3 Ways You Can Help Missionaries
Last time, we talked about what missionaries do.
We also briefly mentioned who they are: priests, religious brothers and sisters, and even lay people. Pretty much anyone can be a missionary.
Even if you’re not a missionary yourself, you can have a vital impact on global evangelization, both domestically and abroad.
This time, let’s look at three key things missionaries need from the faithful back home.
1) Missionaries need your prayers.
First and foremost, missionaries need your prayers. As they work to share the gospel, build up the church, educate the poor, and bring the faith to every corner of the earth, they need you to pray for them.
St. Paul, one of the first missionaries (if not the first!), says this about prayer: “With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit. To that end, be watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the holy ones and also for me, that speech may be given me to open my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel” (Eph. 6:18-20, emphasis added).
Did you know that Pope St. John Paul II said that “No believer in Christ, no institution of the Church can avoid this supreme duty: to proclaim Christ to all peoples” (Redemptoris Missio, para. 3)? In other words, the most vital thing we as Christians can do is to share the gospel with others and help them meet Jesus. So when you pray for the missionaries who are responding to this call, you are doing your part to bring Christ to all peoples!
Putting it into action: How will you pray for a missionary today?
Try offering your next rosary, holy hour, or mass for missionaries around the world. Or better yet, take a minute right now to pray an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be for missionaries everywhere.
2) Missionaries need your financial support.
As you know from your own experience, life costs money. Missionaries throughout the world live very simply, and they dedicate their lives to the service of others. While the cost of living varies from city to city, missionaries everywhere need help covering not just their own expenses, but the cost of doing outreach—food, toiletries, and items for the poor, evangelization materials (like bibles, rosaries, etc.), or even gas money or bus fare so they can get from place to place to share the gospel.
Whether you give a little or a lot, any amount you give to a missionary will go a long way in advancing the kingdom of God here on earth.
Putting it into action: How will you support a missionary today?
What if you skipped one coffee shop drink every week for a month, and sent the money you save to a missionary organization? You could easily send $20 per month to a missionary! Check out our last blog for a list of missionary groups you could help today. Donate directly to missionary priests by clicking here.
3) Missionaries need your awareness.
The final key thing missionaries need is your awareness. They need you to know that missionary work isn’t something the Church did hundreds of years ago, and it isn’t something just for priests and nuns. Missionary work is ongoing. It is for everyone. And it is one of the most important activities you could support.
Putting it into action: How will you spread awareness about missionary activity today?
It’s as easy as sharing this post on social media, or telling a friend about missionary work! Follow us on Facebook or Twitter and share our posts about missionaries!
So, now that you know that missionary work is something you can participate in, even from the comfort of your own office or home……