GO INTO MY VINEYARD! Reflection

Fr. Henry Byamukama Mbekeize, M.Afr., celebrates 25 years of priestly and missionary service.

Father Henry Byamukama Mbekeize, M.Afr., shared this reflection during the celebration of his 25th Jubilee of priesthood at Our Lady of Light Parish in Saint Albans, New York.

Called into the Vineyard

Dear friends, when I reflect on mission at this moment in my life, one Gospel image comes to mind: the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16). Again and again, the landowner says, “You go into the vineyard too” (Matthew 20:4). He calls people at different hours and from different circumstances. What matters is this: they are willing to respond.

After university, I was a trained social scientist and professional teacher in Uganda. As a firstborn son, leaving home for missionary life was not a small decision. There were expectations concerning the family name, responsibility, and continuity. Yet I discovered the treasure of God’s Kingdom and resolved to keep it: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field” (Matthew 13:44).

After twenty-five years of priestly and missionary service, I can say with confidence: there has been no true loss. There has been tremendous gain. God has remained faithful: “Every one who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold” (Matthew 19:29).

One Vineyard, One Catholic Family

What a joy to celebrate with the Our Lady of Light Parish family, where I have lived for barely two and a half years, though most of my missionary life was spent elsewhere. This reveals the beauty and universality of the Catholic Church: wherever we go, we meet the same family of God and work in the same vineyard.

Missionaries cross borders, cultures, and ministries, but Christ and his mission remain the same. As St. Paul says, “We are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field” (1 Corinthians 3:9).

The Grace of Being Formed by Others

The missionary ideal is rooted in the words of St. Paul: “I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22). Through parish ministry, vocation animation, seminary formation, retreats, and accompaniment, I was blessed to encourage many vocations. Some have become Missionaries of Africa or diocesan priests. Some are sisters in convents. Others serve God in married life, according to their call. In each story, I saw God forming people into who he wanted them to be.

But mission is never one-sided. Those whom I served also shaped my journey. They taught, challenged, strengthened, and accompanied me. As St. John Paul II taught, faith is strengthened when it is given to others.

The Multiplier Effect of One Generous Life

During my theological studies, a generous person from Quebec, Canada, paid my tuition. She could not have known where that act of generosity would lead. Today, I serve in the United States, within the same North American province that includes Canada. Who could have imagined it? One person supports a vocation. That vocation reaches many others. One seed of generosity bears fruit across generations and nations.

St. Thérèse of Lisieux never traveled to the missions, yet she became a patroness of the missions through her prayer and sacrifice. She reminds us that we do not need to cross continents to enter the Lord’s vineyard. Mission begins wherever love makes itself available.

No One Is Left Outside

In the Gospel, the landowner continued searching for workers throughout the day. Even to those who came late, he said, “You go into the vineyard too” (Matthew 20:7). The Lord does not stop calling, and he desires everyone to participate.

Some are called to priesthood or religious life. Others serve through marriage, family life, education, health care, social service, parish ministry, prayer, hospitality, or financial support. There are different ministries, but one mission. So the question is not only, “Am I called?” The deeper question is, “How is the Lord calling me today?” Am I available? Can the Lord count on my time, my prayer, my gifts, and my resources?

A New Way of Sharing the Mission

One important way of entering the vineyard is through the Lavigerie Lay Missionary Movement—the LLMM. It offers laypeople an opportunity to understand and share more deeply in the spirituality and missionary charism of the Missionaries of Africa. Not everyone can leave home and cross continents, but everyone can develop a missionary heart. Some serve directly; others pray, encourage vocations, welcome missionaries, promote justice, or support missionary formation and ministry.

To all our friends, benefactors, parishioners, prayer partners, and collaborators with the Missionaries of Africa in the United States: thank you. You are not simply helping missionaries from a distance; you are participating in the Lord’s vineyard. The fruits of the mission also belong to you.

Mission Is a Life That Fulfills

The equal payment given to the workers represents the gift of the Kingdom, freely offered through God’s generosity. Missionary life involves sacrifice, but it also brings deep joy and fulfillment. Jesus promises, “He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit” (John 15:5).

The Lord still says, “You go into the vineyard too.” Perhaps he is calling you to pray for a vocation. Perhaps he is calling you to accompany a young person, support a missionary, join the LLMM, or serve more actively in your parish. The vineyard is waiting. The mission needs willing hearts. May we answer with the prophet Isaiah: “Here am I! Send me” (Isaiah 6:8). The Lord is calling. Are you available?

Fr. Henry Byamukama Mbekeize, M.Afr.

Our Lady of Light Parish
Saint Albans, NY 11412