christ in this preference, not ideologically, but like
Him, identifying with the poor, living like them in the
precariousness of everyday life, and in giving up the exercise of
all power to become brothers and sisters of the last, bringing
them the witness of the joy of the Gospel and the expression of
God's love”. (WMD 2015)
SALESIAN THOUGHT
“I promised God that up to my last breath will be for my poor
young people”. (Biographical Memories - XVIII 258)
“For you I study, for you I work, for you I live, and for you I
am also willing to give my life”. (Domenico Ruffino
“Chronicles of the Oratory of St. Francis of Sales”, Rome,
Central Salesian Archive, quad 5: 10)
“The Daughters of Mary Help of Christians... Let her also be
ready to suffer heat, cold, hunger, thirst, fatigue, and contempt,
ready to sacrifice everything as long as she can co-operate with
Christ in the salvation of young people”. (C 22)

Pag.59
What makes it clear that my priority is Jesus Christ and
that I am ready for anything that makes Him known and
loved?
What do we need to make people aware that we are
always available to serve them, in all ways, and to any
extent?
On this day of the Lord, take the time to walk outside of
your usual path and go to help a person who needs you
in some way.
Say a prayer to Saints Cosmas and Damian, born in
Saudi Arabia, missionaries in Syria, imploring the gift
of peace for the world and for the Gospel to reach all
peoples who do not yet know Jesus.
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Pag.60
GOD, THE SOURCE OF OUR CONFIDENCE
WORD OF GOD
“I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth.” (1Cor
3:6)
“Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters
is anything, but only God, who causes the growth”. (1Cor 3:7)
“This is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man
were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night
and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not
how…” (Mark 4: 26-29)
“Yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me”. (Gal 2: 20)
MAXIMUM ILLUD
“The basis of his confidence rests entirely on God ... Only God
can enter the hearts of all and illumine their minds with the
light of truth. ... The messenger will spend himself in vain if the
Lord does not help him while he does his work”.
LATER MAGISTERIUM
“Those who are incorporated in the Catholic Church ought to
sense their privilege and for that very reason their greater
obligation of bearing witness to the faith and to the Christian
life as a service to their brothers and sisters and as a fitting

Pag.61
response to God. They should be ever mindful that they owe
their distinguished status not to their own merits but to Christ's
special grace”. (RM 11 – John Paul II)
POPE FRANCIS
“Thanks to faith I found the foundation of my dreams and the
strength to realize them”. (WMD 2018)
“Faith, in fact, is a gift of God and not the result of proselytism;
however, it grows thanks to the faith and charity of the
evangelizers who are witnesses of Christ”. (WMD 2016)
SALESIAN THOUGHT
“Yes, I really need God's help; the mission that God entrusted
to me is difficult; the walk is arduous. But that God who gave
me so much courage will not leave me in abandonment: I feel
him very close, Jesus, I would say makes himself felt sensibly;
and indeed how could I have had the strength, a poor creature
so weak, to have so much courage? And how could I live as
cheerful and happy as I am in a foreign desert, and I would, say
almost barbarous?” (Letters of Sister Maria Troncatti FMA
missionary in Ecuador – L 3)
Make a list of successes you have had in the recent past
as an individual and as a community for which you feel
the need to be grateful to God.

Pag.62
What can you do as an individual and as a community
to show your gratitude to God who made your work
fruitful?
Compose a prayer of gratitude to God. Pray it together
as a group.
Say a prayer to St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, the
visionary of Guadalupe, so that love for Mary and her
Son, Jesus may grow in the baptized.
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Pag.63
WOMEN RELIGIOUS IN THE MISSIONS
WORD OF GOD
“Give them some food yourselves.” (Mark 6:37)
“Almsgiving saves from death and purges all sin”. (Tb 12: 9)
“Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because
love covers a multitude of sins”. (1 Pt 4:8)
“Among them were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of
James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee”. (Mt
27:56)
“I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is [also] a
minister of the church at Cenchreae”. (Rm 16:1)
MAXIMUM ILLUD
“At this point women cannot be ignored, who, since the dawn
of Christianity, have effectively collaborated with preachers in
spreading the Gospel. ...Our highest praise is for those women
who vowed their virginity to God and went to pursue their
vocation in the missions. ...The usefulness of their work
increases in proportion to the care they give to their spiritual
perfection”.

