World Mission Sunday! Respect Life--prayers for those who are sick and for Healthcare Professionals!
World Mission Sunday! Respect Life--prayers for those who are sick and for Healthcare Professionals!
When you are impressed with any product or business, you might share it with others. You would like to share the good news with others. As a Catholic Christian, we have Good News – we have Sacraments – we gather to celebrate the Eucharist - we receive His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. We have Good News. Do we share with others? Do we invite others to celebrate with us?
For some time, we were talking about the transition from Maintenance to Mission. We all received the Bishop's Pastoral letter, which the whole cluster of parishes and the Diocese is starting to look into more deeply. When we first began to talk about evangelization, I recollect some of you raised a question, “Does it mean we are going to knock at the stranger's door?” I am sure we all have a much better understanding of evangelization. Our Northwoods Catholic Community Evangelization Team played a remarkable role in bringing that message in so many ways, especially in the recent Parish Mission Apostolate in September.
Every year in October, we reflect on World Mission Sunday. Through our baptism, we are called to be missionaries. In the local church, we can participate in the mission of the parish/diocese in person, in world mission; most of us participate by praying and giving. Pope Leo XIV released a video message on the occasion of World Mission Sunday, "I urge every Catholic parish in the world to take part in World Mission Sunday….When I served as a missionary priest and Bishop in Peru, I saw firsthand how the faith, the prayer, and the generosity shown on World Mission Sunday can transform entire communities." He urges us that "This October 19th, as we reflect together on our baptismal call to be 'missionaries of hope among the peoples,'" the Pope inspires, "let us commit ourselves anew to the sweet and joyful task of bringing Christ Jesus our Hope, to the ends of the earth." Mission Sunday brings us together to celebrate our faith and support Pope Leo's mission through our prayers and financially.
October is the Month of the Rosary and Respect Life Month. On October 18th, we celebrate the feast of St. Luke, who was a physician and patron saint of the medical profession. We ask for the intercession of St. Luke, patron saint of the medical profession, and pray for all the healthcare professionals and caregivers, and especially those who are seriously ill. We all need healing one way or another, physically, spiritually, emotionally, or intellectually. There will be an opportunity to receive the Sacrament of the Sick. The best way to receive this Sacrament is first to go for the Sacrament of Confession and then receive the Anointing of the Sick.
This Sunday, the readings bring the message of persistence in prayer. A couple of years ago, I came across a story. It goes like this, once there was a little boy who wanted more than anything to play in the band at school. The boy went home from school one day and asked his parents if they would buy him an instrument and let him sign up to play in the band. Well, the boy's parents didn't say yes or no. They said, "We'll have to think about it. After all, a musical instrument costs a lot of money, and we aren't sure you will stick with it." A few days went by, and the boy's parents still hadn't said anything, so he decided to ask again. The boy's parents didn't say yes or no. They said, "We are still thinking about it."
The next day, on his way home from school, the boy decided to stop by the local music store to check out the musical instruments. When he walked in the store, the first thing that caught his eye was a beautiful, shiny trumpet. It wasn't new, but it was in excellent condition, and it had a really cool fake alligator skin case. It was just what he wanted. That night at supper, the boy said to his parents, "I went by the music store today after school, and they have a really nice used trumpet. It is exactly what I want, and it only costs $100." The boy's father turned to his wife and said, "I guess we had better go take a look at that trumpet or we are never going to hear the end of this." The next day, the boy went to the music store with his parents and they bought him that trumpet. The boy in the story was persistent. If he had asked his parents for that musical instrument one time and never mentioned it again, the story could be totally different.
The first reading from the Book of Exodus (17:8-13) and the Gospel reading from Luke (18:1-8) both speak about perseverance in prayer. In the battle against Amalek, the forces of Israel were winning as long as Moses held his hands up. The ancient way of praying, and the way many of us pray at times, is to lift our hands to the Lord. When Moses let his arms fall, Amalek succeeded. When Moses stopped praying, Amalek succeeded. He needed the help and support of Aaron and Hur to keep his arms up. He needed the support of others to persevere in prayer. Jesus tells a humorous story of an unjust judge and a persistent widow. Judge says, “While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me, I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.”
The readings remind us that we need to be persistent in prayer for our life, family, church, community, and the world. As we celebrate Mission Sunday, it serves as a reminder that mission starts with prayer. Mission in our local church or universal church begins with prayer. Let us pray for the mission of the church, for missionaries around the world, and for the sharing of our resources. At the same time, let us encourage each other to grow in our faith. Let us be missionaries!