Our mission as disciples of Christ
“The mission of the Christian in the world is a mission for all,
a mission of service, which excludes no-one; …”
~Pope Francis,
This year, as we approach World Mission Sunday, let us focus on the words of Pope Francis that highlight our universal baptismal calling to be missionary disciples of Jesus. World Mission Sunday affords all Catholics the opportunity to reflect and respond, with the aim of deepening our commitment through prayer and sacrifice, to the ecumenical Christian mission: “…, a mission of service, which excludes no-one; …requires great generosity and in particular the gaze and heart turned heavenward to invoke the Lord’s help.”
Pope Francis tells us that this tireless mission is to be carried out by following the example of Jesus, “not by pressuring, coercing or proselytizing, but with closeness, compassion and tenderness, and in this way reflecting God’s own way of being and acting”.
In the spirit of World Mission Sunday, we are called to reflect on the theme that takes its title from a verse in the Gospel of Matthew: ‘Go and invite everyone to the banquet’ (Matt. 22:9). The symbolism of the ‘banquet for everyone’ resonates with our own spiritual lives. Jesus is our King and we are His servants. He has sent us to invite everyone to His banquet: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, …” (Matt: 28:19-20)
Accepting God’s invitation to the banquet, clothing ourselves in His love, together with an emphasis on prayer and the participation in the celebration of the Eucharist at Mass, situates our hearts, at the core of our calling, to become true missionaries in the assembly of the banquet.
So, what can we do, as missionary disciples of Jesus, to ‘invite everyone to the banquet’, in ways that reflect God’s way of being and acting? Asking others to come to Mass with us on Sundays is just one simple way to extend the invitation to the banquet. It is incumbent upon us to remain ready, willing and able to recognize the opportunities to do so. There was a time, when someone I knew had stepped away from the Church, after having endured tragedy and loss in his life. His heart was no longer open to the invitation and he was drifting further and further away. Recognizing this, I prayed for an opportunity to invite him back. Then, in my role as the Youth Ministry administrator, my prayer was answered. The Cross we were using for our Passion Drama needed some repair and knowing that my friend was a skilled carpenter, I asked if he would help us out. He attended our Friday night meeting and was greeted by dozens of children who were preparing for the Passion Drama. After making the necessary adjustments to the Cross, the children gathered around him and thanked him for his work. They asked if he would attend the Passion Drama on Palm Sunday, and in an attempt not to disappoint them, he agreed. That evening, the children wanted to acknowledge him and his work, and when they did, tears welled up in his eyes and his heart was open. From that moment on, he became a member of the Passion Drama crew. He went on to join the Knights of Columbus and become a regular usher at Sunday Mass. The invitation had opened his heart and he was able to feel God’s love and grace.
Our own spiritual preparation is necessary to fulfill our mission of inviting everyone to experience the infinite love and grace of God. We must reflect, with a true sense of mission and commitment, on our own preparation in being able to fully participate in this most sacred invitation of partaking in the banquet of the Lord. Empowered through prayer and our participation in the Mass, we embody the spirit of the banquet of God and become fully equipped to extend the invitation to ALL.
In this year of prayer, we continue to be challenged to deepen our spiritual lives: As we journey into the Jubilee Year of 2025, what can we do to prepare ourselves to become witnesses of God’s inclusive love and invite others to do the same?