When Isaiah speaks of those sent to distant coastlands for God’s glory, and Luke speaks of those from east, west, north and south who will “recline at table in the kingdom of God,” I am awestruck by what the love of God can inspire us to do. Richie Fernando, a Jesuit scholastic from the Philippines, was inspired and sent to Cambodia in 1996. He was working at a vocational school for landmine survivors when a disgruntled student brought a grenade to school in anger. Richie fell upon the grenade so that it would not hurt others, and died in the explosion. The young man had not intended to hurt Richie, and later said, with great remorse, “Richie was my friend. He ate rice with us.”
What is the uncertainty, the frontier, and the unknown that you face willingly because of your love of God?
—Fr. Chris Manahan, S.J. serves as Director of Jesuit Retreat House, Oshkosh, WI.