“Go out to all the world and tell the Good News!”

Psalm 117

I’ve never been to anything like the Eucharistic Revival that was held recently in Indianapolis, which I attended along with Sr. Annette Lucero, and Sr. Shingai Chigwedere.  First of all, we were 60,000 Catholics all in one place to pray, study, discuss, share community, and to witness to our Faith over three days, with daily Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, and even a two mile long Eucharistic Procession.  Secondly, everything around us shouted “Catholic.” And thirdly, we were welcomed to Indianapolis with billboards that read, “These roads lead to revival.” Right away I felt like I was at a big family reunion and everyone spoke, “Catholic.” So, I didn’t need to explain myself as a Catholic or as a Dominican Sister. 

To be honest, I wondered if the whole program would just be a wonderful prayerful experience that would just stay there in Indianapolis.  We’ve all been to retreats and conferences that do just that and seem to just stay there in our memory and soon fade away.  This time, we were given very specific instructions – to go out and share the Good News of the Gospel and our Faith through the example of our lives, and “if necessary to use words.”  As a religious sister that is something I strive to do each day – it is something that both scared me and attracted me to religious life when I was discerning.  What if God wanted me to be an “Apostle” to a particular group and I did not go?  I remember reading that each of the Apostles were sent out to a particular audience.  Right after the Resurrection, Mary Magdalene was sent as the “Apostle to the Apostles,” and Paul was sent as the “Apostle to the Gentiles.”  What if either of them had said, “No?”  Would we have heard the Good News? 

In our “missioning” to go out, we were told that we were God’s “plan A” for bringing the Gospel to a particular person. Think about that for a moment…. What if?  What if you’re not the back-up person?  What if YOU are God’s plan A to bring the Good News of the Gospel and the message of God’s unconditional love to someone specific?  Wow!  What does this say about the trust and faith God has in each of us to be God’s messenger of the Good News of the Gospel?

Take a few moments to think about who brought you to God or shared the Good News with you.  Recall the experience and lift your heart in prayer and thanksgiving.  Maybe you need to reach out to that person and thank them or maybe you need to listen to God’s voice within and turn toward the person or persons you are being sent to. 

As members of the Dominican Order, the “Order of Preachers,” we are commissioned to bring the Good News and the Truth of the Gospel to those we meet.  We do this every day with our lives.  What about you? Do you feel called to this courageous and prophetic life of sharing the Truth or Veritas with others?  Have you ever wondered why you are here and what your purpose is?  Perhaps this is your answer. 

Let me invite you to take the next step to explore God’s call in your life, and consider attending our Come and See Discernment Retreat for women, September 13 – 15, 2024 in St. Catharine, Kentucky.  It’s free, there is no obligation, and you will get to meet Dominican Sisters of all ages, spend time in prayer & reflection, have fun, take a tour of this little piece of the “Kentucky Catholic Holy Land,” and learn what it means to make the radical commitment to religious life in today’s world.  For more information, click here, visit our website https://oppeace.org/become-a-sister/ or contact Sr. June Fitzgerald at june.fitzgerald@oppeace.org or call/text 570-336-3991. 

See you soon!