Come and celebrate with us!
This Thursday, December 7, 2017 10 am at the Rogers’ Chapel (on the campus of the Maryknoll Sisters) our 7 new Missioners will proclaim and sign their covenant as Maryknoll Lay Missioners.
The term “covenant” is of Latin origin (con venire), meaning a coming together. We find that God participated in such a covenant with Abraham. God appears at night as a smoking pot and a flame and passes between the two pieces of flesh. This becomes what was known as the “Old Covenant”…we call it “The Old Testament.” God once again participates in a covenant but this time the terms are different (enhanced with better promises) and the sacrifice is God’s own son. We call this covenant “The New Testament.” As you can see, God is a God of covenants.
Remember that covenant is the union of two or more people. In a covenant you are no longer concerned only with yourself. Your concern now includes your covenant with your brother(s) and sister(s). You care for the other the same as you care for yourself.
The covenant meal usually ends a covenant ceremony. At this point a new relationship is born. It is a love relationship. This kind of love is called “Hesed” in Hebrew and “Agape” in Greek. It is a love that says, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”
The Signing of the MKLM Covenant is the celebration of the commitment of the new Maryknoll Lay Missioners with MKLM. They now will enter into a relationship of service, community and accountability with MKLM, with their respective sending communities, with the people whom they go to serve overseas, and with one another, before God. The ceremony happens in the context of a Eucharistic Liturgy, where all Maryknoll Lay Missioners present partake in the “Hesed” or “Agape” with God.
This liturgy celebrates the completion of the Orientation Program, and moving on to mission as a Maryknoll Lay Missioner. Click HERE to read MKLM Covenant.
