Sometimes, it seems that the news is a constant flow of negativity. Refugees flee from war, children are denied education, and disease runs rampant. Poverty seems to be both the cause and the effect. For some, it may be easy to throw up their hands in discouragement, asking how they can possibly make a difference.

As Catholics, we have a different lens through which we view this sadness: our faith in Jesus Christ. As Pope Francis reminds us, "In imitation of our Master, we Christians are called to confront the poverty of our brothers and sisters, to touch it, to make it our own, and to take practical steps to alleviate it."

So it is with missionaries who are supported by The Society for the Propagation of the Faith.

Every day, they take those practical steps to alleviate suffering and to spread the Gospel. They are planting the seeds of hope.

In northern Thailand, Sisters search out "lost girls" who have been kidnapped or sold from their families into human trafficking. The Sisters provide hope and consolation amidst great loss.

In Uganda, a trained catechist and his wife ride a bicycle many miles to bring the Good News to rural villages that have no priest. Their determination to share the faith and hope of the Gospel with others is a model for their children and neighbors.

Street boys in Brazil find help from a missionary priest. Passed through the school system with little to no true education, these older teens find themselves homeless and addicted to drugs. Many turn to crime. With help from Father, the boys are rehabilitated and return to school. Most go on to live healthy, hopeful, productive lives.

By our Baptism, God calls each of us to reach out and show His hope to our brothers and sisters -- especially those who suffer.

During this Easter Season, consider a gift to help missionaries everywhere to continue their work. A gift of $200 -- just $4 for each day between Easter and Pentecost -- would help the Sisters in Thailand reach more "lost girls." A sacrifice of $150 - $3 a day for that same time -- would provide a month's training for a catechist in Uganda. Your donation of $50 -- $1 a day for the Easter Season -- would put fuel in Father's car as he rescues a never-ending flow of street boys in Brazil.

Whatever the size of your prayerful gift, know that you make a difference to all missionaries who, supported by The Society of the Propagation of the Faith, are working in the newest fields of our faith, planting the seeds of hope.

- Maureen Crowley Heil is Director of Programs and Development for the Pontifical Mission Societies, Boston.