Pag.64
LATER MAGISTERIUM
“We desire to strongly recommend health and welfare
initiatives of all kinds, such as hospitals, leprosariums,
dispensaries, shelters for the elderly, and places of assistance
for maternity and childhood, and for all needing any help.
These works seem to be the most beautiful flowers of the
garden of missionary charity... We know that there is no lack of
degreed sisters, who deserve particular praise for studying
specific horrible diseases, such as leprosy, and for having found
convenient remedies”. (EP 45, 47 – Pius XII)
POPE FRANCIS
“An eloquent sign of God's maternal love is a considerable and
growing presence of women in the missionary world [...].
Women, both lay and consecrated, and today even a large
number of families, carry out their missionary vocation in
various forms: from direct proclamation of the Gospel to
charitable service. ... in taking care of life, with a strong focus
on people rather than structures and putting into play every
human and spiritual resource in building harmony,
relationships, peace, solidarity, dialogue, collaboration, and
fraternity”. (WMD 2016)
SALESIAN THOUGHT
“The prophetic dimension, when rooted in mysticism, is
expressed as the humanization of relationships and culture. Our
religious life will be prophetic only if it becomes humanizing
for its members, overcoming the criteria of productivity and
efficiency proper to the market and opening itself to embrace

Pag.65
fragility as a dimension of the person; taking care of the
formation of the heart and the service of charity; valuing the
wisdom of small signs. In our poverty, we can generate life and
reawaken hope, we can make people perceive the passage of
God on our paths: a God who transforms our heart and makes it
humble, joyful, confident”. (Mother Yvonne Reungoat -
Circular 912)
Do our being and working make it clear to everyone
that we FMA really work for the promotion of the rights
of girls, young women, and women?
Prepare a greeting card that expresses your gratitude to
the sisters and women collaborators in your work and
give it to them with a word of sincere appreciation.
What more can we do in our daily lives, day after day,
to show our appreciation for the women who work with
us?
Say a prayer to Saint Mary Domenica Mazzarello to
intercede for God's blessings on all the sisters and
women collaborators present in our works.
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Pag.66
LAY MISSIONARIES
WORD OF GOD
“Once you were ‘no people’ but now you are God’s people.”
(1Pt 2:10)
“You will be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation”. (Ex
19:6)
“First, I give thanks to my God through Jesus Christ for all of
you.” (Rm 1:8)
“Jesus, looking at him, loved him”. (Mark 10:21)
MAXIMUM ILLUD
Lay Catholics. “The sacred obligation to assist in the
conversion of infidels also applies to them. In fact, God ‘to
each of them he gave precepts about their neighbor’ (Sir
17:12).”
LATER MAGISTERIUM
“The laity… Their own field of evangelizing activity is the vast
and complicated world of politics, society, and economics, but
also the world of culture, of the sciences and the arts, of
international life, of the mass media. It also includes other
realities which are open to evangelization, such as human love,

Pag.67
the family, the education of children and adolescents,
professional work, suffering”. (EN 70 – Paul VI)
POPE FRANCIS
“In some cases, it is because lay persons have not been given
the formation needed to take on important responsibilities. In
others, it is because in their particular Churches room has not
been made for them to speak and to act, due to an excessive
clericalism which keeps them away from decision-making.
Even if many are now involved in the lay ministries, this
involvement is not reflected in a greater penetration of
Christian values in the social, political and economic sectors. It
often remains tied to tasks within the Church, without a real
commitment to applying the Gospel to the transformation of
society. The formation of the laity and the evangelization of
professional and intellectual life represent a significant pastoral
challenge.” (EG 102)
SALESIAN THOUGHT
“The community is challenged to witness to a life based on the
Gospel – forming one another, FMA and laity – for the shared
mission. The community is called to reach out to others with
the same young people who help us to understand and live the
Gospel according to the Salesian charism, to go out with them
to proclaim Jesus.” (Acts GCXXIII - n. 27)
“In continuity with the intuition of Don Bosco and Mother
Mazzarello we believe it is time to redefine and start in some
contexts, a shared mission with the lay people who share the

Pag.68
human values we propose, even if they are not Christians. In
particular, in talking to young people about the Gospel, we feel
that the best spokespersons are the young people themselves
who more easily speak the language of those who are not
familiar with the faith and Christian values. It is time,
therefore, to be willing to let ourselves be transformed by our
relationship with them”. (Acts GCXXIII - n. 58)
Do we respect our lay collaborators as full partners in
our evangelization mission?
What else we can do to transform our lay collaborators
into true evangelizers?
Do something special today to express your
appreciation for lay people in your workplace.
Address a prayer to Saint Casimiro Jagiellon, prince
of Poland and Lithuania, for the strengthening of faith
in Eastern Europe and for Catholic leaders in politics.
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Pag.69
SUPPORT THROUGH PRAYER
WORD OF GOD
“As soon as I leave the city I will extend my hands to the Lord;
the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail so that
you may know that the earth belongs to the Lord”. (Ex 9:29)
“As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel had the
better of the fight, but when he let his hands rest, Amalek had
the better of the fight”. (Ex 17:11)
“Ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his
harvest”. (Lk 10: 2)
MAXIMUM ILLUD
“The first help for the Missions is prayer. ... It is the duty of all
the faithful to follow the example of Moses and grant
missionaries the support of their prayer. ... It was for this
purpose that the organization called ‘Apostolate of Prayer’ was
established”.
LATER MAGISTERIUM
“Devout souls should be encouraged to make greater efforts at
prayer in defined times during the liturgical year which seem
more appropriate to foster and promote interest in missionary
work: Advent, the feast of Epiphany, and Pentecost. The most
excellent prayer of all is that which is offered every day at the

