We love because He first loved us

Newly planted coconut trees thirst for water.

They need sunlight to thrive, and well-drained soil to grow.

We often hear it is better to give than to receive. But, to receive and be received are the first phases in producing fruit that lasts.

The same is true for missionary work.

This was one of the lessons learned by 12 students and four chaperones, guided by Father Lee Jirovsky, pastor of St. Mary (Sutton) and St. Helena (Grafton), on an 8-day youth mission trip to Roatan, Honduras, marking the parishes’ second international mission in two years.

Each day began with Daily Mass, followed by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Choosing to receive His love carried these young missionaries into uncharted waters and steep hills in the heat and humidity.

The needs of the poor, the crippled, and the blind seemed obvious. Admittedly, our instinct was to give, to work, to supply them with our preconceived ideas of what they lacked in light of their conditions.

But through these blessed encounters, Jesus brought to our attention our own limitedness, weakness, and blindness, instead.

We needed to learn to be received.

Abandoned by his family, Alberto was a blind man who often went days without any visitors.

Our mission with him wasn’t about the food we provided.

Nor the radio we gave him. We offered our time and engaged in a bilingual conversation, at best. And even those things would come to an end.

Only after being received by him, were we truly able to give what Alberto needed the most—to be seen, to be known, to be loved.

Other receptions came as a surprise. The children at Crawfish Rock School, for example, were so excited for our arrival that they couldn’t even wait for us to park before climbing on our trucks.

Lesson plans weren’t needed that day. They welcomed us with more arms than we could carry.

At other times, we were received with indignation because of our Catholic faith. We prayed for them anyway.

All of these and countless other moments were when 1 John 4:19 became more than just a Bible quote on the back of a youth ministry T-shirt.

“We love, because He first loved us.”

This kind of sacrificial love is only possible through, with and in God. Receiving His love is the key to giving well.

Because in the end, the soccer balls, volleyballs, Band-Aids, and books would run out.

Sooner than later, the bags of groceries would diminish.

The shoes would be outgrown. And the stark reality would eventually set in: we cannot give what we do not have.

But the greatest of gifts is love – which cannot deflate, be spent or worn out.

All eleven students from last year returned, adding Dyvet Fonseca, an incoming junior at Sutton High School, as the ‘rookie’ missionary. Fonseca, who joined her older brother, David, on the mission, said she learned a lot from those who went before her.

“Something I think I learned from the older missionaries was definitely go with the flow and be ready for the unexpected,” Fonseca said. “So many plans changed and some things we didn’t get to do, but the older missionaries had a positive attitude through it all.”

Angelina Cloet, an incoming senior at Pius X Catholic High School in Lincoln, decided to join her former classmates of Sutton for another mission, which she said brought them “closer together and in such a special way.”

Cloet said being a missionary wasn’t about the material goods given out, but instead about the memories and relationships being established.

“I love interacting with every child, especially the ones at the schools,” Cloet said. “Even with the language barrier, we could still read each other’s emotions. Overall, it was such an amazing experience.”

Roatan has 12 Catholic churches, but only two priests to minister on the island of more than 100,000 residents.

“I enjoyed a brief lunch conversation with the assistant pastor, who was new to the island in his second assignment,” Fr. Jirovsky shared, as he related some of the struggles he encountered during the home visits.

“Between my broken Spanish and his limited English, we both felt overwhelmed with the needs, both spiritual and material.”

Fr. Jirovsky experienced some of the helplessness of having so little to give.

“It took a lot to keep from crying,” he said. “All I had was two hands and Jesus; but God put me in those moments to be Christ for them. It was humbling and heart-wrenching to receive their joy.”

Fonseca said she learned not to take things for granted, like celebrating Mass every day and getting to be with family.

“For some people, having those things would be a blessing,” she said.

Clearly, the need is great in Roatan.

But the invitation is ready for future missions.

We have only to receive it.