On a Mission

Mission. We've heard of being sent on a mission and impossible missions and even mission trips. As a Catholic Christian, I have been fond of saying that the word "mass" comes from the same word as mission and missile. The Latin word, mittere, from which we derive these words, means "send."

As many of you already know, today I begin a new mission. Through much prayer, discernment, and spiritual direction, I have made the decision to discern a vocation to the consecrated life with the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi. This decision is not one that I took lightly as I have loved my life in Central Washington. I loved my job and my friends and the hobbies I had participated in. But I also knew that I was being called to something else.

Of course this decision comes with a lot of excitement and a lot of nerves, too. But imagine my delight when I read today's Gospel readings which said:

If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He asked him, “Which ones?” And Jesus replied, “You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Wow, Lord! He knows exactly what to say when I need to hear it. Through this Scripture, I was reminded that there is nothing better than to follow Jesus. I am seeing already that to follow Him and let Him love me is my number one mission. It is what I have been sent into this world to do.

It's so easy to say that. It's so easy to say that there is nothing greater than the love of God, but every now and then, He grants me an extra special grace of not just knowing this fact but experiencing it as well. And truly, there is nothing like it.

Having experienced this love, I can do nothing but give my entire heart, my entire life to Him and this love that only He can give me. It would be selfish of me to deny others this love.

So here I am on the second part of my mission: to share and spread this love of Christ that has so deeply captured my own heart. I know that people (myself included) have often thought that in order to be on a mission, you have to get onto a plane and land in an impoverished nation so you can build a school or dig a well. But I have learned otherwise. Mission territory isn't always the third world countries. Sometimes mission territory is the heart of the person sitting right next to you. I know this because there have been many times when my own heart was mission territory and that's exactly where Jesus went to heal, grow, and love me.

As I enter into this new chapter in my life, I want to ask that you please pray for me! Please pray that I will keep the love of Christ in my heart, that I will always be motivated by His love to be on His mission. And please pray that God will speak to the hearts of those I serve, and that if need be, please pray that I am a worthy instrument in His hands. And know that I pray for you, too.