The Healing Journey

September 18, 2024

“No one else can give the world what you are called on to give.”
— Pope Francis

Did it ever occur to you that God wants to use you to transform the world? That’s worth repeating. Did it ever occur to you that God wants to use you to transform the world? Yes, it’s true. In little ways and in big ways. But that doesn’t mean you have to run for president or even first selectman (or woman) or even student council. You can do it right where you are today in what you may consider a typical or ordinary life that has encountered pain.

You’ve made mistakes. You have shortcomings. You feel overwhelmed with suffering and inadequacies and thousands of other things that probably go around and around your head in the late hours of the night, and you stare at the ceiling, wondering how you’ll go on and what new challenges you’ll have to confront tomorrow. If that in any small way resembles your life, then there’s something you should know: God wants to use you to transform the world. He has a mission for you, no matter how young you are and no matter how old you are. When the day comes that you meet him face to face, wouldn’t you love to hear him say, “Thank you so much for everything you did for me?”

You may say, “That’s crazy.” But it’s the truth, or more accurately, it’s the honest-to-God truth.

Pope Francis put it this way: “You have a precious mission. May you comprehend the Christian message that God wants to relay to the world through your life. Let yourself be transformed. Allow yourself to be renewed by the Spirit so that your precious mission can unfold. The Lord will make it happen despite any mistakes and missteps you may have made, provided you do not abandon the path of love and remain open to His otherworldly grace, which both cleanses and enlightens.”

Take a chance. Ask God to show you the mission he has for you. Ask him every morning and then step out into the day in faith.

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