Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity [Day 8]

Conversion of St. Paul
From the J. Paul Getty Museum

‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’
Acts 22:7

And he said to them: Go ye into the whole world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be condemned.
Mark 16:15-16

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For the eighth day of the octave of prayer for Christian unity:

To be missionaries... How? As needed, even to die for it, if necessary. Where? Anywhere. When? Always. Measure? Our measure is obedience. We need to be obedient, like Jesus who "was obedient to death, death on a cross". "Here I am, I come to do your will". We need to be missionaries with Him, for Him, in Him, in all its implication: in sacrifice, pain and suffering but also in joy.

Joy in our daily Mass, our adoration and meditation, in our daily apostolate, in any type of work we do, in all actions of our daily lives: while we eat and sleep, as well as when we rest. We need to be missionaries by every breath, by every palpitation of our hearts, minute by minute of our lives. Always, daughters, always.

Our missionary spirit must be universal; it must extend and embrace all peoples, all races, all nations. It must embrace the whole world, without frontiers.

Our testimony as missionaries is not all that is required, it is not enough. We must teach others about Christ. How will they know Him if nobody teaches them? Faith comes as result of knowledge and knowledge is the result of listening, of listening the Word of God (cf. Romans 10:14-17; EN 42).

We missionaries should not therefore, let a day go by without our talking of Christ to others. To know that only a small number of people know the true God (the Love), should be a source of torment for us. It should urge us not to spare any suffering, any inconvenience. It should spur us to do everything, anything to make God known and loved by all the inhabitants of the world.

I leave you, daughters, to continue these reflections in the loving care of God our Father, and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Let them be the ones to inspire and show the best way to spread throughout the world the Good news that Christ has brought for us".

- Mother Maria Ines Teresa Arias
(foundress of the Congregation of Poor Clare Missionary Sisters)

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ANTIPHON: That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, in me and I in Thee; that they also may be one in Us; that the world may believe that Thou hast sent me.

V. I say unto thee, thou art Peter;

R. And upon this rock I will build my Church.

That missionary zeal will conquer the world for Christ.

Let us pray. Blessed Lord Jesus Christ, who saidst unto Thine apostles, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you;" regard not our sins, but the faith of Thy Church, and grant unto her that peace and unity which is according to Thy will, Who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and ever.

O gracious Father, we humbly beseech thee for Thy holy Catholic Church; that Thou wouldst be pleased to fill it with all truth, in all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it it in error, direct it; where in anything it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, establish it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Him who died and rose again, and ever liveth to make intercession for us, Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord.

O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Saviour, The Prince of Peace; Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions. Take away all hatred and prejudice, and whatsoever else may hinder us from godly union and concord: that as there is but one Body and one Spirit, and one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify Thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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It is a paradox that St. Thérèse, chosen to be co-patron of the missions along with St. Francis Xavier, never left her convent in Lisieux from the time she entered at the age of fifteen until the day she died, September 30, 1897...

Restoring Missionary Zeal Where It Begins

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Called by God

Missionaries of the Poor