As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.
– Matthew 9:9
The call to be a missionary is not reserved for only certain individuals, but a calling for every single person to bring about communion of man with God.
The next few months mark one year since I left everything behind for Full Time Pastoral Worker training in the Philippines. The past year of being in this journey has been filled with the joys of encountering new people and being inspired by young people who have yet to realize that they are missionaries.
All of us can relate to the story of Jesus calling Matthew because it is the story that led us here and that will lead us beyond.
To answer God’s call is often difficult to do. Why? This is because we put our human needs first before God, who is far greater than anything in this world. In a world that desires more and more, we mistakenly fill it with less and less of God. We respond to emptiness by indulging in things with limitations, and in the end we eventually leave ourselves empty.
Clinging onto human needs and limitations cloud the reality that we are all in fact, missionaries. Missionaries are Catholics who will stop at nothing to bring the truth of God’s greatness to light. Thoughts of sacrifice and leaving behind the comforts of our lives make the journey very intimidating. However, the realization that we are destined for Heaven trumps all our feelings of fear and worry.
God does not ask complicated things of us. Instead, He simply uses two words to call us: “Follow Me”. The journey to sainthood is a journey to Heaven, which is predicated on following Him. There is no need to overcomplicate, overthink or weigh one option versus another, for once Matthew was called, he simply got up and followed.
Young people, being and bringing Christ, wherever they are.
CFC Youth For Christ’s vision
Our missionary lives are simply our journey to Heaven, for we all share the same mission – to bring everyone home.
Let us not keep the joy of this journey to ourselves. Let us get up and go, spreading the joy of the Gospel.
– Originally posted on Grace of Dei
OJ Rivera – Brother Full-Time Pastoral Worker | CFC-Youth Pacific Region
