Today I woke up, kissed my Tau, thanked God for electing me, and went on a mission. Mission to be the light of the world and salt of the earth. Mission of being in the world, but belonging to heaven. I put on my daily clothes, which are not like the ones of religious people, but the day-to-day work clothes: mission field where I’m sent daily. I wore jeans that reminded me of my Friend in Heaven, St. John Paul II, when he spoke of the saints of today. I am far from being holy, but it is my goal, “not by presumption but by vocation“. And I want to be a saint where God has planted me, in the rush of work, in the demands of studies, in family challenges, in the small things of our daily life.
How noble, beautiful and holy it is to leave everything and go to another place, being everything and entirely of God !!! But for me, it becomes increasingly clear that I have another mission. Mission today is to wake up at dawn to pray, because it is the only possible time. Mission today is to suffer the fatigue of the secular work, without losing the joy of being of God. Mission is to have sleepless nights, worried about those that God entrusted to me, leaving my cell phone available at dawn to serve … Mission is to go from the Vigil (of the second time) straight to work and arrive with a smile in order to witness the grace of offering sleep to love Jesus more. Mission is to study, to write a scientific article, to finish a master’s degree and to do all this having God as primacy of life. This is non-negotiable. Mission is to face traffic, taking advantage of this time to pray the Rosary and the Office of the Immaculate Conception.
Mission today is to evangelize our work colleague, the supermarket or bank teller, the one living in the streets, the one selling food on the streets and many others who may only know God if I present Him to them … Mission today is to wake up on Monday, while the sun is still lazy, after a weekend retreat. Mission is to be punctual, honest, professional, because if work that is my mission, if study that is mission, everything has to be done with much love. It’s all for God and for Him, the best ever.
And after so much running, in that daily marathon to fulfill my mission, I kissed my Tau again, thanked God again for electing me, I asked for forgiveness after the review of my life (made throughout many naps) and went to sleep asking God to multiply the few hours of sleep. This prayer He listens to every day. And God, who works even while his friends sleep, helps me the next day to start over. How much peace brings the weariness of love! Thank you, Lord, for choosing me!
Denise Landim
Translation: Ellen Bia