The cross of Jesus Christ is central to our mission. Like the apostle Paul, we “preach Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor 2: 2). If we bear in our body the death of Jesus, it is with the hope that the life of Jesus, too, may be seen in our body (cf. 2 Cor 4:10). Through the eyes of our crucified Saviour we see the world which he redeemed with his blood, desiring that those in whom he continues to suffer will know also the power of his resurrection (cf. Phil 3: 10). (Constitution 4)
“Desiring that those in whom he continues to suffer will know also the power of his resurrection.” Here is the litmus test for the question: “who are the poor for the Oblate Family?” They are unequivocally those who do not know Jesus Christ as their Savior. Those who suffer darkness and a lack of direction in their lives. They are the people who experience any physical, moral or spiritual suffering and do not recognize the invitation to turn to the Crucified and Risen Savior for strength. They are the persons who suffer with others, with injustice, with the destruction of natural resources for healthy living and do not have a relationship with the Savior to sustain and focus them.
All these and more are the persons who need to recognize the Crucified Christ in their sufferings. Our mission is to accompany those who are suffering to look at themselves through His eyes, so as to help them to “plug into the power source” of His resurrection