BASILICA OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
  • Home / Página de inicio
    • Mass Intentions / Candles / Flowers
    • Parish Registration / Registro y Stewardship
    • Parish Property Use Request
    • Worship Aid / Bulletin / Homilies
  • Capital Campaign
    • Parish Vision 2020-2024 >
      • 2017 - 2021
      • Parish Plan
      • Phase 1: Adoration Chapel
      • Phase 2a: Organ Restoration
      • Phase 2b: Rectory / Office Reno
      • Phase 3: Church Reno / Repair
      • Cathedral District Jax
      • About the Church >
        • Church Tours >
          • Exterior Tour
          • Interior Tour
          • Window Tour
  • Sacraments / Sacramentos
    • Faith Formation & Education / Formación de fe / educación
    • Mass & Adoration / Misa y adoración
    • Baptism / Sacramento del Bautismo
    • Reconciliation / Confession
    • First Reconciliation & First Communion
    • Confirmation
    • RCIA - Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults
    • Marriage: Unique for a reason >
      • So You Want to Get Married?
  • About the Parish
    • Pastoral Leadership, Staff & Ministries
    • Fellowship & Ministry >
      • Ministerio Hispano Y Grupos
    • Photo Gallery
  • Contact
  • CCM Jax
    • CCM-Jax Registration
    • Calendar
    • CCM-JAX Media Gallery
    • CCM Groups / Forms

​Missionaries of Mercy

7/3/2022

 
Like the Israelites, Jews and Christians who came before us, the members of the family of God have been a community that lives within a larger community of people for whom God, in practice hardly exists. We live among people who don’t understand from whom their inherent dignity and value come and subsequently seek to find their meaning and identity from myriad other current secular ideals, things, or philosophies. Unlike the disciple of Christ, they more often than not seem to have little direction and meaning in their lives beyond having a job, getting money, excelling at achieving social status and indulging in some level of enjoyment. For God’s family members, in the past as well as today, the words of Jesus in today’s Gospel passage have great depth of meaning: “The harvest is great, and the laborers are few.” 
 
At the time of Christ, there were an estimated 170 million people in the world and by the end of the first century there were approximately 80,000 followers of Christ. Today there are 8 billion people in the world. Of that 8B there are almost 2.5 billion Christians and of those, 1.3B are Catholic, 75% of North America is Christian, 73% of the United States is Christian and of those there are 75.4 M Catholics. The ancient believers clearly did not labor in vain. 
 
However, looking at belief in God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; 3 of 4 people have not yet heard or believed, a large proportion of which is agnostic or are practical atheists – they live their lives as if God did not exist. And how many who once knew Christ have subsequently rejected the faith?
 
As well, among so many who do call themselves Christians, how many could be accurately described as being actively engaged in the mission, laborers in the field bringing in the harvest?  Too often, by “laborer” Catholics think of priests, or religious brothers and sisters. One hears people expressing regret that today there are so few “vocations”. What will the Church do? How will it carry on? We should become like the protestant churches; we should have married and women priests. But in the early days and years of the Church, there were very few priests or religious. In the mind of Jesus – and in the mind of the early evangelists – everyone who was known as a follower of Christ was expected to be a laborer in the harvest field. Paul was a layman and made his living as a tentmaker.
 
All of us are called to be Christ's coworkers in the vineyard, missionaries of his mercy, peace, and love.  Some of us are called to dedicate ourselves in sacramental and apostolic ways to this spiritual harvest, but for the most part when Jesus admonishes us to "ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest", he is referring above all to the vast majority of disciples who are not Priests and Religious missionaries.
 
Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta was once speaking with a young man who wanted to do something for Christ. He was saddened by the problems he saw in the world and expressed his frustration to Mother Teresa. He told her, "I'm only one person, and the world is in such a mess! What can I do?" She answered, "Pick up a broom." 
 
Living our faith as missionaries is not just an expectation of God for us, it isn’t one more rule, sharing faith and the message to repent and believe is above all a corporal work of mercy, a labor that brings greater peace into the hearts of human beings and therefore the world, and it is an act of love for neighbor – our loving responses to God’s love for us. The Kingdom of God is at hand.
 
Let the peace of Christ control your hearts; let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Let all the earth cry out with joy!

Comments are closed.

    Audio

    Homilies

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    May 2017
    July 2016
    June 2016

    Categories

    All
    Advent
    Christmas
    Church
    Eucharist
    Eucharistic Celebrations
    Faith
    Holy Spirit
    Holy Week
    Hope & Love
    Human Formation
    Identity
    Lent
    Live In Christ
    Living Word Of God
    Men
    Mission
    Moral Theology
    Odds And Ends
    Prayer
    Rooted In Truth
    Sacraments
    Saints
    Sin And Redemption
    Spiritual Life
    Trinity

    About...

    Fr. Blair Gaynes has been in the Diocese since 2008.

    In 2011 I began work with Campus Ministry in the Jacksonville area and after being Ordained in 2012 I was appointed as chaplain/director of Campus Ministries in the Duval County and surrounding area.  

    During this time I was also serving as parochial vicar at Resurrection and Blessed Trinity Catholic Churches.

    In 2017 I was appointed Pastor of the Basilica Parish in Jacksonville, while continuing Campus Ministry. 

    I have 
    over 35 years experience in youth and young adult work in social services, education, parish and campus ministry fields.  As well as experience as a spiritual director, retreat master and keynote speaker.

    RSS Feed

OFFICE HOURS
9 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday - Thursday
​Office is closed on Fridays.


OFFICE:

Phone: (904) 359-0331
Fax: (904) 356-8133
Email: office@icjax.org


OFFICE ADDRESS
121 East Duval Street
Jacksonville, FL 32202
NEW TO PARISH?

Become a member of our faith community,
Register Online 

Got Questions, no time to call, drop us a note by using this form...
​Click Here

GETTING MARRIED AT THE BASILICA
For general information, please contact our Parish Wedding Coordinator, Cathryn Morency, 
​at 904-359-0331 or fill out our online form.
  • Home / Página de inicio
    • Mass Intentions / Candles / Flowers
    • Parish Registration / Registro y Stewardship
    • Parish Property Use Request
    • Worship Aid / Bulletin / Homilies
  • Capital Campaign
    • Parish Vision 2020-2024 >
      • 2017 - 2021
      • Parish Plan
      • Phase 1: Adoration Chapel
      • Phase 2a: Organ Restoration
      • Phase 2b: Rectory / Office Reno
      • Phase 3: Church Reno / Repair
      • Cathedral District Jax
      • About the Church >
        • Church Tours >
          • Exterior Tour
          • Interior Tour
          • Window Tour
  • Sacraments / Sacramentos
    • Faith Formation & Education / Formación de fe / educación
    • Mass & Adoration / Misa y adoración
    • Baptism / Sacramento del Bautismo
    • Reconciliation / Confession
    • First Reconciliation & First Communion
    • Confirmation
    • RCIA - Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults
    • Marriage: Unique for a reason >
      • So You Want to Get Married?
  • About the Parish
    • Pastoral Leadership, Staff & Ministries
    • Fellowship & Ministry >
      • Ministerio Hispano Y Grupos
    • Photo Gallery
  • Contact
  • CCM Jax
    • CCM-Jax Registration
    • Calendar
    • CCM-JAX Media Gallery
    • CCM Groups / Forms