I have a Post-it in my workspace that reads, “Your work is the work of eternity.”

I don’t remember where I heard it, but I recall it was in the context of parenthood. (‘Work’ here can mean any tasks to be undertaken, not simply one’s job.) I find myself reading that note daily as a reminder of what matters the most. It gives me perspective and guides where I put my energy, both in my occupation and my vocation.

As part of a “Diocese on Mission,” my work–and your work–is truly the work of eternity. It is to move through each day remembering our eternal destiny. Not in a pessimistic way, but with hopeful anticipation we know that one day we will come into the presence of Christ. We will then understand the eternal impact of our time on earth.

As Bishop Robert Barron has stated, my life and my Christianity are not for me alone. My hope, my prayer, my goal is to bring as many souls as possible to Jesus. This is the mission the Lord gave all his disciples.

In this issue, you will meet others who know that their work can make an eternal impact, such as the Verneys, who were so moved by the Church’s call to pray for the dead that God led them on a unique mission. The founders and volunteers with the Cathedral Free Clinic seek to bring physical and spiritual healing to a world without hope–fostering an encounter with the Divine Physician so they, too, may be with him in eternity.

Whatever our vocation, our work is the work of eternity, because God who is eternal has called us to something greater, something beyond this world.

Thank you for reading Great Lakes Bay Catholic.

To Jesus through Mary,

Danielle