Reflection Time: Who has been a role model of a of the earth.

Open our hearts and our Christian

missionary heart in your life? Call to mind an example communities to the needy, the afflicted, the oppressed.
of how this person lived their missionary call. May we radiate the Living Christ and transform our lives
in the hope of the Resurrection. This prayer we make to
Intercessions you our living God now and forever. Amen.
Heaven and earth will pass away, but your word will
remain, O God;
---Let this promise of eternal life in you give meaning to
our lives and
energize us in your service.
You bless your people with a variety of talents, O God;
---give us the courage to develop our gifts for your glory
and the good
of all.
Jesus, you foresaw the stark reality of the future, and
you encouraged your followers to have patience;
---help us to live the gospel so faithfully that our lives
will be a
beacon of hope to others.
We are your children and you look upon us with love;
---help us to refrain from judging other negatively and to
temper
justice with mercy.
Jesus, your message calls for the new wineskins of
openness to your word;
St. Francis Xavier
---help us to free ourselves from what is merely familiar Patron of Missionaries
and Pray for us
comfortable.
(Intercessions from: Morning & Evening
Prayer, ASC)

Closing Prayer: (Prayed Together) St. Therese of Lisieux

Lord, our God, help us to walk with you on the pathway Patroness of
of the beatitudes and to live out your mission in today's Missionaries
world. Bind us to all men and women of our time so Pray for us
that together we may bring the Good News to the ends

"Jesus, help me to simplify my life by learning
what you want me to be – and becoming that person."
St. Therese
Psalm 89 (2-3, 6-7,14-15, 16-17)
Ant. Happy the people who know you, Lord.
The promises of the Lord I will sing forever,
Proclaim your loyalty through all ages.
For you said, “My love is established forever;
My loyalty will stand as long as the heavens.
The heavens praise your marvels, Lord,
Your loyalty in the assembly of the holy ones.
Who in the skies ranks with the Lord?
Who is like the Lord among the gods?
Mighty your arm, strong your hand,
Your right hand is ever exalter.
Justice and judgment are the foundation of your throne;
Love and loyalty march before you.
Happy the people who know you, Lord,
Who walk in the radiance of your face.
In your name they sing joyfully all the day;
At your victory they raise the festal shout.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning is now and will be forever,
Amen.
Ant. Happy the people who know you, Lord.
Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
For you yourselves know, brothers, that our reception
among you was not without effect. Rather, after we had
suffered and been insolently treated, as you know, in
Philippi, we drew courage through our God to speak to
you the gospel of God with much struggle. Our
exhortation was not from delusion or impure motives,
nor did it work through deception. But as we were
judged worthy by God to be entrusted with the gospel,
that is how we speak, not as trying to please human
beings, but rather God, who judges our hearts. Nor,
indeed, did we ever appear with flattering speech, as
you know, or with a pretext for greed—God is witness—
nor did we seek praise from human beings, either from
you or from others, although we were able to impose
our weight as apostles of Christ. Rather, we were gentle
among you, as a nursing mother cares for her children.
With such affection for you, we were determined to
share with you not only the gospel of God, but our very
selves as well, so dearly beloved had you become to us.
The Word of the Lord.
Response to the Word:
Evangelii nuntiandi, Pope Paul VI
The Church remains in the world when the Lord of
glory returns to the Father. She remains as a sign—
simultaneously obscure and luminous—of a new
presence of Jesus, of his departure and of his permanent
presence. She prolongs and continues him. And it is
above all his mission and his condition of being an
evangelizer that she is called upon to continue. For the
Christian community is never closed in upon itself. The
intimate life of this community…only acquires its full
meaning when it becomes a witness, when it evokes
admiration and conversion, and when it becomes the
preaching and proclamation of the Good News. Thus it
is that the whole Church receives the mission to
evangelize, and the work of each individual member is
important for the whole. (no.15)
Redemptoris missiom Pope John Paul II
 To the question, "why mission?" we reply with the
Church's faith and experience that true liberation
consists in opening oneself to the love of Christ. In him,
and only in him, are we set free from all alienation and
doubt, from slavery to the power of sin and death.
Christ is truly "our peace" (Eph 2:14); "the love of Christ
impels us" (2 Cor 5:14), giving meaning and joy to our
life. Mission is an issue of faith, an accurate indicator of
our faith in Christ and his love for us.
Why mission? Because to us, as to St. Paul, "this
grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the
unsearchable riches of Christ" (Eph 3:8). Newness of life
in him is the "Good News" for men and women of every
age: all are called to it and destined for it. Indeed, all
people are searching for it, albeit at times in a confused
way, and have a right to know the value of this gift and
to approach it freely. (no.11)