With Me (and you) Always!

And behold, I am with you always,
until the end of the age. Mt 28:20

Wow! What a powerful statement Jesus gives us today: “I am with you always!” Wherever we are in life and whatever circumstances we find ourselves in, Jesus is with us. He is with us in our darkest moments and in our brightest joys. He shares our pains and delights? He listens to our deepest thoughts and guides us along the path of life. Jesus asks for nothing in return except to “go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” How do we accomplish this in our everyday lives? How do you spread the Word? How do you live out Christ’s mission as one of His disciples?

Ite, missa est! You do not have to go to Africa or Latin America to be a disciple and missionary of Christ. You can begin right here, in your home and town, with family, friends and the everyday people you meet. Use the Sunday Mass as a starting point. Come into Mass with an open heart and mind; listen to God’s Word; pray and sing with all your heart; partake of the Eucharist with your fellow parishioners; listen for the dismissal with words such as Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord. The Latin is “ite missa est” and originally meant “the dismissal”, however, in the early Church, as the rituals of the Mass came together, the phrase came to mean “the missioning.” At Mass we are given the tools to go into the world to carry out Christ’s mission and we are empowered to go forth and make disciples of all nations. As we leave Mass, Jesus walks into the parking lot with us and comes home with us. He is ready to guide us in His mission. And we are ready! We remember His teachings and practice them in our everyday lives. Jesus taught by example and so do we-- this is how we will make disciples of all nations-- beginning one person at a time- knowing Jesus is with us, always and forever.

God Bless, Holly Clark