Alfie Evans: on a mission from God

Who does not defend Alfie does not know that we all are on a mission and who thinks that Alfie does not have a mission asks trivial questions: "Can he breathe on his own?"; "Will he be able to speak or walk?". Even the British medical and legal system in operation work to bend lives, like Alfie's life, to its program based on a life of enjoyment, usefulness and pleasure. Then on the other hand, we have his parents who believe Alfie has been sent to awaken their hearts to love. We too have to make our choice.

We can say that little Alfie from Liverpool is no less than "God's mandate". This was the conclusion I came to with growing awareness as I celebrated Mass.

In the Roman rite on 27 April, the Gospel is from John and Jesus says, "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the One who sent me.”

After reading this passage I looked at the sick people sitting in front of me and asked them: "Do you think you are here by chance or are you here as missionaries sent by God? Anyone who does not understand they have been sent, automatically thinks they have no reason to be here, and if you do not have a mission or a task to play you will end up being determined by trivial questions such as: "Do I like it or dislike it?"; "Do circumstances make me feel good or not?"; "Am I enjoying myself or not?" For this reason, it is truly interesting to discover oneself as mandates or missionaries, not here by chance, but with a specific task. One only needs to trust and discover, sooner or later, that as "God's mandate" your presence serves for something truly great. Perhaps, you think you are no good for anything because you are sick. But it is not true."

So I talked to them about Alfie: "Some people think that Alfie does not have a mission, that he is here by chance. So they ask trivial questions like: "Can he  breathe on his own?"; "Will he ever be able to talk or walk?" That's why they think his life is not worth anything, they do not speculate that Alfie has been sent, sent for something great."

Then, we have his parents Tom and Kate. They are not graduates but they are human and therefore they have seriously considered that Alfie, their son, is not here by chance but is "sent by God" on a mission. Perhaps, they thought that this mission is to awaken their hearts to love. So they do not stop at trivial questions about whether Alfie will walk or be able to enjoy everything life can offer. This consideration, immediately opens up a much more interesting hypothesis about Alfie's life. Even if this hypothesis creates a problem for those who think that Alfie is only here by chance and therefore without a mission and without a task worth living and suffering for.

But his parents believed that Alfie was "sent" and this faith has revealed his mission to so many of us. His life, Alfie's life, love, suffering and death are all used to awaken the hearts of many, to clearly show who wants to welcome "God's mandate", and therefore to accept the God who sent him, and who does not.

The British system does everything it can for the Alfie's of this world to participate in the enjoyment of life, utility and pleasure. But it does not welcome "the mandate of God."

And as we see with the disciples of Christ: it is only when one welcomes the mandate of God that one realises he is on a mission, with a task and therefore begins to apply this hypothesis to everyone, even to Alfie's judges. Alfie, God's mandate is making us all discover that we too are missionaries with a specific mandate.

(Translation by Patricia Gooding-Williams)