by Ariel Presbitero

Ariel Presbitero went to Brazil as a Columban lay missionary in 1992 and after six years there moved to Peru. He is now living in the Philippines.

Ariel playing the flute 
with friends in Peru

What really attracted me to join the lay missionary program of the Missionary Society of St Columban was its conviction and commitment to the same mission that Jesus started 2,000 years ago – building the kingdom. Disciples and apostles of Jesus have to take a definite perspective on why they are missionaries.

Being with the poor

Fr Gustavo Gutierrez OP says that to follow the theological principle of preferential option for the poor, three elements are very important. First, go where the poor are. What makes some people alienated with this conviction is that they don't live and experience what it is like to be poor because they don't physically go there. They become prisoners of their own theoretical knowledge of the poor and of not ‘being’ with the poor. Therefore, it's essential to go where poverty is most felt. Second, one has to think from the perspective of the poor. It’s not enough to be with the poor, but to try and grasp how the poor think and react to the pressures around them. Third is spirituality. It's the heart of Jesus' message to humanity. That is to live with the conviction and personally experience the spirit of the poor.

How to be satisfied

Keeping all this in mind, I opened up myself to the same option that Jesus opted for. It became a real challenge for me to adapt to and become assimilated in the reality of the poor. The challenge to be present among them was indeed a demanding motivation. In St Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus started preaching to the people and giving them hope, ‘Blessed are those who have the spirit of the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven; blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied.’ The marginalized, oppressed, discriminated against, isolated, restless, dying, fearful and abandoned are the preferred people of Jesus.

As missionaries, we are also called to give hope and to challenge the emerging social ills that oppress the freedom of our people.

One meaningful journey

Finishing my six years in Peru as a long-term lay missionary has brought me a sense of inner joy to share what it’s like to be part of the greater mission of God for the world. I feel blessed to have people who support and share the same journey with me to make this service very meaningful. It's worth taking the risk.  I was able to capture the real essence of mission -- how we allow the people, especially the poor, to transform us and give real meaning to why we live and exist.