I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.
Isaiah 49:3, 5-6
When I saw this line in our first reading today, I came to this conclusion about myself - "once a missionary, always a missionary!" It made we realize that my past actually prepared me for this part of my future as a priest. Let me explain that a bit!
In my first and second grade of primary school (1950-1951), down in Meade County, I remember helping "adopt pagan babies." It was a popular program for children in Catholic schools, whereby we brought our pennies to school to "adopt" a poor child in some mission area so as to help prepare him or her for baptism. Some of you might remember this program from your own childhood. The program was a bit simplistic, but well-intentioned!
In high school seminary, I made rosaries to send to "the missions." I learned that I could really turn them out quite quickly! I remember making hundreds of them as a high schooler at St. Thomas Seminary, out on old Brownsboro Road, here in Louisville.
In college seminary, I was a member and even an officer in an organization called the Catholic Students Mission Crusade. I am reminded of that fact every time I look at an old photo of me from 1965 when I was a third year college seminarian at Saint Meinrad Seminary. In that photo, I was in the chapel, wearing my first cassock and my official C.S.M.C. ribbon and membership medal around my neck.
As a theology level seminarian, I thought about joining the Glenmary Home Missioners. It is an order of priests, brothers and sisters who work here in the "home missions" of the US, mainly in the south where Catholics are rare. I later decided against it, but as a newly ordained priest, I actually ended up being assigned to the "home missions" of our archdiocese for my first ten years. In my life, at least, God always seems to "get his way" in situations like these!
As a retired priest, I decided to volunteer in the "foreign missions" of the Caribbean especially in the countries of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados and Trinidad. I also volunteered to present workshops for priests, deacons and bishops in Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, The Bahamas and at an annual Antilles Episcopal Conference meeting in Trinidad with bishops from all over the English speaking Caribbean as well as a session with their seminarians and a dinner at the Apostolic Nunciature with the Bishops and the Pope's Apostolic Delegate to the capital city of Port of Spain. 
All in all, I made 12-13 trips down there before the volcano erupted in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and COVID caused me to back off mission work down there for a while.
Year before last, I got involved in the east African countries of Kenya and Tanzania through the Father John Judie Ministries organization started by Father John Judie, one of our local priests, who is spending his retirement serving in Kenya and Tanzania. So far, I have raised enough money to build a new church in Kenya, build a new house for a single mother of two young children and finish a half-built grade school in Tanzania. I also raised enough money to pay off the outstanding debts of six impoverished seminarians in Tanzania so they can finally advance to their next level of seminary. Now that re-starting the building of the new grade school is fully funded and in progress, I have turned my attention to finding new and used "school supplies" for the students who will be attending that new school. (See my blog post for this coming Tuesday 1-20-2026 for details)
I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.
The teachings of Vatican II encourage and remind us that "all Christians are called to be missionaries, each in their own unique way." We might think of “missionaries” as only those brave priests or religious people that travel to faraway lands bringing the Gospel to local tribes. That is indeed one aspect, but not the only aspect for living as a missionary. We are challenged today be attentive to that beautiful and vital call and hopefully find a way to answer it.
Pope Paul VI, who presided over the finish and implementation of Vatican II, wrote extensively about our call to be missionaries.
Following him, Pope John Paul II explained even further that all baptized Christians are
challenged to become missionaries in their everyday lives. In a general
audience on April 15, 1998 he reminded us that 'The missionary task of the baptized, in
conformity with their own vocation, was extensively considered by the
Second Vatican Council. In the document, Lumen Gentium, it teaches us that each disciple of Christ has the obligation of spreading the faith to
the best of his or her ability. In his own encyclical Redemptoris
Missio, he stressed yet again that, by virtue of Baptism, all lay people are missionaries.'
The Catechism of the Catholic Church confirms
this “missionary mandate” of the lay faithful where it says, “The baptized must profess
the faith they have received from God through the Church and participate
in the apostolic and missionary activity of the People of God."
Listening to Pope John Paul II does not mean, however, that everyone needs to travel to a faraway land, or stand at every street corner to share the Gospel. The Church believes that being a missionary can take multiple forms, always in accord with a person’s state in life. For example, a person can be a missionary through their marriage, showing others how a faithful, committed marriage is possible in today’s world. Another example is an elderly person confined to their home being a missionary through prayer, offering each day to God and praying for missionaries around the world.
Pope Francis, in his 2013 Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, said this in #120. "All the baptized, whatever their position in the Church or their level of instruction in the faith, are agents of evangelization, and it would be insufficient to envisage a plan of evangelization to be carried out by professionals while the rest of the faithful would simply be passive recipients. The new evangelization calls for personal involvement on the part of each of the baptized. Every Christian is challenged, here and now, to be actively engaged in evangelization; indeed, anyone who has truly experienced God’s saving love does not need much time or lengthy training to go out and proclaim that love. Every Christian is a missionary to the extent that he or she has encountered the love of God in Christ Jesus."
Pope Francis wisely said, "Every Christian is challenged, here and now, to be actively engaged in evangelization" and "does not need much time or lengthy training to proclaim the love of God he has experienced." Pope John Paul II remined us that this does not mean that everyone needs to travel to a faraway land, or stand at every street corner to share the Gospel. The Church believes that being a missionary can take multiple forms, always in accord with a person’s state in life, each in his own way.
Yes, you can carry out your duty to be a missionary in your own way. Some personally go to foreign lands. Others support those who do go. Still others follow the news about missionaries and pray for them. Personally, I got involved because I have always seemed to have been a "missionary at heart." Lately, it has occurred to me that we owe it to mission countries, to do what we can to help with evangelization, especially in those countries who are now sending missionary priests to us because of our own priest shortage. Rather than starting my own mission organization, I decided to partner with another of our Louisville priests who works in east Africa - Father John Judie and his mission organization Father John Judie Ministries, Inc.
If you too want to get involved in mission work, each in your own way, follow my blog "An Encouraging Word" at fatherknott.com It regularly has stories, opportunities and photos of what Father John Judie and I are doing in east Africa in particular. We use a tax deductible legal system. We send thank you letters. We keep an eye on every penny and make sure it is used faithfully and legally for what the donor intended. We pay no salaries. We don't even ask people for money. We just tell them what we are doing and tell them if they want to help us do it, they can call us and let us know!
Here is a story that is typical of many of the "mission stories" I have witnessed. It is a story about the generosity even of the poor themselves. It is one of the main reasons I am "hooked" on helping with mission work. This story comes from Bishop Filbert Mhasi of Tanzania whom I have helped starting last year. He tells the story in his own words, "I went again to one of the mission churches for the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord. After the Mass, one little girl, age 6, came to me and said, "Bishop, will you come again next Sunday? I said, "If I get money for petrol, I will come." She looked at me, and said, "I will give you my sandals, go and sell them and use the money for petrol." She actually gave me her sandals! I was shocked! I said, "No please, don't worry, somebody will give me the money for petrol." She was a bit satisfied! This experience is still circulating into my mind. This poor little angel wanted to give me her sandals! What an amazing and lovely gesture of love and support! So, amazing!"
The great part of doing missionary work is what it does for those who get involved, not just the people they help! As the Book of Proverbs puts it, "Those who waters others, will themselves be watered!"
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