We begin this month of February celebrating Jesus’ presentation in the temple. Mary and Joseph follow the Jewish custom of offering their first-born son to God, not realizing that they are offering the Son to the Father! Simeon and Anna, wise and holy people, add to the mystery, predicting great events in Jesus’ life, but not without sorrow for all in the Holy Family. I’m sure our own parents asked, “What will become of this child?” Many of you reading this article can remember asking the same question about your own children. You can look back at great graces in your family’s life, life marked by some sin and sorrow, but continuously renewed thanks to God’s loving forgiveness. 
When I came to South Asia I was excited to be able to evangelize, that is to bring Jesus’ Good News to people. I soon discovered many constraints. Political, social, and religious beliefs and customs limited the ways I could preach. I realized the wealth of good in the people I came to serve, a good they learned from various religious and social traditions. I continue to marvel at the piety and hospitality of the people I meet. How, then, do I properly live up to Jesus command to bring the Gospel to all nations? (Mt.28:19; Mk.16:15)
There is no excuse to just pass over this command; to serve people through social service, health care, and education. All these are good and important ministries, but not directly fulfilling Jesus’ call to preach! Over the last sixty years various Christian missionaries have labored in Nepal, often suffering persecution, so that now there are about two million Nepali believers whom Nepali pastors and missionaries serve!
It is easy for me to count the number of baptisms I have administered over these years – not many! I still want to evaluate the service I have tried to give, and more important, to look ahead to ask God, through my prayer and discussion with my superiors, how I should lead the rest of my apostolic life. We pray this month that all Christians, priests, religious and lay, work together to evangelize. I would stress the challenge to cooperate with others in presenting Jesus’ message clearly to people.
Our Christian communities are different, stressing varied aspects of Jesus’ message. However the core message is the same: “Love one another as I have loved you.” (Jn.15:12) Jesus’ complete love for all people led him to the cross and on to the Resurrection, so that all people may reach heaven. I hope we can set our denominational differences aside so that we can clearly preach God’s one commandment to love all people as clearly as we can. Let there be differences in the ways we pray and interpret scripture, but let’s rise to the challenge of teaching God’s message of love to all. God wants everyone to reach heaven. Do I want the same for all the people in my life?
I continue to enjoy sitting with Buddhist monks in meditation, listening to their rhythmic chanting. Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, Jain, Sikh, and Baha'i prayers continue to inspire me. I try to attend all the inter-religious meetings I can. I feel more “at home” when I am with fellow Christians at prayer, for we have so much more in common. 
As we pray this month, let’s remember the Portuguese Jesuit, St. John de Brito, who radically adapted his lifestyle to the Hindu people he served in Madurai, India, in the seventeenth century. We remember St. Paul Miki and his companions, Japanese who died witnessing to Christ a mere half century after St. Francis Xavier preached in their country. We thank God for St. Claude de la Colombiere, who with St. Margaret Mary challenges us to open our hearts to accept God’s complete love. Let’s accept God’s total forgiveness. We do all this together, sharing God’s law of love with all.