I was fascinated by the words of Jesus; ‘the Sower went out to sow the seeds’, and he threw the seed so far that he could not see where it fell. When I was still an aspirant, I heard the story of Sr Bridget Kama, and it seemed to me that she incarnated in her life the tireless gesture of that Sower… she dedicated herself fully to the mission of Jesus Christ in word and action.
As a child, she cultivated her Christian faith. While studying at school, as a teenager, she accompanied the Missionary Fathers to the villages and engaged in catechesis for the children. The guidance of the PIME Fathers enabled her to recognize her missionary vocation and enter our institute. Reading her biography, I greatly admired her life and missionary zeal; she was willing to make any sacrifice with vigour and enthusiasm. She was very creative in teaching; in addition to teaching, she engaged in pastoral/catechetical ministry. Like Jesus, a tireless servant of God in his words and actions, always on the move without boundaries, Sr Bridget lived the same missionary zeal in her life. Immediately after school, she would rush by bicycle into villages and parishes to announce the Good News of Jesus.
She was our first Indian teacher in 1962, and worked in many schools when the mission was just taking root on Indian soil. Her vocation was modelled on that of the apostles, a commitment that involved her whole self, in a limitless donation of strength and time, with such dedication, availability, and sacrifice driven by a great love for Jesus and a living passion to proclaim the Gospel to reach the most distant.
His testimony attracted my attention and sowed in my heart what I would like to cultivate in missionary life today. The years of formation ignited in me a missionary perspective: to live fully for the proclamation of the Kingdom of God. Perhaps some challenges may hinder the journey, but my trust remains firm in the Lord, the source of all strength. For me, being a disciple of Jesus in a time of challenges means orienting my life to his tireless work as a Sower.
Sr. Martha Salom