One of the biggest lessons I learned from a painful 5.5 years in the convent I was in: you didn't have to leave home to be a missionary. St. Teresa of Calcutta said it best: "I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples." The best way to start, she said, was to go home and love your family. It may sound against the Gospel, but only out of context. But it isn't about loving those who love you. As Jesus said, "No prophet is without honor except in his native town. (Lk 4:24)" You try setting a good example among those who think they know you well, and just see how hard it is to witness to them. Even Jesus couldn't do much in His hometown for their lack of faith.
What do missionaries do? They pray, they help people with education, health, community matters, and even small businesses - all while proclaiming Christ as our one true Savior and Lord. Do you think that is impossible to do where you live? I don't know where the saying came from, but it is a favorite of mine: "I am not a Christian because I am strong or better than others. I am a Christian because I am weak and admit I need a Savior." I can't tell you how many people I met that thought nuns and priests were sacrosanct in their vocation. They're not - they are just as fallible as anyone, just as human. As an ex-nun, I can't remember the times people have told me about their bad experiences with self-proclaimed "Christians." The people around you need you to witness to them. They need the example of the honest and devout follower of Christ. They need you to speak their language, from country folk to big city talk and everything in between. The people you will meet: some may not know Christ, others have bad experiences with Christianity, and others are self-righteous. You have a vocation: grow where God put you (no matter where that may be).
Being an everyday missionary means living up to your baptismal promises where you are right now. You don't have to go to extraordinary lengths in miles or efforts to bear witness to the Gospel. It really is the hardest missionary job of all. For the moment, forget being in a foreign country, where the food and language are beyond your comprehension. The point is that "out" there, those people don't know you - you have a blank slate to start your life anew, and the people get to know you without specific preconceived notions of your particular state of life and abilities. Yes, you might go to Asia or the Middle East, where Christianity is persecuted and overall unwelcome - but you can get the same response at home! How many of us are told that religion is an unwelcome topic for conversation?
As simple as it is, some of us still feel we are not doing enough. Yes, there is always more to do, for the harvest is plenty but the workers are few. You may even wonder how to even go about it, how to start being an everyday missionary. The best answer came from St. Francis of Assisi, who told his brethren: "Preach. And if necessary, use words." It is by your example, yes, your behavior, your attitude, your interactions and deeds that people will know what it means to be Christian. That, my friends, is being a missionary.
