The Missionaries of God's Love

Brothers Vision

The Missionaries of God's love exists to share Jesus' mission to bring this fire to the earth. It is the fire of God's love, burning in the heart of Jesus, which took Him to the Cross. It is also the fire of the Holy Spirit poured out at Pentecost, and now experienced in a new way in the Church. The Missionaries immerse themselves in this fire through the grace of "baptism in the Spirit," through daily meditation on the Cross of Jesus, and through Eucharistic adoration. With this fire burning within their hearts, they give all for the sake of the Kingdom, and commit themselves to the spreading of the Good News of God's love to the ends of the earth.

  Archbishop Francis Carroll prays over the MGLs in 1997

A Life with Jesus

The Missionaries experience the Lord consecrating them to Himself. Each brother experiences the Lord choosing, calling, and setting him apart for the kingdom of God. Jesus calls us to be with Him and to share His way of Life. He calls us into radical poverty, celibacy and obedience in imitation of Him.

Poverty

The Missionaries seek to have Jesus’ attitude of trust in the Father’s provident care, living in absolute dependence on the Father (Lk 12:22-32). We also seek to be detached from all things and relationships, not storing up treasures on earth (Mt 6:19-21). At the appropriate time in their journey brothers give away all that they own to the poor and follow Jesus in a radical way (Mk 10:17-22). The Missionaries live a simple way of life in regard to food, clothing, house, etc. All that we do have we hold in common. Our poverty enables us to move lightly on the journey, and is lived in a spirit of joyful simplicity, filled with gratitude for the goodness of God who provides so bountifully for us.

  Marcellin Nooki makes his promises to live a life of poverty, celibacy, and obedience.

Celibacy

The Missionaries embrace celibacy in imitation of Jesus for the sake of the Kingdom of God (Mt 19:12). It is a beautiful gift from the Lord, whereby He captures a brother’s heart, and expands the heart in love for all men and women. This celibate love cannot be contained. It is a love that reaches out to the lost and needy to offer the Good News. It makes the brothers uniquely available to be sent in evangelisation, and enables them to give their undivided attention to the Lord (1 Cor 7:32-35). To fulfil the celibate vocation the Missionaries maintain a deep and strong prayer life. In addition, the way of life of the brotherhood provides an atmosphere of acceptance, sharing, affection, and challenge, bringing a healthy balance to our lives, enabling us to live celibacy joyfully and freely.

Obedience

Following Jesus, we want to be obedient to the Father’s will in everything (Jn 5:34). We submit ourselves to the way of life of prayer, brotherhood, evangelisation, order and discipline, making it our very own. We seek to discover God’s will for us through communal dialogue, consultation and discernment. Brothers are in obedience to the Moderator and whoever he appoints in authority. Authority is exercised in the spirit of Jesus, as a servant who washes the feet of brothers (Jn 13:1-20). Brothers in authority are meant to listen, dialogue, consult, and facilitate the gifts of others. They are not to “lord it over” anyone (Mk 10:35-45). Often the spirit of obedience requires an individual to give way his own will for the sake of the common good.