Missionaries of the Sacred

The MSC: Helping Others to Find the Meaning of Life

“Following the example of Jesus, we will strive to lead others to God with kindness and gentleness, to unite them to him by love and to free them from fear. Trusting in God’s grace, we will be ready if necessary, to lay down our lives for them.”

(MSC Constitution 12)

We, the MSC priests and Brothers try to make our lives into living reminders of just how important worship really is. The Spirituality of the Heart is a way of life that calls us to encourage others to become “fully human”, that is, to realize their full potential and become the person that God calls them to be and so to offer true worship to God.

Every period of human history has its evils and challenges, and ours is no exception. Yet everyone hungers to be connected with a higher power; everyone searches for something solid and permanent to give meaning to their lives. Sometimes, when people do not have such a firm foundation upon which to base their lives, they almost unconsciously try to fill that emptiness with excessive consumerism, unfulfilling relationships and activities, and addictive behaviors. Through the love and compassion of the Heart of Jesus, the MSC strive to help people restore a healthy balance to their lives, to think about what guides and motivates them, for whom and what they are going to live their lives. We work to help others to rediscover their self worth and identify the “core story”, the solid footing on which to base their lives.

Sometimes helping others lead “fully human” lives means providing direct assistance in the form of material support or educational or employment opportunity. Sometimes it means working to protect human rights and the dignity of each person and to oppose the injustices embedded in our societal structures. It often means guiding people through a healing process, such as what we offer in Life’s Healing Journey retreats; helping people let go of past hurts and losses that negatively affect their lives and relationships. We all experience loss, hurt, disappointment and disillusion at some point in our lives. The key lies in how we respond to these experiences.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus shows us a model for living out a fully human life, one that revolves around worship of God and service to others. We, the MSC, recognize how we are loved by God and are called to be “Christ” here on earth. As Christ’s life was filled with worship, service and compassion so too should our lives be. We are each sent by God to be missionaries, called to live out His presence on earth today.

Our hope continues to be that all people will want to become missionaries of the Heart of Christ. As we touch others with God’s love, may they too, in various ways and according to their interests, situations and talents, undertake their own missionary work to make the world more “human” according to the model of the human heart of Christ.