Today's Gospel reading begins with Jesus' command to his disciples, "Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature." By the end of the reading we know that a good start has been made to that mission. Today's feast shows us how two of Jesus' later disciples felt at times in their attempts to carry out their mission.

In the actual world in which he laboured St. Paul had to deal with difficult people. Sometimes he had to be rather blunt with them. In today's reading he writes that a certain kind of divine compulsion was driving him. He "had" to obey that compulsion in the way he judged best. He likens himself to a steward with a job to do from his employer. Only in this way could he be a Christian. Life wasn't always like that, for him, of course, but he did hit hard patches from time to time.

St. Francis Xavier also felt a driving compulsion to tell of God's love which led him into danger and caused him trouble and anxiety. He also, however, experienced much joy and satisfaction in his mission.

Not all of us can be Pauls or Xaviers but we are Christians. As such we can share to a greater or lesser degree in their missionary joys and sorrows.