Editorial
A BANQUET!
By Marie-Paule Sanfaçon, m.i.c.
For World Mission Sunday, October 20, Pope Francis issued an invitation that is not to be missed: Go and invite everyone to the wedding. God espouses humanity. What a beautiful theme! However, the mission of Jesus is not limited to a particular month; this invitation challenges us every day as Christians. In all humility, the spouse becomes a servant, he does not sit at the head table. Instead, he is attentive to what is happening among his guests of every language and nation.
Such a call brings a flood of gratitude to our hearts, which is why the editorial team of the Autumn issue has chosen At the heart of gratitude as its theme. As you read through the various articles, you will discover many facets of this great virtue. Our foundress, Délia Tétreault, has made it a hallmark of our community. It is also true that, as we delve deeper into the Christian mystery, we see the many reasons to give thanks for the bounty in our lives.
During His mission in this world, the Lord showed Himself generous towards all, the small and the great. He has entrusted us with the task of spreading his message of love to humanity. An invitation to pass on to the people we meet, since the wedding is for all of us. We are invited...
Soon we will be celebrating the beautiful feast of Christmas, a reason to be grateful and thankful for this gift of the Son of God, who makes himself one of us so that each and every one of us can take part in his nuptial banquet. Isn’t this an occasion not to be missed? All the more so as this feast of the Incarnate Son of God opens us up to great hope, the theme of Holy Year 2025.
It is an invitation to live the year 2025 in a climate of hope and gratitude. To each and every one of you, I wish a wonderful Christmas and a joy-filled 2025, as we are invited to God’s great feast.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
In Focus - Gratitude
By Ederlina Torres, M.I.C.
The presence of several M.I.C. Sisters from other countries who joined our mission in Latin America has left its mark on our history, as a spiritual legacy. This presence remains alive in our hearts...
Today, we are three Sisters in Pucallpa, a town in the Amazon region of Peru. We live in the Manantay district. We have just inaugurated the Santa María de la Esperanza Center for Human Promotion...
We used to live in the center of Pucallpa. In response to Pope Francis’ invitation to bring Christ to the existential peripheries, to the poorest, a new house has been built in Manantay, a deprived district of our city, close to an ambitious humanitarian project.
Here is something we have experienced in Manantay. It is common for people here to consult healers when they are ill. Luis, a young man of 21, was battling a rare form of skin disease called erythema nodosum leprosum. The disease was putting his faith to the test. Following local tradition, his parents initially entrusted him to one of these healers. But Luis’ condition worsened. That is when we stepped in, seeing him not as a leper, but as a child of God in need of help. We convinced the family to take Luis to hospital, where Dr Lucas urgently prescribed thalidomide, a drug considered almost miraculous in this case. Unfortunately, there was a shortage of this restricted remedy in Pucallpa and throughout Peru.
Faced with this desperate situation, Dr. Milton Ozório Moraes, a Brazilian doctor moved by his story, managed to procure it. In July 2018, he sent it to Dr. Lucas. As soon as Luis began treatment, his condition improved rapidly, offering new hope for a cure. Although his family still hesitated between the healer and the doctor, Luis chose to trust Jesus for his healing by praying with us. Soldiers from Pucallpa offered to give him blood for a much-needed transfusion. Little by little, Luis regained his health. Today, he works and joyfully bears witness to his renewed faith. This experience strengthened our gratitude and our desire to share Christ’s love. [ … ]
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