A New Mission

I received a new assignment from God while celebrating Mass with my family last Sunday and listening to the priest's homily about the life of Saint Pedro Calungsod. 

 

Photo source here.

 

I was particularly struck by some lines that he said:

 

"Lahat tayo tinawag para mag-misyon... 'Wag mong sabihing simpleng may-bahay ka lang, simpleng empleyado ka lang, bata ka lang, estudyante ka lang... Basta handang mag-alay, maaaring mag-misyon. Kung saan tayo inilagay, ito ang ating misyon. Doon tayo tinawag." (All of us are called to be on a mission... Don't say that you're just a simple housewife, a simple employee, a child/youth, a student... As long as you are ready to offer your life, you can be on a mission.  Where God has planted/placed you, that is your mission field.  That's where God called you to be on a mission.)

 

I could relate to the homily very much because I have been on mission with God since I was in college.  God planted this seed of being a missionary wherever God puts me in my heart when I was a part of Christ's Youth in Action.  I continued to respond to this call when I was single and was serving actively in Ang Lingkod ng Panginoon Community and in the Light of Jesus Community. Today, I continue to be on mission with God in my home and in every place and circle where I find myself in, doing my best to reflect Jesus in my life, preaching and sharing my life story when needed.

 

As I was listening to the priest give his homily, I was reminded by God of another former community, which at a certain time of my life, I thought would be my community for life - the Carmelite Missionaries.  Yes, I was a former aspirant of the Carmelite Missionaries and I fell in love with their way of life.  I thought I would join them after college.  I even made a movie with them entitled Unseen Devotion, which I heard from them was translated into different dialects and shown at their search-ins throughout the country.  Anyway, God led me to the marriage vocation instead and now I continue to be on mission as a wife, mom, writer/author, HR consultant, etc. (To find out more abut my state of life discernment, you'll have to buy and read a copy of my book When My Bridegroom Comes where I narrated it.)  What I remember though during our search-ins was that there was a talk towards the end of our year long discernment on the different states of life and there were sharers/speakers invited to share their stories of how God led them to their current states of life.  God inspired me during the Mass last Sunday to volunteer to the Carmelite Missionaries to be one of those sharers/speakers for their future search-ins.  I lost touch with my fellow aspirants already.  I also do not know if my former Vocation Directress (Sister Paloma) is still in the Philippines.  But I'm excited to get in touch with the Carmelites again and volunteer my humble service.

 

 

Today, I woke up reminded by God of the new mission He has given me last Sunday through the commentary for today's Gospel:

 

This Gospel asks us to be prepared at all times for whatever God will call us to do. It could be something unexpected — something that we have not planned. If we are serious in doing God’s will, we must be attentive to the voice of the Holy Spirit and where He is leading us. It is not easy to be at the beck and call of the Gospel, but that is what being a disciple of Jesus is all about.

 

 

It's truly unexpected that God would ask me to get in touch with the Carmelites again.  But if that is what is God is calling me to do then I will do it out of obedience.  Whether this service of mine pushes through in the near future or not doesn't matter much to me. I know that my important task right now as God's servant is to do the little thing that is required of me and then He will take care of the rest.  So, I got to go now and will search for the contact number again of the Carmelite Mission House here in Manila. 

 

Let's continue to pray for courage to respond daily to God's call to us to be on mission for Him and the Gospel!  As Pope Benedict said last Sunday, "May the example and courageous witness of Pedro Calungsod inspire the dear people of the Philippines to announce the kingdom bravely and to win souls for God!”