by Katie Patrick
Focused on the theme of love thy neighbor, World Mission Sunday has been a day that I look forward to all year round, and as I read Pope Francis’ message to the universal Church this week, I was struck by his words, “We know that the call to mission is not a thing of the past, or a romantic leftover from earlier times. Today, too Jesus needs hearts capable of experiencing vocation as a true love story that urges them to go forth to the peripheries of our world as messengers and agents of compassion. He addresses this call to everyone, and in different ways. We can think of the peripheries all around us, in the heart of our cities or our own families. Universal openness to love has a dimension that is not geographical but existential.”
As the pope encourages us to embrace our call to be missionaries, he reminds us that our mission work can take place among our own family and friends. We need not be those who scatter to all parts of the world preaching the Good News, but we do have to be witnesses of Christ’s love to those around us.
As you know, October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month and for the first time, this month has a deeper meaning to me not only because of the loss of my daughter last November, but because of the tremendous love and support we received from those around us. Below is part of a letter written by my husband to our family and friends almost one year ago, reminding us again that being a missionary of Christ’s love to others can very much happen with those who are near us.
… I don’t think we could have asked for a better year up to that point, enjoying our new family and making memories as we prepared to bring our little daughter home. Unfortunately, we never got to bring her home. As you almost certainly know by now, little Imogen Rose Patrick died before birth, and was born November 7. Our world seemed to crumble, as so much of what we’d yearned for and planned for crashed to our feet as we held her body so briefly in our arms before having to say goodbye.
We had one full day with Imogen at the hospital, and in that time we talked, we prayed, we cried, we laughed, and we grew. It is astonishing how much a baby can teach you, even one who has died before birth. Priorities change, attitudes change, devotions change. We weren’t the same people we were just a few days prior, because we couldn’t be. We were parents. We are parents. We came home to a house that we’d spent so long preparing, and now it felt so empty.
What filled it, as well as the holes in our hearts, were the cards, the letters, the phone calls, texts, food, gifts, prayers, and thoughts that were provided by friends and family. There was an outpouring of love and support that surprised us both. Sometimes, and especially during these isolating times of COVID, we can feel alone, and even more so after a death.
While it hurt so much, and still does, each of these cards, letters, phone calls, texts, food, gifts, prayers, and thoughts were a hug that we so desperately needed, and now it’s time to tell you each Thank You, and how grateful we are. Grateful for everything that’s happened this year, good and bad, for the growth it’s provided, the lessons learned, and the relationships strengthened. We truly got by and were only able to move forward with the help of friends, family, and faith that has grown through adversity, leaning on a God that called Imogen to be a saint, and knowing that she is now able to intercede for us rather than us needing to care for her.
So let us remember today all those little ones, whether lost in miscarriage, stillbirth or infant loss, whose lives were so brief yet whose impact great. They are there for us. Let us ask for their intercession so that someday we may have that joyous reunion with our little loved ones. These are the moments we yearn for and those in which we must assist one another. We are here for each other. We must be missionaries here on earth—in our communities and in our families. We must bring each other closer to the faith and to the sacraments. We must be witnesses of the love and mercy of our Lord so that we too can receive eternal life and live in the glorious presence of our Savior Jesus Christ.
