Today we honor the Franciscan saint, St. Junipero Serra. Over
the past 800 years, countless men and women have lived out the Gospel by
following the patterns of life left by St. Francis and St. Clare, that radical,
practical, and deeply evangelical school of holiness.
Hundreds from among the three orders, that is the friars
minor, the poor clares, and the secular Franciscans have been canonized or
beatified—probably saints and blessed than than any other of the consecrated
religious orders. Eleven Friars Minor were canonized by Pope Francis, including
the saint we honor today, St. Junipero Serra.
The Franciscan way of life is evangelical in the strict
sense: it is ordered toward living the Evangelium, the Gospel, as directly and
visibly as possible. It is evangelical in the missionary sense as well. The
Franciscan way of life is missionary because it is not content simply to cultivate
personal holiness in a vacuum or even community life; it presses outward. St.
Francis understood the Gospel as something to be lived, preached, embodied, and
carried to others.
The Saint we honor today is one of the great Franciscan
missionaries, who exemplifies the Franciscan ideals of poverty, perseverance,
evangelical zeal, and sacrificial love.
Serra lived out that classic Franciscan impulse: to go out
with the Gospel. He left the security of an academic career in Mallorca,
traveled to across the Atlantic, and eventually labored in California as an
aging friar with chronic physical ailments.
Serra’s motto, highlighted by Pope Francis at his
canonization, was siempre adelante—“always forward.” For the Franciscan ideal
is not comfort, status, or self-preservation, but availability for Christ’s
mission. Serra’s missionary life was marked by travel, hardship, limited
resources, and physical suffering. But he missioned, “siempre Adelante”—always forward,
fueled by the zeal for souls and love of Christ.
He went to the margins, as Pope Francis would say, from
familiar society into difficult, dangerous, and culturally unfamiliar territory—to
the very margins of this continent, to its western shores, and his missionary
life was not lived among the rich and powerful, or even the reasonably
comfortable, but among frontier communities, soldiers, settlers, and Native
peoples.
“Siempre Adelante”—“always forward” a good model for us to
consider and interiorize. How is God seeking to lead us forward in living out
in the Gospel in the world, bringing the Gospel to souls, bringing the Gospel
to the margins, to leave behind the comfortable and embrace the sacrificial for
the glory of God and the salvation of souls.
For the Church, that like St. Junipero Serra, we may be
willing to leave our comfort zones to spread the Gospel and serve those in need.
For vocations to the priesthood and religious life, that
through the intercession of St. Junipero Serra, more men and women may answer
God's call to serve. And for those discerning their vocation, that they may
have the courage to follow God's will, even when it leads them to unexpected
places.
For educators and catechists, that they may follow St.
Junipero Serra's example in dedicating their lives to teaching and forming
others in the faith, and for our parish
community, that we may cultivate the virtues of humility and perseverance
demonstrated by this great saint in our own spiritual journeys. Let us pray to
the Lord.
For the sick, the impoverished, the lonely, those suffering
from mental illness, those most in need, and those near death: may God, through
the loving mercy of the Precious Blood of Jesus, be close to them in their
trials.
And during this month of July, we pray that the Precious
Blood of Jesus may be the salvation of all those who have died, for the
deceased members of our families friends, and parish and all of the souls in
purgatory. For the dear Franciscans who have labored and inspired us in the diocese of Cleveland.
Loving Father, inspired by the life and example of St.
Junipero Serra, grant us the courage to follow your Son wherever He may lead
us, the humility to serve others selflessly, and the perseverance to continue
your work even in the face of challenges. May we, like St. Junipero, be
instruments of your love and mercy in the world through Christ our Lord.
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