My education was in a convent school, and we had a class every week for “ religion” while my non-catholic classmates would be rushed into another location for a lecture on “moral science.” One fine day at the class for “religion,” my teacher handed out pamphlets to everyone … it had a picture of many babies sitting among the clouds and Mother Mary shone her light over them… it was a “prayer for aborted babies.”
During the course of this class, my teacher, a devout catholic herself, explained to us about the respect for human life and abortion. She told us to say that prayer every night and thereby adopt one aborted baby to save his/her soul. This class will be my most cherished memory of my teacher who passed away this morning from her battle with leukemia.
Little did I know that, 10 years later at medical school during my residency at the department of obstetrics & gynecology, I would passionately be counselling women out of the dilemma of abortion! I succeeded with some, while most would never budge! It is those babies who when delivered, would make me proud and happy, while the mothers would thank me for helping them through!
The gospel today is about Jesus preparing the disciples to pray and be missionaries for the work of His kingdom. I often thought this was synonymous with religious men and women in our catholic faith, like priests and nuns, until I realized that my teacher was also a missionary of her faith in Christ. She instilled in me the love and respect for all life, through her teaching and the spreading of her love. It was that same conviction that enables me to sit for hours counseling women who are considering taking this dreaded step. I have had patients change their minds and leave the hospital with the knowledge that the unborn child has wronged no one to deserve “death” so premature.
Our faith is not to be preached by the priest at the altar alone but to be practised by us in every aspect of our lives. When we see a distressed person to lend a helping hand, to pray for the sick and suffering, to teach the Lords words by being an embodiment of the very same words.
Our faith isn’t to be limited by Sunday / daily mass and raising our hands when we say the Lords prayer but is to help the poor neighbors kid get the financial aid for his education, greet everyone at work with a smile and stop the gossip or rumors about someone you barely know. Mother Theresa said to, “Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.” Let us be missionaries of Love!!
Prayer: Help us Oh Lord to be missionaries of your faith in our every thought, word and deed. Bless us Oh Lord to spread your love to everyone we meet today. Amen.
