Guest Editorial
Living the Good News
By Sr. Frances Brady, O.L.M.
May 2007
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"The Spirit of God is upon me, because God has anointed me to preach good news to the poor, and has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to those who are blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed."
(Luke 4: 18)
These words of Isaiah that Jesus reads with reference to his own life are both consoling and challenging. God is assuring us through the life of Jesus that the poor and marginalized are not forgotten. As followers of Jesus we are expected to bring this good news to reality. The example of Jesus' life makes it fairly clear that the message is one to be lived and our understanding of the message determines what we believe we are expected to do.
When we understand the "good news" to be the truth that everyone is loved and valued in the eyes of God, the implications follow. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect. No one should be marginalized or oppressed. Poverty is a communal problem that we can do something about together.
Srs. Norma Samar and Rosemary Hughes who along with Sr. Frances Brady serve on Our Lady's Missionaries' leadership team, visit the grave of Fr. Dan Macdonald, founder of their community. Alexandria, Ontario.
This is the understanding of many, including, for example, the thousands of people who have joined Make Poverty History, Canada's campaign to end global poverty. This campaign strives to change government legislation so that there will be no neglected, no marginalized. The goal is that everyone will have the opportunity to live a dignified lifestyle and raise their children in a safe and healthy environment, that no one will live in poverty, either Canada or in the rest of the world.
Our Sisters have the opportunity to see both the effects of poverty and the effects of the "good news" on people's lives. The circumstances vary: families of landless farmers, children surviving life on the streets, parents and children with HIV/AIDS, economically impoverished families whose children are unable to attend school. When people believe in themselves and their own worth and work together because they respect and value each other, good things happen.
Because we are privileged to see the small but important steps that take place in communities and neighbourhoods, we dare to envision what can happen on a larger national and international scale. We are able to live in the hope of what will be possible when enough people around the world such as the members of Make Poverty History are deeply committed to being the bearers of "good news to the poor."
We are grateful to Scarboro Missions, to Kathy VanLoon, editor of Scarboro Missions magazine, and to Srs. Marie Clarkson and Patricia Kay who worked with Kathy to prepare this issue. Thank you also to all of you who tell us that you are happy to hear about and support our missionary work.
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