The Great Commission: "Go
therefore and teach ye all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father
and the son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have
commanded you and behold, I am with you all days, even to the consummation of
the world” (Matthew 28:19-20).
(Twice published over the years as bulletin inserts in the St. Louis Church Sunday Bulletin)
When things would go well in my 14 years in
Arequipa-Peru, I would tend to congratulate myself thinking, "How great I
am". Then of course, sooner or
later things would go wrong and I would be the missionary who couldn't shoot
straight. Finally, I realized that it's
not me making a contribution. It's
somebody out there praying; it's somebody in a sick bed or suffering in some
other way, offering his/her crosses as a dynamic prayer for the missions and a
better world. That's how St. Theresa,
the Little Flower, became one of the most effective missionaries in history
without ever leaving her cloistered convent.
Eventually, I began to feel very strongly
that we are all called to be missionaries right here, right now, wherever we
are, whatever our state of life, whatever our circumstances at home, work,
school, or play. It is the parents who
are the primary educators in the faith and education in general which must be
integrated with Christian principles to be complete. Every student, every person really, is
preparing for and/or already is performing that special mission that God gave
to each of us a mission that He gave to no other. In fact, our missionary role is one of the
main themes of any Confirmation preparation course.
Any job in the world can be an apostolate if the attitude is there. It does not necessarily have to be one of the
critical areas of influence such as education, government, the media, labor
relations, or social work. Money may be
important, but much more important is serving God, His Church,, and His
people. In helping others, God's love so
often works through each one of us as His instruments. Then when you die, the world will be just a
little bit better because of you.
One person can do little to change the
world, but with the help of God, s/he can do something....a little bit today, a
little bit tomorrow, and over a career of 30 or 40 years, all those little bits
can add to greatness; as great as many of the so called "greats" in
history who have only one or two well known achievements and nothing more. What
about all those unknown heroes out there, who have done their little bits every
day for God, church, country, community, family, and neighbor?
There are so
many little opportunities to reach people, without imposing. But we have a
mentality that "I'll talk about anything except politics and
religion. Religion is a private matter. I can't impose my beliefs upon
others". That's a cop out! We're afraid!
With that attitude, the Church wouldn't have made it through the first
century. Right in our own parish, there
are fallen away Catholics who might come to church on Christmas, if that…..not
to mention all of the unchurched within our midst.
Each one of us
can be a missionary right in our own family.
Every extended family has members who have married outside the Church,
have fallen away, or are drifting. You
are needed to bring them back! Their
eternal salvation may depend upon you.
This is mission country too and we need missionaries here…..religious
and lay people!
A person
casually mentioned to me once that both she and her husband went to a Catholic
school together through the eighth grade, but feel no need for the Church…..“I
can pray to God at home.” In such a
situation, one may have only 10 seconds to keep quiet for fear of "foot in
mouth" disease or take the risk, quickly cry to the Holy Spirit for help
on what to say, and then try to say the right thing at the right time…..thus
providing a little spark that with a little grace just could bring that person
back to our Church.
What can one say in 25 words or less in
such a situation? It could be
something like “We need a shepherd to guide us, the support of the parish
community, the intimate union with Christ in the Eucharist to nourish the soul,
the power of the sacraments, healing, & pastoral guidance. Minimal contact with the divine once a week
in the liturgy goes through the essentials of the Bible in three years and
brings to us the unbloody sacrifice of Calvary which transcends time. We
receive the spiritual strength to continue on for the rest of the week". If the person continues the conversation,
you're in luck! Continue! If s/he changes the subject, the rest is up
to the Lord as we wait for another opportunity.
At least, that little spark causes the person to think if not now, then
later. That's a great start! The point
is: we must be prepared for such golden opportunities.
What can one person do? We don't have to knock on doors as the
Jehovah's Witnesses do, although their zeal might put us to shame. But we can be alert to opportunities. Of course, our example in everyday actions,
our warmth with people, our caring, our listening, our concern, our giving a
hand in help or support, all give witness to Christ's love which works through
us, if we are open to it. A warm
greeting or just being kind can make somebody's day. A little praise or encouragement can give a
public servant, a teacher, a volunteer, etc. the strength to continue on
despite criticism. As He loves us, we
love others. Thus we can be reflections
of God’s light, His love, and His life of sanctifying grace, making people say:
"See how they love...."
