We All Have a Mission From God

Originally published:SATURDAY, JUNE 26, 2010

We all have a 'misison' from God

Blaisey lays in the hospital once again -struggling to breathe, tears streaming down her cheeks, she tries to mouth something to her Mom. Blaise is too little to understand the theological explanations of redemptive suffering, and her Mom is too tired and in pain (watching her little girl suffering) to try to figure it out either. But in heaven God is watching them. Their mission is one mission -one with Jesus on the Cross. Each breath of Blaise's is a prayer of surrender and trust -it is a kiss to Jesus on the Cross -and it covers a multitude of this world's many sins. Each tear of her mother is also a prayer, a prayer of hope, of love, of desire, of sacrifice -and these tears, too, cover a multitude of this world's sins. Blaise suffers for those adults who choose lives of deep sin over lives of deep grace. Blaise's Mom suffers for those women who choose to reject sacrifice and kill their children through abortion instead of loving them through suffering. Blaise has a mission from God to touch and change this world. And her Mom has a mission as well.

Veronica is at home all day with a handful of little ones gathered at her feet. One pulls at her skirt as a constant shadow, stuttering to keep her attention, just wanting love more than the answer to his question about birds. Another tries to 'help' by cleaning up her sisters' toys, which resounds in a fire-engine cry from the one playing on the floor. Mom finds herself playing doll house instead of cleaning the dishes once again -yet she realizes that keeping her children's hearts 'clean' through infusing her active love in their little activities is much more important than keeping her cupboard cleared. Nap time comes, and she loses her time for spiritual reading as she lays on the floor holding her crying child's hand who she insists takes a nap. A movie would be easier -or leaving him alone to 'cry it out' -yet Jesus said, 'Whatever you do for the least of these little ones, you do unto me.' She is sure that Mary would have made the sacrifice to lay with Her Child in love -even as He cried. Its easy to leave a child who is upset -but it is true sacrifice to insist that they obey, while still 'staying around' to put love in the difficult situation. Veronica has a mission as well. It is actively teaching her children to love, to share, to take care of each other, to forgive -something her own spiritual reading cannot do; something her own words cannot even do; something her children cannot 'figure out for themselves'. She must be a sacrifice, a witness, -so that they learn to sacrifice. And through forming her children in love, they will then go out and touch the rest of the world as well. Veronica can read about the cross -but God calls her to lay upon it as she falls asleep on the hardwood floors next to her daughter's bed once again. Her mission is different than that of others' -her children will become saints only according to how she teaches them to be through her own actions.

Benedict goes to work every day as a car salesman. In his meetings with people he encounters much sin -as they are fearless in sharing the 'dirty jokes' and 'last night's party mistakes' with him in between paperwork. He wants to provide for his family, yet has to daily fight the temptation to worry instead of trust, to cling to material things and riches as opposed to sharing his 'extra' with those who have nothing. He prays on the way to work, but struggles to turn the TV off at night to listen to his wife after the children are in bed. But at least he struggles. Each night he finds a list in his heart of things he would like to change in his life, and each morning he begs for the grace to stand up and start again. He humbly admits when he is wrong, trusting that when he lets his ego get a beating that God will resurrect it stronger than he could ever make himself. He takes the kids to basketball, yet uses it to teach them to control themselves in life as they control the ball on the court. Benedict has a mission different than others' -he's in the world, but because he is a Christian (and a Catholic Christian at that) God demands that he not be 'of the world.' Its hard to sit in mire and not begin to stink -so as he drives home at night he always stops in adoration for 30 minutes to ask Jesus to 'wash the world' from him and to fill him instead with Jesus' Own Love so he can take that home to his family. Benedict can reach souls Blaise never could -but in order to do it, he must be committed to selfless love and sacrifice -not just the sacrifice of a nice car or beer when money is low, but the sacrifice of his own will when it will put a smile on his wife's face and peace in her heart. In doing this, Benedict can be a saint.

Brother Antonio gets up at 5am to milk the cows. His mission in Eastern India seems fruitless these last years as those in the village surrounding him have moved to the bigger cities to find work. The trade school he began to teach the young men has been closed for 5 months. It seems all the fruits of his life of sacrifice, service and prayer have collapsed before him. But he remains faithful. He works his garden and prays for the souls God entrusted to his care, even if they left him. God transformed his mission from one of action to one of contemplation -and instead of fighting God's plan because of his own selfish desire to 'do something big for God', he accepts the seeming failure with a peaceful heart, entrusting all to the Wisdom of the Father. He remains faithful -in work, in prayer, in love -regardless of the fruit. Brother Antonio is a saint of his own kind -touching hearts through his work, prayer and faithful trust, souls which he will never see bear fruit because of him while on earth.

The world is covered with wounds and emptiness -as the hearts God created for Himself have drastically turned away from His call to Love.God needs souls to put love back in the lives of those who have thrown it away. But the work is so big, He needs each to do their part. And the struggle for each of us to fulfill God's will for our lives is so great, regardless of our individual vocation. Priests are tired and such tiredness tempts some to be closed to God's will, to be lazy, to focus on worldly comforts. Many fight these temptations, but the struggle is still there. Sisters forget that their first call is to be a 'spouse of Christ' covering Jesus with marital love through prayer, trust, service of others. Instead some are tempted to the honors of education, to 'doing a lot for God,' to living comfortably as well. Lay people like Veronica and Benedict are tempted towards the same honors and indulgences that priests and sisters can be -wanting to 'control' instead of trust God, wanting 'extra' instead of sharing with the starving, wanting rest when He asks us to toil with Him on the Cross while on earth in order to snatch as many souls as possible from the grasps of eternal damnation. Everyone struggles on earth -but we are called by Jesus to struggle with Him trusting His Grace will 'win' in our weakness in the end.

Each of us has a mission -a different mission.

Each of us are called to save souls -and this we do by simple love.

Simple Love -that's all God is truly asking of each of us on earth. That is what will make us saints. That is what will heal all wounds. That is what will give us strength and purify us.

Simple love.

Seeking poverty and purity of heart over riches and lusts. Seeking obedience and self-sacrifice (sacrificing our will and desires with JOY for the will and desires of others) over control and self-satisfaction. Simple Love must be infused into all hearts on earth. And I can't do it all. You can't do it all. Only WE can do it all -each of us together united in Jesus -each of us fulfilling the 'mission from God' that He entrusted to our souls at Baptism. Each of us have a VERY IMPORTANT mission from God on this earth -and it begins in our ordinary lives, in our particular vocations, in each decision we make and word we speak -it begins by doing everything in humble, servant Love for God and with Him for our neighbor. 

I have no idea why I felt urged to write this tonight -but I hope it touches even one soul out there. In today's world people are tempted to think that nothing is worth anything. They are tired spiritually and see no fruit. Yet God has a mission -and as we surrender our little hearts in our little lives to Him each day, He is using our fight to conquer with His Goodness; He is using the seemingly worthless little things we do in Love to make a great tapestry of Love in the world, which He then will use to 'catch' many souls for Himself. Please, never forget -whether you are 12 or 22 or 82 -you have a mission from God, a mission (a commandment) to love. And such love (in the little things you do each day) can stop wars, heal wounds, save lives and transform completely the face of the earth.