Man needs light.

5th Missionary Day

In our time, widespread mobility and ease of communication through new media have mixed peoples, knowledge, and experiences. For work reasons, entire families move from one continent to another; professional and cultural exchanges, as well as tourism and similar phenomena, drive a broad movement of people. Sometimes, it is difficult even for parish communities to know, in a secure and in-depth way, who is passing through or who lives permanently in the territory. Furthermore, in increasingly larger areas of traditionally Christian regions, the number of those who live apart from the faith, indifferent to the religious dimension, or driven by other beliefs is growing. Not infrequently, some baptized individuals make life choices that distance them from the faith, thus making them in need of a "new evangelization." Added to all this is the fact that a large part of humanity has not yet been reached by the Good News of Jesus Christ. Moreover, we are living through a time of crisis that affects various sectors of existence, not only those of the economy, finance, food security, and the environment, but also those of the profound meaning of life and the fundamental values that animate it. Human coexistence itself is marked by tensions and conflicts, which cause insecurity and hinder the path to stable peace.

In this complex situation, where the horizon of the present and the future seems to be crossed by threatening clouds, it becomes even more urgent to courageously bring the Gospel of Christ to all realities, which is an announcement of hope, of reconciliation, of communion, an announcement of God's closeness, of his mercy, of his salvation, an announcement that the power of God's love is capable of overcoming the darkness of evil and guiding us on the path of good. Modern man needs a reliable light to illuminate his path. And that only an encounter with Christ can give you. With our witness of love, let us bring to this world the hope that faith gives us!

I would like to encourage everyone to become bearers of the Good News of Christ, and I especially thank the missionaries, both men and women, and the priests. fidei donum, To the religious men and women, and to the lay faithful – who are becoming increasingly numerous – who, heeding the Lord's call, have left their own homeland to serve the Gospel in different lands and cultures.

(Pope Francis, message for the year 2013)