Timorese Missionary with Latin American Experience

By Fr. Natalino Venancio F. de Jesus, SDB
Timorese missionary in Argentina, ARS - Victorica

Oeste Pampeano, Argentina, 8 January 2018 -- On the Epiphany Feast Day of 2018 I would like to share a simple personal reflection with the Salesians of our EAO region, especially the confreres - brothers of Timor Leste (East Timor). It is my reflection as a disciple - missionary of Jesus today, in the century full of individualism and search for personal satisfaction.

I believe that the disciple and missionary of Jesus is called to witness an alternative of life in the light of the Gospel. He needs to reach out, to meet the other, with the mindset of the out-reaching Church community.

Each encounter of the other has (in the light of faith) its origin and foundation in God, precisely because He is the perfect Communion of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit:

'We realize often, that human beings feel the need to relate, be part of a community, grouped in family, with friends or in social organizations. Each human feels the need to make friendship with other or carry out a common project.

However the current culture in Argentina emphasizes in an exaggerated way own personal affirmation, not as a realization in love and donation, but in the solitary search of satisfactions. That loneliness can often be disguised as an encounter. A true encounter can happen only when there is a correspondence between the personal revelation and trusting acceptance of other.

Indeed 'encounter' is recognize ad decisive for the Christian faith, present in the heart of salvation history. In this way, adherence to Jesus Christ must be expressed in the encounter and communion with others...

In this Christmas period we realize that to be really faithful to God who is giving totally to us, we need to follow his Kenosis - getting out of Himself. God's love is expressed in fraternal solidarity, it's about going out to meet others - poor and strangers.

Our task of Jesus disciples-missionaries is to facilitate that men and women of our time would find in the Gospel vital answers to their deepest aspirantions...'

Fr. Natalino is the second Timorese SDB missionary in Argentina (ARS province), where he arrived in 2008, after finishing his theological studies and after his priestly ordination in 2014 is assigned to the missionary community in a poor region of Oeste Pampeano (Western Pampa). He is one of the ten Timor Leste missionary ad gentes active abroad.

Related article:

• Australasia 3770 (II) Missionary experience in Western Pampa (Argentina)

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