Clarifying the Mission

St. Luke makes is clear that Jesus is filled with the Spirit who directs him to live his mission, stated in the words of the prophet Isaiah:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.  (Is 61:1 quoted in Lk 4:18)
Jesus did not invent his mission but took up the mission given by the Holy Spirit.
This is the mission now of every follower of and believer in Jesus.  If we call ourselves Christian, we are to walk in his footsteps to accomplish this mission in our day.
Pope Francis, since he began his pontificate and years before that as Cardinal Archbishop of Buenos Aires, has made this his mission and invites us at every opportunity to accept it as ours.  As Marists, we direct our attention to the poor and least favored, the most neglected, and seek to proclaim liberty, give sight to the blind and free the oppressed through education, particularly education in the Faith. But we don't all have to be teachers in front of a classroom;  we can be teachers through lives that bear witness to the way of life Jesus taught us:  compassion, forgiveness, respect, acceptance, love.  These teach and touch as effectively, if not more so, than a brilliant classroom lecture.  We might use this day to reflect on our actions and see how they measure up to our mission. Are we living up to the standards set by Jesus?  If yes, praise God and continue.  If not, begin now.  Begin again and again.
Bro .Rene