Vocations Newsletter

“Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all you lands. Tell his glory among the nations; among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.”(Psalm 96:1-3)You can take center stage today. This is your moment to “sing a new song” by sharing God’s love with the world.World Mission Sunday is an affirmation that we are chosen not necessarily to do great things—although I’m sure you have—but to join God in doing what is already at work. Pope Francis calls this action of the spirit “the universal sacrament of God’s love for the world.” When we witness our faith, he says, God continues to manifest infinite love in ways that “transform hearts, minds, bodies, societies, and cultures in every place and time.” This is what we celebrate today on World Mission Sunday.Our celebration is tempered this year for all the reasons we know—but it’s also an invitation to renewal. Like the apostles caught in a storm and fearful for their lives, we realized that we can only deal with adversity when we care for one another. When we all pull together. In his address today, Our Holy Father Pope Francis acknowledges the immense suffering of people all over the world…
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Whether in a local community, an educational institution, or a global organization, the key to addressing the current crisis in American public life is genuine moral leadership. Moral leadership is anchored in intellectual and ethical integrity, a vision of and commitment to the public good, and personal investment in transformative community.
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Though Pope Francis remains one of the most popular figures in the world, his pontificate has stirred up powerful opposition. Some reject his openness to divorced and remarried Catholics and the priority he places on mercy above rigid doctrine. Others reject his outspoken defense of migrants, his critiques of capitalism, and calls to protect the environment.
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I can’t argue with today’s wisdom from the Book of Psalms. But there is another prayer that never fails to comfort me when times take an unexpected turn—and this year has been no exception. I listen to the words of our patroness of missions, St. Teresa of Ávila, and I find God’s peace. Here’s what she says:Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things; 
Whoever has God lacks nothing.
God alone suffices.I celebrate St. Teresa’s feast day on October 15 in thanksgiving for her gifts to the Church—and her example of the missionary spirit. She never left her cloister, but Teresa founded convents throughout Spain, welcoming many women into religious life. She never preached from a pulpit but Teresa was a mystic and great writer whose theological works inspire the faithful to this day. If you have never read two of her greatest masterworks, The Way of Perfection and The Interior Castle, begin your journey of the soul here. You will be deeply rewarded. In recognition of her contribution to the Church’s teachings, St. Pope John Paul II named Teresa a Doctor of the Church, a rare distinction especially for a 16th century…
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