Genesis 21:5,8-20; Psalm 34 The Lord hears the cry of the poor; Matthew 8:28-34
Today we celebrate the memorial of Blessed Junipero Serra. At the age of 56, he was sent to settle what is known today as the state of california. Considered by most to be the pioneer of california, Blessed Junipero Serra, logged more than 24, 000 miles by foot, on horse and mule and over the seas to spread the message of truth.
When he arrived in California, he was both an asthmatic and he suffered from a chronic foot sore that would remain with him until he died. Yet, he worked tirelessly.
Pope John Paul II reminds us that "difficulties and sorrows, if accepted out of love, are transformed into a privileged way of holiness, which opens onto the horizons of a greater good, known only to the Lord."
Today, 60 percent of the population of California live along or within the missions that Blessed Junipero Serra established.
In 71 years from 1713-1784 he lived a life seeking to embrace the missionary task placed before him by his superiors and placed within him by Christ.
In his homily for his beatification in 1988, John Paul II, stated that Blessed Junipero Serra, was "a shinning example of Christian virtue and the missionary spirit...his great goal was to bring the Gospel to the Native people of America, so that they might be consecrated in the truth...he sought to further their authentic human development on the basis of their newfound faith as persons created and redeemed by God."
Most of us will not be asked to go to foreign lands to proclaim the gospel, but every time we step a foot forward we are missionaries in our own right. Whether, we are at home or at work or any where around time, the opportunity arises to proclaim the message.
May we follow in Blessed Junipero Serra's footsteps and log countless miles seeking to bear forth the message of faith, "created and redeemed by God" and thus futher the human development.
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