The burning bush

Columban Fr Iowane Naio celebrates Mass with the Sindhi Bheels community in Pangrio Village. - Photo: Fr Iowane Naio SSC

It has been sometime now since I arrived in Pakistan. I have just completed the formal language studies, which took around eight months, and now I await my pastoral placement.

While waiting for the final arrangements to be carried out at my new pastoral placement, I am helping out in Badin Parish, where Columban Frs Pat Visanti and Elbert Balbastro are serving with Kim Jinwook, a Columban seminarian from Korea, who is here on his First Mission Assignment. I am pretty sure that these pastoral experiences in Badin parish will serve as a good orientation for me as I prepare to formally begin my ministry in a part of Kotri parish, at the outskirts of Hyderabad city.

It's indeed a blessing to witness my Columban brothers fully and sincerely engaged in the mission of God's love, despite the difficulties and uncertainties they encounter. My initial missionary experiences here are similar to Moses' encounter with God in the burning bush (Exodus 3). I see the fire of missionary zeal in my fellow Columbans and other missionaries who are trying their best to accompany the faithful here.

As I move closer to this burning bush by gradually immersing myself in various ministries in Badin parish, I see flames of humility, openness, love, understanding, patience, and perseverance in my fellow missionaries. Indeed, every fire produces heat and smoke. So, in these experiences, I see the faith of my fellow missionaries as the fire’s heat and their hopefulness as the smoke that rises from it.

The journey of the Catholic Church has never been without difficulties and struggles, even persecution, somewhat similar to the journey of the Israelites, who tried their best to live according to the laws of God. From the beginning, it was never easy. It’s indeed difficult to imagine a Church without difficulties, both internal and external. But as I compare my initial missionary experiences here with those in other countries, the challenges of mission in Pakistan are immense, unique, and at times overwhelming.

Yet, as I observe and listen to my fellow Columbans and other missionaries who have been here for a while, I get the sense that their faithfulness to God and their love for his beloved people have kept them hopeful and optimistic. Their insights have helped me to realise that if we are humble, open, and flexible enough, these challenges and struggles can bring out the best in us. It can help us grow stronger in faith, trust more in God than in ourselves, discern his continuous presence among the faithful, and continue His mission of love with great joy despite all the struggles.

Initially, it was very discouraging and confusing to know that this fire had been burning for a while. The Columbans have been working in this parish for more than forty years, but it feels like we are just starting our mission. Pessimism began to kick in, and unconsciously I started judging and criticising every experience in light of my past missionary experiences. Instead of facing this burning bush with faith, humility, openness, love, and understanding, I began perceiving it negatively through the lens of my previous pastoral experiences in Fiji, the Philippines, and Peru.

However, as I continued to observe the burning bush with curiosity and anxiety, I was surprised to notice that the tree, which has many branches (namely, poverty, school dropouts, unemployment, addiction, malnutrition, discrimination, suppression, abuse by the wealthy landowners, and many more), was not being consumed by the fire. 

In my confusion, frustration, and hopelessness, I talked to my fellow missionaries, who had been here for a long time, about my initial impressions. I asked them questions, even throwing criticisms at them about the missionary work here. A common answer I would receive was Yeh Pakistan hei (“This is Pakistan”).

At first, I did not understand what they were trying to tell me. I thought they were just being sarcastic. However, as I continued to pray and reflect deeply on my experiences here, I began to realise I was actually hearing the voice of God. Just as God spoke to Moses in Exodus 3:5, God was asking me, through these fellow missionaries, to take off my sandals because the ground where I stood was holy.

This was a moment of awakening because I realised that to be effective and meaningful in ministry, I first needed a better understanding of the church in Pakistan. To achieve this, I had to be humble and learn from the people. I had to really take off my sandals to empty myself of all the familiar models of the church I had and to open myself to learning a new way of being a church. With the help of the Holy Spirit, my fellow missionaries, and God's beloved people, I am now settling in comfortably.

I want to conclude by sharing some insights from my initial missionary experience here in Pakistan. First of all, we need to trust that God has chosen us to be part of his mission. We know how limited we are in many ways - but God still offers us this privilege so that we may understand his love and faithfulness and share it with others. Secondly, be confident in yourself and do not hesitate to analyse, ask questions, or even criticise what you see or experience, because this will help you grow in your understanding and creativity. Thirdly, be humble enough to ask for advice and help. This practice reminds us that the mission belongs to the Holy Spirit alone, and it also enlightens us to realise that God has blessed us with different gifts and talents, meant to be shared in building up His Kingdom here on earth.

Fourthly, be open to complaints, criticism, and correction; do not take them personally. Rather, see them as the best opportunities for renewal. Finally, keep praying and continue to offer every experience to God, pleasant and unpleasant alike. God, who has chosen us, is always with us; he is always ready to hear from us, and he is ever ready to help us, but he never forces himself upon us. 

Columban Fr Iowane Naio lives and works in Pakistan