Finding Mission—in Our Lives

Why do you exist and what are you going to do about it? That is your personal mission. To go forward on a personal mission that will give you direction and clear intentions. By recognizing our values and strengths we propel ourselves toward an awareness of mission. We can also determine our mission through the anchors of our Catholic faith: the Cross, the Holy Eucharist, and the Rosary.    

The Cross: As Catholic Christians we are called to walk with Jesus and follow his way of the cross, not our way. It is Him acting and living in us. It is His cross that gives us the strength to struggle after Jesus. We gladly suffer our struggles to follow Jesus, a minuscule of his sufferings. And, if we persevere, we bear it all, do it through Him, knowing that no sin of ours is greater than His love for us. We are the righteousness of God in Christ. Our mission is righteous.  

The Eucharist: The mystery of the Holy Eucharist is the center of Catholic life. The actual presence of the body and blood of Christ is offered to each and as we take the Holy Eucharist, we proclaim His resurrection until He returns. Our oneness with Him compels us to love Christ, love others and proceed to serve the Lord. What more should we want in life? Let us be sure better decisions and outcomes will result from it. To love and serve the Lord is to enact our mission.  

The Rosary: Prayer of the Rosary allows us to meditate on the life of Christ. St. Josemaria Escriva calls praying the Rosary a continuous act of faith, hope, and love, of adoration and reparation. It enables us to conquer our interior struggles and help others. Since we all have our individual paths to follow, the Holy Spirit will work in us, and we will see the fruits of our Prayer of the Rosary. We are given direction through the Holy Spirit and our recognition of our own paths parallel to Christ’s.  

And so, as we partake in the anchors of Catholicism, we make our everyday choices and clarify our path of life. Increasingly confident now in our purpose to love and serve, we proceed along that path. Recently this writer was contemplating a new mission at this time of life. I didn’t have to go very far when I came across this sample on the internet.  

“To use my writing skills to inspire and educate others around the world to make a change.”  

I liked it. Didn’t have to modify, it fit. Just what I’ve been thinking. The statement combined my skills, educational values, and Catholic social justice intentions at this time of my life as most of my writings are for the Christian audience. I’ll use it for a while until I can clarify further. Anchors of Catholicism, recognition of our talents and values, along with prayer for the gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord will help us persevere in our new life’s mission.