Celebrating today’s mass was a missionary priest who grew up in Cleveland and now serves the spiritual and physical needs of new Christians in the Congo. With his work we are reminded that as far-reaching as the world wide web is, Christ’s flesh and blood must still be administered by his flesh and blood faithful–and many of them often risk spilling their own precious blood on that mission.
We are all part of Christ’s body, and whether we are called to go to these remote regions ourselves or to finance that holy work from Cleveland, the holy spirit that moves us knows no geographic boundaries. The fact that this face-to-face missionary work has been going on for centuries and continues even in this age of split-second online communication is a humbling reminder that God’s presence is constantly growing in this world, being brought to remote regions where opposing powers are equally dedicated to suppressing it.
Such a growth pattern is much like that of an adolescent, almost unnoticeable at times and then all of a sudden the kid is six inches taller after the summer break. The growth of the body of Christ is like that–except it never stops. That’s because it keeps getting nourished by the brave souls dedicated to its eternal development. Whether or not we call ourselves missionaries, every Christian’s mission is to keep the body of Christ as blemish-free as possible.