Unending mission

“I feel certain that my mission will not come to an end upon my death, but will begin.” Divine Mercy in my soul # 281

Jesus gave each of us a mission to carry out upon our road of faith journey, that of calling His people to God. “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19

Once accepted, that mission never ends.

John the Baptist was the forerunner and herald of Jesus Christ. “This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’” Matthew 3:3. We think of him as we read in Matthew’s Gospel, he points to Jesus and identifies Him as ‘the Lamb of God.’ Then, Herod has him beheaded and his story ends. But, did it? In the Ukrainian Catholic (Eastern) tradition, they say John the Baptist is the herald of Christ even in Hades. John the Baptist’s mission did not end when Herod killed him, it continued.

My father, who passed 30 years ago just yesterday, for me was a herald to God the Father. He was no great saint nor a theologian. He didn’t pray nor speak of God a lot. But, this man taught me more about God the Father after his death by his life and love for me than anyone else. He showed me love of the Father, he taught me how to ask and listen to the Father’s advise. Sometimes that advise is God leading me to make my own decisions. My dad’s mission to lead me to God truly started at the funeral home that Sunday night three decades ago.

Oh, and don’t forget my Patroness Saint, St. Faustina. She was very clear in her writings that her mission would continue after her death. Jesus was clear that many aspects of the Divine Mercy Devotion would not come to fruition for many years. This great saint, who I feel should be a Doctor of the Church, continued her mission directly within my life. She was there with me at my daughter’s bed that night a decade ago in the ICU. She held me close and walked with me over the next year as I struggled with my faith. She became my trust teacher over the next decade. And, she called me to her mission as an apostle of mercy in 2019 at the side of her tomb in Kraków Poland. Her mission isn’t ending.

The mission of all the Saints continues especially after their death as they point all Christians to the Father. We need to stop thinking of death as an end and remember it is simply a transition to a different plane with a continued mission.

“Poor earth, I will not forget you. Although I feel that I will be immediately drowned in God as in an ocean of happiness, that will not be an obstacle to my returning to earth to encourage souls and incite them to trust in God’s mercy.” Divine Mercy in my soul # 1582