Embrace the Mission

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord into heaven.  We remember Christ being raised up by His own powers as He completed the work of our redemption. 

But may I propose that it is, in a sense, the “feast of evangelization” – of the mission ad gentes.

In today’s Gospel we read:

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Go into the whole world
and proclaim the gospel to every creature.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved;
whoever does not believe will be condemned.
These signs will accompany those who believe:
in my name they will drive out demons,
they will speak new languages.
They will pick up serpents with their hands,
and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them.
They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." (Mk 16: 15-18)

And the disciples went out and did exactly what Christ commissioned them to do. It was their mission.  It is our mission – the mission of all who are baptized.

Dare to take up the mission that is ours in Christ.  Trust that the same signs that accompanied the early evangelizers will accompany us.  So many do not know friendship with Christ and need our courageous and joy-filled witness as a starting point, through grace, for a journey with and ultimately to Him.

Anything less than our willing participation in this mission falls short of our baptismal call.

Embrace it.  No matter the cost.

“Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” 

By Michael Lavigne

Work and Motherhood

As Mother’s Day approaches I find myself, as a new mother, reflecting on work and motherhood. When I was pregnant, people frequently advised me on how difficult pregnancy, childbirth, and motherhood would be. Occasionally people would end their ominous warnings of sleepless years, loss of personal identity, tantrums, and other trials with a penitent “But it’s all worth it in the end.” I was happily surprised, then, to discover how joyful the transition into parenthood was. I have never been happier or more grateful in my life. Some have said that my disposition is the product of mere luck- luck that my husband and I are blessed to have such an ‘easy’ baby. While there may be some truth to that, our faith and attitude play a role as well.

I read various books on parenting, both old and new, and noticed an interesting shift in attitude. Many of the older books described activities involved in mothering in positive, fun terms. The books have games, songs, and delightful ways to involve children in daily activities. Activities like cooking, cleaning, and teaching children were described with affection. Meanwhile, modern parenting books are concerned with time management, discipline, and how to endure the never ending toil. Many of these books contain persuasive arguments for activities that were once considered de rigueur. Love is present, but almost as an afterthought; a reward you might reap when all the labor is finished. People insist that being a mother is “work.” This is understandable, as there is the continual danger of undervaluing raising a child. Consequently, there is a push to compare parenting to employment. I have seen calculations of the monetary value of a “stay at home” mother. Modern society encourages women to live for themselves, and not for others. Mothers are constantly told to indulge themselves and not to give up their identity as women. However, being a mother does fundamentally change who you are- and, in my opinion, hopefully for the better. As Christian mothers, we are called to care for our children’s minds, bodies, and souls. The problem with defining parenting as “work” is that there is such a negative emphasis now. I was constantly told that being a parent would be the hardest thing I would ever do, but I haven’t found that to be true. It is the most important and valuable thing I have ever done, but I am amazed by how much I enjoy raising my daughter- and that includes the diapers, laundry, teething, and tears that go along with it. I wonder why no one ever spoke to me about the intense joy that a mother can experience every day.
   
When it comes down to it, parenting cannot be compared with employment. People who compare the two seek to define the worth of something that exceeds measurable value. Motherhood can be a joy and a duty of the utmost importance. We should not have to compare it to employment to understand its value. When a child is baptized, the priest says: “God the Father, through his Son, the Virgin Mary’s child, has brought joy to all Christian mothers, as they see the hope of eternal life shine on their children. May he bless the mother of this child. She now thanks God for the gift of her child. May she be one with him in thanking him forever in heaven, in Christ Jesus our Lord.” I pray that this blessing will ring true for all mothers.

By Shannon Fossett 

Shannon is a Canonist for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland

Rejoice Always

 “Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).  This Scripture passage, which inspired the theme “Rejoice in the Light of Christ” for the recent Diocesan Catholic Youth Convention, is perhaps one of the most challenging exhortations in Scripture.  It certainly isn’t easy to rejoice always.  It’s not easy to rejoice when a loved one is taken from you tragically and unexpectedly.  It’s not easy to rejoice when times are tough and money is tight.  It’s not easy to rejoice when you watch your son or daughter walk away from the Lord.  It’s not easy to rejoice while burying your newborn child.  It’s not easy to rejoice when depression sets in.  It’s not easy to rejoice in suffering.  Yet St. Paul exhorts us to “rejoice always”! 

I think the key here is that we are called to rejoice in the Lord.  Only God Himself can be the true and lasting cause of our joy.  Why?  Because He never changes.  He is the same today, yesterday, and forever.  St. Alphonsus de Liguori speaks about this.  He says,

“The fool, that is, the sinner, is as changeable as the moon, which today waxes and tomorrow wanes; today he laughs, tomorrow he cries; today he is meek as a lamb, tomorrow cross as a bear.  Why? Because his peace of mind depends on the prosperity or the adversity he meets; he changes with the changes in the things that happen to him.  The just man is like the sun, constant in his serenity, no matter what betides him.  His calmness of soul is founded on his union with the will of God; hence he enjoys unruffled peace.”

If our joy and our peace are dependent upon the things that happen to us, then of course it will be impossible to rejoice always.  If, however, we allow the source of our joy to be God Himself – and the gift of relationship with Him that he offers us – then we can succeed in rejoicing always.

Look at what St. Paul goes on to say: “The Lord is near.” (Philippians 4:5).  We are able to rejoice always precisely because the Lord is near.  We have a God who suffers with us, who makes himself present to us in the midst of the suffering.  This is why we can rejoice at all times.  When we seek God at our darkest time – in the pain of laying in the grave a life cut too short, in the hopelessness of a lost job and bills to pay, in the heartache that results from bad choices, in the dark tunnel of despair – he reveals His face to us.  Our God is a God of life and light.  The hope that we have in the light of the Resurrection is cause for rejoicing!  So let us this Easter season, be reminded of the truth that the power of the Resurrection always wins out over the darkness of sin and death and suffering, and remembering that, let us be encouraged to rejoice always!  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).


By Sarah Houde