Do your share for the mission
ONE Sunday morning after celebrating Mass at the Sacred Heart Parish Church in Kamuning some years ago, a couple approached me with their baby cuddled by the wife. “Father, we’re from this parish,” they greeted.
** * “We’re lay missionaries to New Guinea and we’re on vacation.” We got to talking about their work. I found it inspiring that a Filipino lay couple could make the sacrifice of leaving a comfortable home and country to devote some years in the “bush mission.”
** * Tomorrow is WORLD MISSION SUNDAY. The example of that couple was not only uplifting but also showed that spreading God’s Word does not belong only to religious missionaries but to lay people, too. The truth of the matter is: Every Christian, by virtue of baptism, IS a missionary.
** * By the way, today members of some big renewal communities like the Couples for Christ, El Shaddai, and Loved Flock have been sending lay missionaries as part of their global evangelization.
However, not all can do what that couple and lay charismatic missionaries are doing. If some heroic lay people can do it, great. But for most of us, all that they can do is to be missionaries at home, whether they are a teacher, nurse, executive, lawyer, or ordinary housewife. What counts is not geography, but ATTITUDE.
* * * Remember St. Therese of the Child Jesus? She never stepped out of the four walls of her Carmelite cloister but she was chosen as the universal patroness of Catholic missions.
She merited the title because of her burning obsession to save souls by offering every little act, every bodily pain for the conversion of immortal souls.
HOW CAN WE BE MISSIONARIES AT HOME? Like St. Therese, we can offer prayers and sacrifices for the missions.
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Then we can give a part of ourselves by means of financial contribution. Ordinarily money is what we receive when we are employed; it thus represents a part of ourselves.
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Money is a necessity for the work of evangelization. Missionaries, lay workers, catechists must be housed, fed, clothed, transported. Churches, schools, convents, clinics, social centers are needed in the “bush” missions or underdeveloped parishes.
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Let’s face it: One of the most difficult things to do is to part off with one’s money. This reminds me about a parish priest who was making an impassioned appeal to the parish council for the annual mission collection.
Great was everybody’s surprise when the wealthiest, but tight-fisted member of the council rose and offered to start the collection rolling with a contribution of 1500.
* * * As he stood up to hand in the amount, a mild earthquake took place and some plaster from the ceiling fell and hit him on the head.
A bit shaken, he withdrew the amount and said, “I guess I’d better make that 15,000.” A small voice from the back was heard, “Hit him again, Lord.” (It’s not known if he added some more!).
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How about you? Are you doing something for the missions? Are you aware of many religious priests, nuns, and lay brothers laboring in far-flung villages to spread Jesus’ teachings and contribute to help them? Give your share especially on Mission Sunday.
And don’t wait for the Lord to hit you!
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