By Kathy Berken
On Deck
My late cousin Father Henry was a missionary priest for the Redemptorists. Born and raised in Wisconsin, his ministry took him to Texas and Louisiana where he developed a deep southern accent. Many in his congregation served in Central America, Asia and Africa.
Today, due to fewer vocations in the Global North and increased vocations in the Global South, the ever-changing dynamics within worldwide Christianity have produced the phenomenon known as “reverse mission.” Church leaders in Asia, Africa, India and other developing regions are sending missionaries to developed nations. My, how life has changed since I was growing up and U.S. missionaries were sent routinely to work in foreign countries.
I recently had a conversation about reverse mission with Sister Mary, a Franciscan missionary who has worked with immigrants in southern Texas for many decades. She is becoming more aware that her community’s vocation to serve those near the border is not one of merely helping those in need. Sister Mary says that decades ago, the driving force in sending missionaries to under-developed areas of the world was one of lifting up and assisting.
Now there is so much more to it than that. Honestly, she said, when religious outsiders come to help at the U.S.-Mexico border, they often bring an air of superiority that is just not helpful. Sister Mary was blunt: this attitude of “I’m here to help you because you can’t help yourself” smacks of pity rather than the kind of love that Jesus teaches us through his example.
When a missionary works in an area where people struggle to survive, the best way to help is to first adopt an attitude of humility and mutuality. When you treat people as equals and work with them in cooperation rather than subservience, the face of God is much more evident.
I think of the late Pope Francis, who was a champion for the poor and underserved. He turned a Vatican plaza into a refuge for the homeless (“nobles of the street,” he called them). He washed the feet of migrants, prisoners or non-Christians on Holy Thursday each year. He encouraged a welcoming attitude toward gay and lesbian Catholics and invited transgender people to meet with him at the Vatican. Pope Francis considered all people his equal. No wonder many called him the “People’s Pope.”
Here’s where reverse mission comes into play. When you serve others in a missionary capacity, it is as much for your benefit as for the people you serve. “It’s not an ego thing,” Sister Mary reminded me. You create an attitude of kinship, friendship and cooperation and when a particular mission is complete, you realize that you are a better person for having done so. Yes, you helped others, but you may also have increased your patience or your understanding of people who are different from you or regained an appreciation for hard manual labor!
People instinctively know if your presence is one of humility, partnership and respect or if it is one of domination, aloofness and inauthenticity. Sister Mary chuckled and said, “When people go into mission, they often think they are doing this great work when, in fact, they are helping themselves. Do the people really need to have an outsider teach them how to plant vegetables? No, they want you to work alongside them, offering them dignity and respect.”
Pope Francis was a great example of someone who became a better person for all the work he did for others. In the process, others were lifted up and felt loved. He understood what reverse mission entailed. May we all follow his lead.
(Kathy Berken is a spiritual director and retreat leader in St. Paul, Minnesota. She lived and worked at L’Arche in Clinton — The Arch from 1999-2009.)
