“My own personal mission – my own personal dream – is to spread God’s love everywhere. I want others to be so totally immersed in the awareness that God loves them that they couldn’t imagine living life any other way. Anyone that knows me – that really knows me – probably just let out a “ha!” because they know I have to remind myself of God’s love all the time (I’m a not-so-closeted perfectionist). But perhaps it is for that very reason that I feel compelled. Just as the Daughters of Charity (myself included) remind ourselves of their mission, I too have to remind myself of mine because it is so easy, and so human, to lose focus.

“I’ve always wanted to write on God’s love in this blog but I have never found the words. And perhaps the words will never quite be there because, in fact, God’s love is so beyond description, so beyond reasoning, so beyond understanding. I just know that it’s there and it’s amazing. I believe that as Christians, that is where our unique joy stems from – God’s love. And if our faith could ever be truly explained, God’s love would be the explanation – the explanation for the nativity, the cross, the resurrection, the mystery.

“But just me writing about God’s love here in this blog won’t make you aware of it. Reading about it won’t change your life, just as seeing a picture of Jesus won’t change your life. Our true experience of God’s love isn’t anything that is felt with the senses. It’s supernatural, as if a mystical blanket has placed over you and warmed your your soul at its deepest and at its most intimate. It’s a consuming flame that engulfs us in a most beautiful way.

“It is indeed overwhelming – to know that you are loved beyond all understanding. You’re loved not because of your talents and gifts butwith your talents and gifts. Not despite your faults butwith your faults. It’s overwhelming to know that this love is not earned nor does it end.

“You were born because God loves you. He loves you so much that He chose you to be born, He wanted you here on this earth.

“You live because God loves you. You’re still alive because God wants you to have those positive moments (even the negative ones too), He wants you to spend time with loved ones, He wants you to smile and laugh.

“We are created for love. By love.

“As for my mission – to spread God’s love everywhere – whether that awareness comes through me personally or not isn’t the issue, just as long as others reach that milestone in faith. Thinking it can only come through me would be egotistical, not to mention far-reaching. I’m also not as unique as I make myself sound, for millions out there probably have the same mission and I’m just not aware of it. Yet, for some reason, I still cling to it as it were personal….because, really, it is. Just as God’s love is personal, yet universal.

As I read her statement it prompted me to think about what kind of a mission statement I would write. (John Freund)