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The Adventure of Mission: Part 1

“The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.” ~ Pope Benedict XVI

What does Adventure have to do with greatness? Everything.

Let’s think about some “great” secular accomplishments and see if we can find an answer. Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Elvis Presley, Michelangelo, Martin Luther King Jr., and Gandhi, are all great in their own right. Their stories have all been told time and time again, in movies, books and songs about the lives of these great figures. 

Why is that?

Because greatness requires an adventure. Think about these stories of famous people who have done incredible things. The best part of these stories is that they are true! The ups and the downs, the grind and the effort put into being the best that they can be is inspiring and even entertaining!

I think Pope Benedict knew this when he said his quote because that is why greatness is contrasted with comfort. 

An adventure is never comfortable, but it is always worth it. 

And we have the best adventure waiting for us as Christians: to follow in the footsteps of Christ.

Now let us look to an example of someone who truly saw their faith as an adventure: Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. He was known as a very charismatic young man who attracted his secular friends to the faith by using their common ground. For him, it was often games or gambling, actually! He would bet his friends that if he won the game, they would have to go to Mass with him. He was committed to answering the call to evangelize not in far off lands, but in his own community, with his own friends. He used that connection with his friends to build relationships that ultimately would lead them ALL to relationships through Christ.

Frassati shows us that an authentically lived life with Christ is THE greatest adventure. He loved being outdoors, climbing mountains, and was literally the definition of an adventurous man, yet found that his life’s greatest joy and adventure was only found in light of a life with Christ, constantly pursuing that closeness to heaven. Frassati lived this adventure, regardless of what obstacles were in his way. He was born into a higher social class, but that did not stop him from breaking through social norms to help the poor in his community. He was born wealthy and even drove his parents nuts because he would, for example, give his really expensive clothes to the destitute on the street. 

We can all agree that Blessed Frassati was an amazing example of someone who answered God’s call to their personal mission. Can you think of someone in your life who has done this?

Take a minute and think about your personal mission. Hopefully you can see ways in your personal life where you have fully embraced your God-given mission. What is God calling you to? What does your adventure of a life with Christ look like? Now more than ever, we each need to live our mission because God wants to impact the world through you. How will you pursue greatness, not comfort, in your relationship with Christ this year?

We at Biking for Babies have found an incredible adventure in our pursuit to spread the beauty of life through our actions and by spreading awareness of life-affirming pregnancy resource centers. You may be called to join our community! Pray about it and find our missionary application online at www.www.bikingforbabies.com/joinApplications close on February 28.

A final thought about comfort versus greatness: Blessed Pier Giorgio once said, “To live without faith, without a heritage to defend, without battling constantly for truth, is not to live but to ‘get along’; we must never just ‘get along’.” 

Settle for more. Settle for greatness.