Dear friends,

With great joy I greet you this weekend as we celebrate World Mission Sunday. Our Holy Father, Pope Francis is wonderfully showing us how the Church is always on mission and is calling us to realize our vocation as disciples. We have been given a charge and as disciples it is our duty to fulfill it. Before He ascended to heaven Jesus said to his disciples, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Matt 18-20)

At first glance this might seem a burden too heavy and we may choose to overlook it and think, “He was speaking to the Apostles, not to me. What can I do? I am not called to be a missionary; therefore this command does not pertain to me.” Having forgotten about it, we go on. These are Jesus’ last words in the Gospel of Matthew, therefore we need to take them to heart and plumb the depths of what they mean for us here in East Pierce County. How can I be called to be a missionary when my life is here?

True, there are those called to be missionaries to go to the ends of the earth, to those areas where the Word of God has not been heard and to proclaim His goodness. Then there are those called to the religious life or priesthood and they are sent by their superiors to go and proclaim the Good News in a particular way in a particular community. More fundamental is the call for all of us, adopted children of God, to proclaim this wonderful truth to all those we encounter. So I want to see all of you out on the street corners proclaiming this after Mass and during the week. At this we balk as none of us wants to do that. The missionary powerfully proclaims the Good News of the Gospel by living his life with a profound joy that radiates the love of Christ to all those he meets. This begins in relationship with Jesus. Only in Him and with Him can we realize our vocation, who He is calling us to be.

As we hear this command of our Lord, some may think they are to jump on the next boat to some far off land. Possibly. Others, because this is what they hear, disregard it. How did the Apostles begin? The Apostles began at home. This is where each and every vocation begins. The seed of God’s love is planted in our hearts at Baptism and is nurtured in the daily life of the family. This is where we are called to be disciples and missionaries first. The daily life of prayer and sacrifice in the home is where we are called to witness first and foremost to the love that God has placed in our hearts. How many people do not enjoy the blessing of a loving nurturing family life? We are called to be a witness to them, to share that which we have been given with them. How many people in our community have not truly heard the Word of God? Sure they have heard of Jesus, but they do not know Him. We are called to be authentic witnesses of His love, His presence in our lives not by preaching but by every little thing we do that is informed by that love, that presence. As we walk through the day with Christ and do everything knowing that He is right there with us, we will be authentic witnesses, disciples of Christ, and we will not need to preach a word. As St. Francis said to his disciples, “Proclaim the Gospel always. When necessary use words.”

We have the opportunity to reach out from our homes this weekend to support those who have heard the call to go on mission. Please be generous in your support of the Church on Mission and seek above all to hear God’s call for you to be a missionary right where you are.

St. Francis Xavier and St. Therese of Lisieux, patrons of the missions, pray for us.

Fr. Jack D. Shrum