Suddenly, St. Paul’s missionary journeys have become an intriguing subject for us. According to Loyola Press, “Paul traveled over 10,000 miles proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. His journeys on land and sea took him primarily through present day Israel, Syria, Turkey, and Greece. .. [By road] there was constant danger of bandits.” And by sea, Paul experienced the devastation of shipwrecks.
We are interested in St. Paul because, we are undertaking a ‘missionary journey’ to NEW JERSEY in September. The trip will involve about 500 miles back and forth from our home in Massachusetts; five presentations or workshops in three cities and a little time with some New Jersey friends. Now, there is no way we can begin to compare ourselves to St. Paul on mileage. But we can truly set out with the same fervor, born of confidence in the Holy Spirit.
What journeys will you take to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Do you hope to share faith with someone before or after a Sunday Mass? Do you ever visit a sick friend, hoping to say a little prayer? Do you ever turn on your computer hoping to tell others about God’s presence in your day? Do you ask Jesus to send you in his footsteps, on his mission of love and redemption each morning? “We as his disciples are also sent, with no less of a calling than that of a foreign missionary who leaves his country and family for the sake of the gospel. And even though you might only leave your front door, when you step out of that door, you are sent out in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. That is why the last thing we hear at a Sunday liturgy is to ‘go in peace to love and serve the Lord’.” (excerpt from Sharing the Faith That You Love)
For a listing of offerings in New Jersey and beyond visit our CURRENT SCHEDULE page. And please pray for our journeys, as we pray for you in your response to God’s call.