1. Let us learn from St Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897) At age 4, she lost her dearest mother. At age 10, she decided that her life’s mission was to save souls. She was to do it by embarking on a ‘giant race’ - to become a Saint. At age 15, we became a Carmelite monk until she died at age 24.

2. A missionary who never left her own corner in the monastery, in France. Therese would ask: “How am I to show my love of Jesus with others?  She prayed unceasingly for missionaries that they ‘be saints on fire with the love of God and souls.’  She took every chance to sacrifice, no matter how small it would seem.  She desired holiness. She didn’t want to just be good, she desired to be a great saint.  She wanted to love God as an apostle, martyr, priest, missionary to all.  For Therese, “Miss no single opportunity of making small sacrifice - here a smile, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love.”

3. Praying Hands for Missions You can use your fingers when you pray for missions. Here’s how your fingers can be prayer reminders: Thumb is nearest to you, begin by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest ones to remember. It is a “sweet duty” to pray for those we love. Index or Pointing Finger reminds you to pray for missionaries who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, counsellors, pastoral workers and chaplains. They need support and wisdom for pointing others in the right direction.

4. Middle Finger is your tallest finger that reminds you of the Church leaders. You can never pray too much for them. Pray for your parish priests, all the priests, catechists and all those involved in the mission work. Ring Finger is your weakest finger. This reminds you to pray for those who are discouraged, in trouble, in pain or suffering from any form of poverty. Little Finger is the smallest. Let pinkie remind you to pray for the people of the world who have the greatest need to find Jesus. Pray that they will open their eyes to see Him.