The object of a mission is really no different from the object of the Christian life, i.e. to know, love and serve God and our neighbor in this life. And the experiences that go into a mission are really no different from ordinary Christian experiences in the parish, i.e. Mass, the Sacraments, the reading of Holy Scripture, Prayer and Preaching. The distinctive thing about a mission is that it is a concentrated effort for a short time rather than a feeble effort spread throughout a whole year. In a way it is like a retreat, a week set aside by the parishioners during which time they aim wholeheartedly at greater conversion to God by prayer and meditation and the grace of Christ. In some ways it is even better than a retreat, because it is a call to the whole parish community, the People of God, rather than to just the individual. It would be wonderful if we could spend every day of our lives in whole-hearted devotion to God, but we get distracted by the cares of this world. Hence it happens that without a mission or a retreat, many would live year in and year out without much by way of concentrated effort in seeking first the Kingdom of God and without much by way of wholehearted generosity in allowing the grace of God to grow in their human hearts.

Conversion to God can mean many things. Basically, it means turning ourselves to God as the one Person in whom we can find personal fulfillment and meaning in our lives. It means reconsidering all the things that we have previously held important in the beckoning light of His grace, and judging whether they lead us to Him or away from Him.

For one who has trouble with mortal sins, conversion means abandoning a life in which some temporary good here on earth is preferred to eternal life with God in heaven. Certainly the mission will help such as these. By persuasively presenting the basic truths of the Christian Faith, the missionary will help the sinner to see himself as he truly stands before his God, and with patience and understanding in the confessional will make a return to God's grace gentle and encouraging.

Many Catholics do rather well in avoiding serious sin but find themselves bogged down with petty cares and faults. Conversion has meaning for these people too. The missionary will bring to their minds many points of sound advice from the Gospel. John the Baptist preached penance, but Jesus spent most of His time preaching conversion to a better way of life: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are the meek, blessed are the clean of heart, blessed are the merciful . . ." Jesus also taught us many practical ways in which to accomplish this type of conversion: trust in God; the last shall be first and the first shall be last; judge not and you shall not be judged. Conversion is a constant process. C. S. Lewis observed that every free choice for the good is a turning of the central part of you into something a little different than it was before. Over a lifetime this process results in a totally refashioned you - a Christian saint.

Finally, conversion means a consuming union with God in which there is a total concentration of love, or charity. This is the ultimate perfection of the Christian life, the life of the saints. It is open to all, lay men and women as well as to priests and religious. And when it comes to love, there is an infinite possibility for growth and improvement. God is so good and lovable that He can never be loved enough. The missionary is interested in this kind of conversion too. He will stir the hearts of all with the supreme evidence of God's love for man: the Incarnation, the Crucifixion and Resurrection, and Holy Communion. In short, with love for Jesus Christ.

WHO IS TO MAKE THE MISSION

The mission is for everyone in the parish. Few, if any, will be able to say they love God enough and are without sin. Conversion of one sort or another is always a need for every Christian.

Many people today in our fast-changing world, especially the young, have trouble in being convinced of Christian morality as taught by the Church. They find in a culture that has gone pagan so many conflicting opinions, so many pressures to "do their own thing" that they are no longer certain of the value of the moral laws of the Gospel. This is often due to misunderstanding and inexperience. The missionary will try to convince them of the reasonableness of the Christian way of life.

In our day there are so many problems in family life that many see marriage and the family as a thing of the past. Saint Paul's picture of marriage as a bond like that between the Church and Christ is increasingly shrugged off as an impossibility in realization. The happiness promised in the wedding ceremony is not always found. The missionary will try to point out the causes for this frequently agonizing kind of failure and bring families to a fuller share in the happiness of the Holy Family itself.

Those who have had to undergo the agony of divorce and family disruption have a heavy cross to carry. They are lonely and often feel alienated from the parish community. The missionary will consider them as much of God's family as any other, and will try to help them as well. And last, but by no means least, the missionary is interested in helping the elderly and the sick. In some ways, the loneliness that comes with age and the pain that comes with infirmity are blessings. They are external graces which come from God, but have to be understood before they can become of value. The missionary's vocation in life is to lead the faithful to understand the ways of God.

WHAT YOU SHOULD PRAY FOR

FOR THE CHURCH OF CHRIST. For the Pope, the whole hierarchy, for your own Bishop, the clergy with whom you are specially concerned, for the missionaries and the missions, for all the People of God.

FOR YOUR COUNTRY. For the President and his counselors, for Congress, for the Governor and other officials, for the poor and oppressed, for the safety of the nation and that national dangers be averted.

FOR YOUR RELATIVES, FRIENDS, AND ACQUAINTANCES. For any who are sick or in sorrow and for whom you desire God's guidance in religious or worldly affairs. Think whether anyone has any special claim on you. Have you injured anyone? If so, have you made all the reparation in your power? Has anyone injured you, having thus a special need for your prayers? Pray for the souls in purgatory

FOR YOURSELF. What are your chief temptations just now? What attitudes, sins and faults do you need most aid in fighting? What Christian virtues are you chiefly deficient in? Are there any business affairs or undertakings of any kind or expected events upon which you desire to ask God's blessing?

"If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you. Ask that you may receive; seek that you may find; knock that it may be opened to you."

Be a missionary through your work and prayers.

GOD CALLS YOU

When a mission is announced in a parish, questions are naturally asked. What missionary Fathers are to conduct the mission? When will the mission start? How long will it last? Who is to make the mission?

Careful attention to announcements will answer questions and solve every difficulty.

The announcement of the mission means God is calling YOU. He desires to meet you. Do YOU wish to meet Him? God is calling YOU through His missionaries -where art thou? YOU must answer, "Lord, I am here, willing to make this mission. "

Know the hours of the evening services and the hours for Mass in the morning. See to it that those under your care are on time for the mission. Listen to what the missionary has to say. Your chief interest now is to make the mission well. A good will coming from a noble, generous heart forms a good intention. "Behold, He stands at the gate and knocks." You will open that gate and permit Him to enter. Close the gate after Him and keep Him in the care of your heart.

This is YOUR mission. God is calling you and every member of your household.