Pag.70
altar. Make sure that many Masses are offered”. (FD – Pius
XII)
POPE FRANCIS
“Though it is true that this mission demands great generosity on
our part, it would be wrong to see it as a heroic individual
undertaking, for it is first and foremost the ‘Lord’s work,
surpassing anything which we can see and understand’. Jesus is
‘the first and greatest evangelizer’. … ‘he has loved us first’ (1
Jn 4:19) and that he alone ‘gives the growth’”. (EG 12)
SALESIAN THOUGHT
“Take courage, it is true that we are not able to do anything, but
with humility and prayer we will keep the Lord close to us, and
when the Lord is with us everything goes well”. (Mother
Mazzarello – L 42)
“Our prayer... Must be simple, essential, capable of
transforming our everyday life, of expressing a sense of
celebration, and involving the young people in the joy of
meeting Christ”. (C 38)
What opportunities can we create to encourage our
young people to spread the Gospel and the values of the
Kingdom?
Think about the possibility of starting a prayer group
that focuses on missions.

Pag.71
Share today the biography of Saint Therese of Lisieux
with the young, explaining especially the reasons for
declaring her patron of missions.
Compose a prayer for the missions to be said today with
the young people you live/work with.
Say a prayer to Saint Therese of Lisieux, patron of
missions, asking her to continue to intercede with God
for the spread of the Kingdom.
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Pag.72
PROMOTE MISSIONARY VOCATIONS
WORD OF GOD
“We have with one accord decided to choose representatives
and to send them to you along with our beloved Barnabas and
Paul”. (At 15:25)
“If Timothy comes, see that he is without fear in your company,
for he is doing the work of the Lord just as I am”. (1Cor 16:10)
“As for Titus, he is my partner and co-worker for you; as for
our brothers, they are apostles of the churches, the glory of
Christ”. (2Cor 8:23)
MAXIMUM ILLUD
“You will do what is worthy of your love for religion, if you
stimulate the vocation to the Missions in the clergy and in the
students of the diocesan seminary as soon as someone gives
their testimony. Do not be fooled by any image of good or
human considerations”.
LATER MAGISTERIUM
“The Dioceses that are suffering from the shortage of priests
should not close their ears to our pleas for help in the foreign
missions. If a poor diocese helps another poor diocese, it will
probably not be impoverished by giving help. God does not let

Pag.73
himself be outdone and overcome in generosity”. (FD – Pius
XII)
POPE FRANCIS
“Many young people find in missionary volunteering, a way to
serve the ‘little ones’, promoting human dignity and witnessing
to the joy of loving and being Christians. These praiseworthy
forms of temporary missionary service are a fruitful beginning
and, in vocational discernment, they can help you decide for the
total gift of yourselves as missionaries”. (WMD 2018)
SALESIAN THOUGHT
“The values of free, voluntary, active citizenship must become
the pillars of an educating community and of a real policy of
serving the citizens. Young people believe in this and are ready
for it. Open the doors more and more to young people. commit
yourselves to facilitating and finding the space needed for their
participation”. (Acts GCXXIII n. 14)
“To provide, in the field of the New Evangelization, formation
for young people according to the pastoral paradigm of the
Institute. Strengthening the Salesian Youth Spirituality in every
one of our environments and in particular in the
accompaniment of the Salesian Youth Movement and the
promotion of volunteerism”. (Acts GCXXIII n. 61, 7)

Pag.74
What else can we do, the community and I, to provoke
young people to consider the possibility of a religious
and/or priestly vocation?
Talk to a young person today looking for ways to
introduce him /her to the possibility of a
religious/priestly vocation.
How can we, my community and I, bear witness to
something of our daily life that attracts young people
towards priestly and religious life?
Say a prayer to Blessed Tito Zeman, the vocation
missionary, so that many young people can respond to
the call to dedicate their lives to Christ as priests and
religious.
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BAPTIZED AND SENT THE CHURCH OF CHRIST ON MISSION IN THE WORLD

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