For example, we
can interject Christian principles in conversation and discussion, from the
classroom to the bar or pub.....be it social justice, ethics, family values,
life issues, or sexual morality. We can
unashamedly relate how the Lord has enriched our lives, has been a source of
strength during trials, and gives meaning as well as purpose to life. We can defend the Church when it is verbally
attacked and slandered.
Do we have the
courage to risk ridicule? Friends may kid
a high school or college student for being a virgin. What an opportunity to briefly or profoundly
explain according to the situation, the beauty of why wait until that wedding
night, when for the first time and always.....he exclusively for her and she
exclusively for him!
We might ask a non-Catholic friend,
"Hey, would you like to come to Mass with me this Sunday. I'll explain it to you". It could also be a Catholic youth group or
any parish activity for that matter. If
there is interest, steer him/her to the RCIA class which begins every
September. Upon running into someone in
the supermarket who has disappeared from the parish community: "We miss
you at the parish". You might even
lovingly add: “You're losing a
treasure”.
After listening with compassion to a
friend, who is sick or having a problem (that alone is very helpful), we might
say: "I'll pray for you". Or
better yet, "Can I pray with you?"
Explain the profound spiritual meaning and great merit in it all, if
offered as a sacrifice to the Lord....as a dynamic prayer for the Church, the
missions, and a better world as well as for loved ones. Thus a sick, suffering person could be more
valuable than ever, even more effective than the president. St. Theresa, the Little Flower, certainly
was.
A friend is contemplating marrying outside
of the Church, a divorce, or abortion, for example. Is there anything you can do? The easiest way out is to "mind your own
business". Sure, there's the risk
of saying the wrong thing. But we can
lovingly try to help with a sympathetic ear, and a bit of Christian guidance to
a better alternative, while being very sensitive and careful, backing off if
there's resistance or when it appears that our efforts are becoming
counterproductive and recommending professional help when necessary. Then we can be alert for another
opportunity. There is a fine line
between charitable persuasion and self-righteous, condescending preaching or
unchristian imposition. Even God does
not force anybody.
There are
many opportunities in the parish community and beyond: Teaching CCD, helping out in the RCIA program, sharing
spiritual insights at Bible studies or prayer groups, the periodic
get-togethers for the rosary, outreaches or community service through the
Knights of Columbus or the Catholic Women’s Club, financial support, and
helping out wherever there is a need…..i.e., tithing of time, talent, and
treasure.
An urgent
missionary need in some universities and community colleges is a Catholic
presence in addition to the zealous Evangelicals. All that is needed is two or three good men
and women (students) to get a Catholic Newman Club started. Most secular campuses have a chapter. Newman Clubs center around religious,
educational, and social fun activities.
So often the Catholic student’s secular knowledge grows while his/her
knowledge of the faith remains at the level of 8th Grade CCD, which
by comparison seems like “kids stuff”.
Naturally they lose their faith and are incapable of standing up for the
Church when attacked.
We lose our
faith because we really don’t understand it and the Mass in depth. It is crucial that our knowledge of the faith
continues to grow or we’ll lose it…..parish activities, the bulletin, the
Bible, religious books, Catholic newspapers and magazines, publications in the
back of the church, EWTN television and radio by cable, satellite or the
internet. It’s difficult to defend and
spread the faith unless we know it well.
At the same
time we can write articles or letters to the editor of the local newspaper,
participate on local radio talk shows, make phone calls or write letters to
companies and elected government officials.
It is said that each letter reflects the opinion of at least ten other
people who do not have the time or energy
to communicate their views.
Similarly, teachers may integrate Christian principles without
necessarily calling it that.......the dignity of the person, social awareness,
the sanctity of life, family values, social responsibility, ethics, etc.
Crucial is the
individual initiative and responsibility of each one of us to BUILD GOD'S
KINGDOM in little ways. It can be by
prayer, example, word, or deed. DON'T
JUST KEEP THE FAITH; SPREAD IT. Christ's
command, "Go therefore and teach ye all nations..." applies to each
one of us, not only the clergy and religious.
They can't do it all by themselves.
He sent the original apostles out and us too. By definition, a missionary is one who is
sent. Each one of us is sent by God to
perform a special mission and that makes us all missionaries.
As Jesus told
St. Francis in the 13th Century when the Church was so weakened by
corruption: "Rebuild my
Church". Virtually every parish is
in need of at least some renewal. May
God bless your efforts! Thank you so
much for your patience in giving me the privilege of sharing these thoughts. Comments to the author at paulrsebastian@yahoo.com are most
welcome.
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