A Clear and Compelling Mission

At this point in time, we North American La Salettes need a sense of purpose, a direction, a clear and compelling mission.

In his apostolic exhortation, Christifideles Laici, Pope John Paul II points to the universal yearning for participation as a true sign of the times. And indeed all of us, from the youngest to the oldest, must participate in articulating that clear and compelling vision. All of us must strive to scrutinize the signs of the times and listen carefully for the gentle whisper of the Spirit in our heart of hearts.

The briefest norm in our La Salette Rule of Life boldly proclaims: "Christ is the Rule of our life." Well, the Gospels tell us that for Jesus certain insights were essential:

l) That God has a dream for our world. Jesus called it the "Kingdom of God."

2) That God has begun to make God's dream come true.

3) That we can be a part of that dream if only we are willing to become part of something bigger, something greater than ourselves and our little world.

4) That compassion is the way to enter into that dream – compassion, the capacity to put ourselves and our worries aside in order to understand and to respond to the concerns of others.

5) That compassion is costly.

6) That persons who try to save their lives inevitably lose them, while those who are willing to lose their lives for the sake of others finally save their own lives.

The clear and compelling mission we are striving to articulate cannot ignore those Gospel insights, if Christ is truly the Rule of our Life. Nor can it ignore Mary's dramatic plea at La Salette. With her, we must climb the hills of this world and push back our horizons until they match her own. Her gaze did not rest until it rested on all her people. Our mission will not be complete until it similarly embraces all her people.

We may need to reorganize, to modify our structures, even to restructure. That will become a lot clearer once we are clear about our mission. But, most importantly, we must not rest till we have taken up the challenge Mary offers us at La Salette.

We cannot rest until we have taken up the torch Mary has passed onto us. We cannot rest till we have articulated for one another and with one another that clear and compelling mission that will launch us into our future with a fire burning in our bellies. For that is the only way the peoples of the earth will be blessed through us as Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette.

(Reprinted from the La Salette Publication, SalleteInfo, #13, 1993, pg. 22)