Our Father as Mission

There is an image of the Church that used to be in common use for almost two millennia, but has fallen out of favor recently as not being “politically correct,” and that image is that of the “Church Militant,” with the accompanying metaphor of the individual believer as a “miles Christi,” that is, a “soldier of Christ.” Oddly enough, this was one of the preferred images in the early Church, borrowing from St. Paul, even though the early Church tended toward pacifism. Saints such as St. Francis and St. Ignatius of Loyola used this image for themselves and their orders. All of a sudden, in the last generation or so, we got “enlightened” and threw out the imagery of the Christian soldier, ripping “Onward Christian Soldier” out of the hymnals, as many denominations did in the 80’s and 90’s.

My theory is that their idea of what a soldier is about is as impoverished as their idea of what being a Christian is about, to be blunt. Perhaps they were watching too many Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Scharzenegger action movies with their high kill rates; I don’t know. We could explore this military theme in our faith in many ways, but I will offer a theme that was used to good effect in a war movie from 2001, and that is the classic military credo: leave no man behind, or if you wish, leave no one behind.

I think this theme is a lot truer of what the Church militant is about. We are not a “Kill them all; let God sort them out!” faith. What we have in “leave no man behind” is the very goal of our Christian faith. Our Heavenly Father wishes to lose no one, not a single soul to the enemy. Even if we are wounded or perish on this earthly battlefield, the idea is still the same: we try to bring everyone home. Everyone.

This idea is clearer, if we look at Isaiah 55:10-12. There, the Lord speaks of sending His word, which we know is THE Word, Jesus Christ, and who is sent forth on a mission by His Father, and He will not return to the Father until He accomplishes what He has done. He does not return to the Father empty-handed, but rather, presents to Him all the souls that He has ransomed. And He accomplishes this even though He Himself lays down His life in the field of battle, at the battlefield between Good and Evil called Golgotha.

In the same way, we are sent by the Father, not to return until we fulfill our own individual mission on this Earth. But what are our instructions while we remain here on Earth?

Well, that varies from person to person. We all have different gifts, talents, abilities and tasks. But we can take the Lord’s prayer as a model: Our Father who art in Heaven. Hallowed be thy name. We acknowledge who is sending us, who is giving the orders. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. That is, we wish to carry out the mission on which the Father sends us. Give us this day our daily bread. The original word here for daily bread is closer to “daily rations.” Thus, give us what we need to carry out this mission, Father. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. In other words, do not bind us, do not tie us down, but free us from all things that keep us from You. In the same manner, allow us to unbind our brothers and sisters from those things which keep them bound here on Earth. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. And finally, we ask our Father to bring us home, to not leave us behind.

But notice the continuation here. Remember what I said, leave NO MAN behind? God means it. If you wish to not be left behind yourself, to return home to the Father, you have to unbind your brothers and sisters as well. You have to forgive them, if you yourself want to be forgiven. Think of what the priest does in absolution. To absolve means, literally, to loosen a knot, to untie someone, to free them from something. It’s very hard to rescue someone who is tied down in leg irons and balls and chains. You have to get rid of those chains. If you do not release those chains that you have tied yourself with your brother and sister, whom you refuse to forgive, how can you be rescued? How can you come home? You are binding yourself to this mortal realm, not letting yourself be free to ascend home. It’s very hard to rescue or save the unwilling. Let go of those chains that you use to bind your brother and sister, so that in the end, your brother can come home, your sister can come home, I can come home, YOU can home. Remember, the success of our mission from our Father is not determined in casualties inflicted on the Enemy, but that we leave no man, no woman, no child, not a single soul, behind.

So, onward, Christian soldiers! We have our mission: pick up those rosaries, say those Our Fathers, LIVE the Our Fathers, and let’s help bring everyone home.

The Rosary  is one of the most powerful devotions entrusted to us by Our Lady, and in these turbulent times, it remains a sure path to peace, conversion, and deeper love of Christ.
Pope Leo XIV

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"Come and See"
Vocation Weekends
October 9-11, 2026
November 20-22, 2026
February 5-7, 2027
April 9-11, 2027

Often the best way to discern whether you are called to our way of life is to attend a “Come and See” Vocation Weekend. These events provide an opportunity for young men who are seriously interested in the Dominican Order to experience life with the brethren and learn more about the Order. Connect with our Director of Vocations, Fr. John Winkowitsch, O.P., and learn more about these weekends, at opwest.org/comeandsee.

Pope to Visit Lourdes as a Pilgrim

Please pray for the Holy Father in his apostolic visit to France.

SAVE THE DATE: ROSARY PILGRIMAGE WEST 2027

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, prayer warriors one and all: I am pleased to announce our inaugural Rosary Pilgrimage West, Saturday, September 25, 2027, at Our Lady of Lavang, Happy Valley, OR (near our shrine in Portland).

Our inaugural keynote speaker will be Fr. Lawrence Lew, OP, Promoter General of the Rosary for the Dominican Order, and well-known and loved for his appearances on EWTN, and his beautiful Catholic art and beauty books, focused on the Rosary and the Blessed Mother.

This will be an all-day event focused on Our Lady and Her Rosary, with the whole Dominican Order represented. Additional language tracks and speakers are being planned, as well as entertainment for all after the event. More details to follow.

Please pray for the success of this event, that it may be the glorious launch of a new Rosary movement, here in the Western US and beyond.

All to praise, bless, and glorify His Holy Name, in veneration of the Blessed ever-Virgin Mary!

Note from the Director
Dear faithful supporters of the Rosary Center & Confraternity, THANK-YOU! to all who have already donated to help us. We cannot do this without you! We rely on your ongoing support. May God bless you for your generosity!
Fr. Dismas Sayre, O.P.

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