The third day of the Annual Retreat of the Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus (HHCJ), Ghana Province, focused on the theme “Called to Be with Jesus and Sent with Him,” with the sub-theme “Companionship Before Mission.”
The Retreat is being moderated by Jesuit Priest, Rev. Fr. Edmund Agorhom, SJ, at Nsoatre-Sunyani.
The reflection invited the sisters to rediscover the foundation of Christian mission: companionship with Christ must always come before the mission for Christ.
Fr. Edmund reminded the sisters that Jesus first called the apostles to be with Him before sending them out to preach.
According to him, losing this order risks losing the very soul of the Christian mission. A religious sister may remain deeply involved in apostolic activities while becoming inwardly empty if her closeness to Christ is neglected.
“Before Jesus sends us, He gathers us. Before He uses our bodies for the Kingdom, He claims our hearts. Before He entrusts us with His work, He invites us into His company,” the reflection emphasised.
The Retreat also highlighted that the disciples Jesus called were not perfect. They were transformed not merely through their own efforts, but through their sustained closeness to Him.
In the same way, the sisters were encouraged to understand that transformation comes through intimacy with Christ.
A heart that remains close to Jesus, the reflection noted, gradually takes on His mind, courage, patience and mercy.
The Sisters were therefore invited to examine their personal relationship with Christ by asking: “How close do I live to Jesus?”
The reflection stressed that closeness to Jesus is not always a feeling or an emotional experience. Rather, it is first and foremost a relationship. Just as a married couple may not experience sweetness every day but remain committed to their relationship, so too Christian companionship with Jesus requires fidelity beyond feelings and moods.
Jesus Teaches Us How to See
The first fruit of remaining close to Jesus is learning to see as He sees.
Jesus sees the poor not as a burden but as a blessing, and sinners not as waste but as persons capable of receiving and experiencing mercy.
The Sisters were encouraged to reflect on the Church’s mission to move close to people who are wounded and broken rather than standing at a distance as judges.
The Church, the reflection emphasized, is called to bend close to wounded humanity, lift the fallen and make God’s mercy visible in a broken world.
Jesus Teaches Us How to Desire
The second lesson of companionship with Christ is learning how to desire rightly.
The retreat reflection challenged the Sisters to examine their desires by asking: What do I want? What motivates me? What do I seek? What am I clinging to? What drives me?
Drawing on the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the Sisters were reminded of the importance of becoming aware of their desires and bringing them before God. Spiritual growth involves allowing Christ to gradually reshape what the heart loves and enabling God to order one’s desires according to His will.
Jesus Teaches Us How to Go
The third lesson is learning how to go on a mission.
The reflection cautioned against approaching mission with an attitude of conquest or self-importance. Jesus sends His disciples as servants.
The missionary is not sent to become the centre but to make Christ more present.
This was presented as particularly significant for the Handmaid spirit. A handmaid goes with the Lord and serves according to His will. In mission, therefore, a sister is not called to make herself the centre, but to create space for Christ.
Teaching, for example, is not merely about giving instructions but about making room for truth.
Community life is not merely about living together but about making room for Christ.
The Sisters were consequently encouraged to allow God to remain at the centre of all their apostolic endeavours. When they remember that everything belongs to the Lord, they can work freely, love deeply and let go when necessary.
The reflection concluded with a call for the sisters to allow the Lord to gather them again, to hear Him calling each of them by name and to recognize that their first mission field is the very place where Christ desires to live more deeply within them.
The day’s reflection ultimately reminded the retreatants that closeness to Christ protects the heart from becoming spiritually dry. Mission flows from companionship, and authentic service becomes fruitful when it springs from a heart that remains rooted in Christ.
By Sr. Emmanuella Dakurah, HHCJ
Catholic Sister Communicators Network–Ghana (CASCON-GH)
