The Missionary Path

It is the road less travelled...

Definitely not the ideal path I once imagined for myself, yet I took it—even when, at first, I did not fully understand why.

The missionary path became my life's journey for the past 13 years. Through it all, God never failed to give me the life I was meant to live. And because He is a loving and generous God, it has been a life far more meaningful than I could have imagined—a life truly worth living.

And once again, I was privileged to recommit myself to the missionary life.

Mission Sending ceremony with Cardinal Tagle

During last Holy Monday's Mission Sending Ceremony, with His Excellency Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, I was given the wonderful opportunity to renew my missionary vows.

It was the best homecoming gift I could have received after seven years of mission work in the Middle East.

Suddenly, all the sacrifices and hard work seemed worth it. My years in the mission field gave me a whole new sense of being and purpose. They reminded me once again that my life—no matter where I am called to be—belongs only to God.

For once we have responded to the call to become missionaries, mission becomes our life.

My family is my mission.

Motherhood is my mission.

Married life is my mission.

My career is my mission.

Loving is my mission.

And to witness is my mission.

Because being a missionary is not simply about going to a faraway place or leaving everything behind. It is about responding to God's call wherever He chooses to place us and allowing our lives to become a witness of His love.

"Faith is a calling to mission. Missionaries are called by Christ to be disciples in faith and witnesses for Him."— Cardinal Tagle