Salve, Regina, Mater Misericordiae.
Give thanks to the Lord, invoke his name, make known among the nations his deeds.
Give thanks to the Lord, invoke his name, make known among the nations his deeds.
And his ordination to the priesthood, he labored as a zealous preacher of penance for the people of Italy.
And also by his preaching and drawing numerous crowds, was also very occupied in hearing confessions.
He heard many hours of confessions each day.
But all of this work for souls among the people of Italy didn't satisfy him.
By his desire, the desire that he had in his heart, the great love that he had for God, and his zeal for the salvation of souls.
And so in 1296, he requested to go to the missions.
And so he was granted permission to go, and he made his way through the Balkan Peninsula, then on to the Mongols in southern Russia.
Always preaching the word of God and hearing confessions.
In 1314, he continued his travels and his preaching through Armenia and Persia.
Then while he was there in Persia, he met up with Brother James from Ireland, who decided to become his companion and continue his travels then on to India, as well as the islands of Sumatra, Ceylon, and Java.
Finally, he made his way to China, where he met the famous Blessed John of Montecorvino, the famous Franciscan missionary to China.
There in China, Blessed Odoric labored for three years before deciding to return to Italy and eventually submit a report of his apostolic journeys to the Pope.
So in 1330...
In 1330, Blessed Odoric arrived at Pisa, where at the age of 65, he became very sick.
And then it was revealed to him that he should just return to his hometown of...
Well, actually it was Udine, the town of Udine, where he entered the convent of the Capuchin Franciscans.
So as to finish his life in the same friary where he started his Franciscan career.
Fortunately, before his death, he was able to relate his journeys to a brother, William,
and the detailed writings of his apostolic journeys are still very valuable to us today.
Now, the life of Blessed Odoric reminds us, first and foremost, of the importance of the missions.
We should call to mind that the Church is essentially missionary.
That is, it belongs to the nature of the Church to be missionary.
To always seek the evangelizations of peoples for their salvation.
Again, simply carrying on the mission of our Lord.
As we read in the Gospel today, the disciples came up and they told him, told Jesus,
Everyone is looking for you.
And he said to them,
Let us move on to the neighboring villages,
so that I may proclaim the good news there also.
That is what I have come to do.
And so, the mystical body of Christ continues this mission of Christ.
To go out and to proclaim the good news, the Gospel, for the salvation of the peoples.
And so we, as members of the mystical body,
ought to also recognize our role
in the missionary activity of the Church.
As St. Maximilian reminds us,
each and every one of us is a missionary,
and our missionary field is that place in which we find ourselves.
Among our family, our friends, our co-workers,
those with whom we come into contact on a daily basis,
all of our acquaintances.
This is our missionary field,
and these are the people that we are first and foremost meant to evangelize.
This is our missionary field,
and these are the people that we are first and foremost meant to evangelize.
But,
but also, as members of the mystical body of Christ,
we're meant to support the missions ad gentes.
We think about the missions in Africa and Asia.
Those parts of the world which, relatively speaking,
have still yet to be evangelized.
I think in Asia, 1% of the people in Asia are Christians.
And in Africa, it's still very low.
And so,
we need to support these missions.
If we can't happen to go there,
it's not our vocation to go to the missions.
At least with our prayers and sacrifices.
This is within the ability of each and every Christian
to support the missions with their prayers and sacrifices.
And this type of support is not to be underestimated.
All we have to do is look at the example of St. Therese of the Child Jesus.
Who was a Carmelite nun and spent her entire life
within the cloister walls.
And yet, God put in her heart a great desire,
a great missionary spirit.
She had such a burning desire to go to the missions and to save souls
and to be like an apostle for the church.
But she offered and did what she could.
Namely, prayer and sacrifice.
And God revealed to her,
to her, mystically,
that through her prayers and through her sacrifice,
she had cooperated in the salvation of more souls
than St. Francis Xavier baptized.
By her prayers and by her sacrifices.
So let's never underestimate the value of our prayers and sacrifices.
And so today we pray for the missions,
especially the missions of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate.
That they may be fruitful.
That we may bring the word of God to all peoples.
That they may come to the knowledge of the truth.
And so be saved.
And we invoke the intercession of Blessed Odoric of Porta Noni,
of the patrons of the missions,
St. Therese of the Child Jesus,
and St. Francis Xavier.
Pray for us.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Transcription by CastingWords