"I am coming to gather the nations of every language. They shall come to witness my glory.

One very fond memory I cherish of growing up with my family in Ireland, is the memory of being in regular contact with an aunt of mine who was a missionary sister in East Africa. Given that she only got to visit us every five years, our principal means of staying in touch with her was, by means of what we in our computer-savvy world refer to as 'snail-mail.' I used love when one of her airmail letters or post-cards would arrive, because they were like no others. Her beautiful cards contained scenes from exotic places with strange names like Mombassa, Nairobi, Msongari and Kituii. And what scenes they were, for my young curious Irish eyes to gaze on with wonder and amazement: huge elephants with shining white tusks; a spotted leopard on the prowl or the breathtakingly beautiful Rift valley set against a glimmering, resplendent sunset; and then, one of my favorites - a beautiful shot of gracefully gangly, pink-hued, spindly-legged flamingoes strutting in their thousands along miles of white Mediterranean sands. And then there were the pictures of the native Kenyans themselves: the Masai tribe, as they performed a ritual dance, or a young native mother clad in the most intricate and brightly colored toga and turban-style headdress, as she held her little one to her ripe breast.

These images from Africa fired my imagination as a child and opened my eyes and mind to the big, multi-cultural world of God's glorious creation that lay beyond the shores of my little country. They instilled in me a sense of wonder and awe at the diversity of the human family. My missionary aunt was a hero for me as I imagined her teaching and ministering among the beautiful colored people of Kenya. Her many letters and visits home informed us of how much she loved the young people she worked with. She had learned their songs and grown to love their many beautiful customs. She saw the glorious presence of God in their lives and ways - a presence that had existed among them long before any white missionaries visited their shores.

In our first reading today, the prophet Isaiah foretells of a time when all nations will come to know the glory of God - nations that have never heard of God or seen God's glory. Personally I don't think any such nations ever existed. God's spirit is, and always has been, alive and well in every race, nation and culture known to humanity. Sadly, as an evangelizing church it has taken us many centuries to acknowledge this truth. Many indigenous cultures around the world have been decimated and undermined by over- zealous and misguided bands of missionaries. Even our beautiful twenty-one mission stations here in California are testament to this sad, tragic history in the church. Christian efforts to civilize and evangelize have too often got it badly wrong. But we are learning, if only by degrees.

As a baptized people we are a missionary people, and as a missionary people we are commissioned to go out to discover and affirm where and how God is actively present in all cultures and religions. Our role as evangelizers is to simply share the story and example of our Christian faith with those open to receiving it. As a Christian people we do not have a monopoly on salvation and we do not possess the totality of God's revelation. We have a lot to learn from the many rich cultures and religions of our world, and they in turn can learn much from us.

As baptized disciples of Christ we have received a rich share in God's glory, but our baptism alone does not guarantee our salvation. As our gospel today warns us: we must live in communion and intimacy with Jesus Christ, and we must actively witness to the faith we have received if we are to inherit the Kingdom of God. It is one thing to be a nominal Christian; but it is quite another thing to nourish the gift of faith we have received, and to actively witness to it in our everyday lives. It is one thing to attend mass; but it is quite another thing to live its life-giving and liberating message in our lives.

God invites all of us - people of every race, creed and culture to participate in the transformation of the world. We are called as one human family to share in, enjoy and celebrate the glory of our one true God; God's glory is his vision of a world renewed, healed and transformed. Let this dream begin anew, with me, today.