“The mission of Christ the redeemer, which is entrusted to the Church, is still very far from completion. As the second millennium after Christ’s coming draws to an end, an overall view of the human race shows that this mission is still only beginning and that we must commit ourselves wholeheartedly to its service. It is the Spirit who impels us to proclaim the great works of God: ‘For if I preach the Gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!’ (1 Cor 9:16).”
With these words, our late Holy Father, Saint John Paul II opened his powerful encyclical on the mission work of the Church, entitled Redemptoris Missio (following the Church’s custom of naming a document after the first few words that start the document: “the mission of the redeemer”), promulgated on 7 December 1990. Although it was written almost 30 years ago, its message is still very pertinent today. It is now more than 2,000 years since Jesus Christ, the son of God, came among us to begin his saving work for all humanity. Yet, only 34% (2 billion) of the world’s population is Christian; of those, 17% (1 billion) are Catholic. In fact, there are more Muslims in the world – 19% – than Catholics, and there are almost as many people who do not associate with any religion as there are Catholics!
Since 1926, the universal Church has celebrated World Mission Sunday every year to continue to keep in the minds of the faithful their ongoing responsibility to proclaim the Good News of our salvation to the ends of the earth. To support this important work, the pope issues an annual “World Mission Sunday” message. Allow me to quote from Pope Francis’ message for this year:
Our filial relationship with God is not something simply private, but always in relation to the Church. Through our communion with God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we, together with so many of our other brothers and sisters, are born to new life. This divine life is not a product for sale – we do not practice proselytism – but a treasure to be given, communicated and proclaimed: that is the meaning of mission. We received this gift freely and we share it freely (cf. Mt 10:8), without excluding anyone. God wills that all people be saved by coming to know the truth and experiencing his mercy through the ministry of the Church, the universal sacrament of salvation (cf. 1 Tim 2:4).
The Church is on mission in the world. Faith in Jesus Christ enables us to see all things in their proper perspective, as we view the world with God’s own eyes and heart. Hope opens us up to the eternal horizons of the divine life that we share. Charity, of which we have a foretaste in the sacraments and in fraternal love, impels us to go forth to the ends of the earth (cf. Mic 5:4; Mt 28:19; Acts 1:8; Rom 10:18). A Church that presses forward to the farthest frontiers requires a constant and ongoing missionary conversion. How many saints, how many men and women of faith, witness to the fact that this unlimited openness, this going forth in mercy, is indeed possible and realistic, for it is driven by love and its deepest meaning as gift, sacrifice and gratuitousness (cf. 2 Cor 5:14-21)! The man who preaches God must be a man of God.
This missionary mandate touches us personally: I am on a mission, always; you are on a mission, always; every baptized man and woman is on a mission. People in love never stand still: they are drawn out of themselves; they are attracted and attract others in turn; they give themselves to others and build relationships that are life-giving. And, we are all called to draw others to a life-giving relationship with God.
Next Sunday – World Mission Sunday – the Church calls us and all people, young and old, clergy and laity, to support the universal mission of the Church, through prayer and sacrifice. Please be as generous as possible in next Sunday’s second collection and remember the universal mission of the Church in your daily prayers!