More than 1,600 children celebrate World Mission Sunday in Myanmar

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Approximately 1,650 children in Myanmar have celebrated the 100th anniversary of World Mission Sunday, which was observed by the universal Church on 18 October, reported Radio Veritas Asia.

Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, Archbishop of Yangon and leader of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Myanmar, presided over the Mass and, in his homily, told the children that they too can be missionaries at their young age by sharing their love of Jesus.

They gathered on Sunday at Assumption Catholic Church in Twantay Parish, in the Archdiocese of Yangon, at an event organized by the Yangon Archdiocesan Pontifical Mission Society (PMS) and its director.

Cardinal Bo explained to the children that anyone can be a missionary wherever they live, study, and meet others.

He told them that they do not have to wait until they become a priest, a sister, a bishop, or a grown-up to become a missionary, but that they “can be a missionary today!”

Little ones can share Jesus' light

The Cardinal encouraged the children to become little lights of Christ.

He explained how they can do this, noting that small acts of kindness count, including welcoming and being kind to classmates and children who may be lonely or excluded, sharing food with those in need, and offering help.

Children, he suggested, can be missionaries in their own homes, schools, parishes, and communities.

He called on them to remember children affected by various difficulties, including conflict, displacement, and hunger, in Myanmar and throughout the world.

Finally, Cardinal Bo reminded the little ones that they do not have to be famous or do particularly outstanding things, but that what counts is sharing the light of Jesus and bringing God's love to others.