The following is the reflection that Sr. Jean Anne Zappa, president, gave at the Missioning service on June 27, 2025 to Sisters, Associates and coworkers.

Both in his first greeting to us and in his first homily, Pope Leo called us to be a missionary church. Here we are at our missioning ritual, committing to be on a journey with wisdom and love. Pope Leo said, “A missionary spirit must animate us.”

A modern missionary is defined as one who has intimacy with God, deep love for Christ, reliance on the Holy Spirit, and a passion for the good news. I believe that is our desire. It is getting a little harder now. A missionary is to have humility, courage, and boldness, and learns from others. Other qualities are to be flexible, adaptable, and to respond to unexpected situations and challenges with grace and humor. The most challenging is to have genuine love for others, openness in hospitality, and to make sacrifices for others.

Could those characteristics of a missionary spirit describe a journey with wisdom and love? A journey indeed has many unexpected turns, unknowns, and challenges. How do we respond—with flexibility, humor, trust, and good nature, or with impatience, fear, control, or anger?

The journey with wisdom is not about our insights, intelligence, or knowledge, but about having an open, listening heart to the presence of the Holy Spirit, relishing the grace and presence of a loving God. The gift of wisdom is to be receptive to the awesome God in truth and guidance with a discerning heart of trust, peace, and confidence in the God who will not abandon us on the journey. Wisdom is receiving the breath of God and reflecting on the eternal presence of the loving God.

The journey with love is beyond the feel–good emotion of love or being with only those we are comfortable with. St. Paul lays out very clearly how love is expressed—in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness. It is lived out in bearing with one another, having the peace of Christ in our hearts, and having gratitude for everything. All these expressions of love are to be done in word and deed.

In John’s Gospel, the community was about maintaining their belief in Jesus during their troubled times in the church and society, about belonging to the community, and hearing from Jesus that the sign of belonging is love.

In our troubled times of uncertainty, geopolitical tensions, and division, what does it mean to love? Just like Jesus’ disciples struggled with who belongs to what group and to what community, we have the same experiences today. What does it mean to love with tension and division in our society and church, or in family or faith community?

This gospel love Jesus is calling us to demands that we, in this uncertain and tension-filled time, love beyond our comfort zone. God loves each one of us unconditionally; we are all equal in the eyes and heart of God. As Father Rolheiser said recently, “No matter our differences and divisions, love always has respect. We are called to love in this tension, and that is what God is asking of us now.”

The gift of love happens when each of us individually allows God to love us where we are and who we are, and in accepting that love, we desire to come to God with an open heart. Only then are we able to embrace that dynamic love of God and return that love to God and others. That indeed is a sign of wisdom and love.

Pope Leo said, “With the light and strength of the Holy Spirit, let us build a church founded on God’s love, a sign of unity, a missionary church that opens its arms to the world, proclaims the Word, allows itself to be made restless by history, and becomes a leaven of harmony for humanity. Together as one people, let us walk toward God and love one another.”

St. Angela, in her rule, reminded us that we will find complete love in heaven, which is the fulfillment of love begun on earth.

So, on this missioning day of 2025, let us go forth on our journey with wisdom and love, relying on our faithful God and each other, with a missionary spirit to animate us.