Today, yet again, I attended the funeral of a man I never met. Why? Because as a Father Kolbe Missionary of the Immaculata, I am called to live the ordinary events of life alongside all those whom God puts in our path. While this often entails laughter and celebration, it frequently means tears. Thankfully, we are not there to solve problems, nor to reveal the mysteries of God's Providence. Instead, we are there only to be a compassionate part of that Providence in the lives of His children.
In this particular case, my missionary family meant alot to the family of this man. We went in order to continue to live our vocation, our ministry of presence. It did not matter that I had never met the man, it only mattered that this family had been placed by the Immaculata into our mission. And the mission is just that: ours. There is no subdividing and possessing our apostolate work, and so there is no subdividing and possessing those whom we are privileged to know through such work. Everyone is a part of the family.
Living this concretely, of course, is a challenge. But, at the same time, it is incredibly humbling....
The day has come and is nearly gone. That funeral and a visit with an elderly priest, as well as a meal with the other missionaries, has consumed the entirety of the day. Mass, the rosary, morning prayer, some meditation, and a "goodnight" to the Savior... all in all it doesn't seem as though we've done anything. Perhaps we haven't, but we are who we are --- and at the service of the Immaculata, present to her children, one has reason to hope that much has actually been accomplished.
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