You shall be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8) is the theme that Pope Francis has chosen for this year’s World Mission Sunday, which we celebrate today.
The mission mandate that the Lord gives to his present-day Church is to identify the new geographical, social, and existential peripheries—the places and peoples of the margin—where ‘we shall be witnesses to the love of Christ towards all. The pope says this is how we are to understand in today’s terms the phrase “the ends of the Earth” to where we are called to be witnesses of Christ.
Mission Sunday is an invitation to look beyond ourselves, our parishes or communities to understand, appreciate and participate in the life and mission of the universal Church.
The Gospel reading chosen for today is John 17:11, 17-23, as it is Mission Sunday. The Gospel invites us to reflect on Jesus’ prayer for his missionaries. From the priestly prayer of Jesus, evangelist John identifies two kinds of conflicts that would trouble his Church. The first is the persecution of the disciples by the powers of this world. And the second is the divisions within the Church. Jesus prays that his followers of all generations, including ourselves today, that we will withstand the hatred of the world and its persecutions and will stay united as children of one Father.
Jesus did not pray that his disciples should be taken out of this world. He never prayed that they might find an escape; instead, he prays for their final victory. He insists that his followers must live out their lives in faith amid the harsh realities of the world. Our faith in Jesus does not offer us immunity from problems, but he opens a way to solve them.
Divisions within communities are normal: it’s just what happens. But, what is important is, how to work towards reconciliation and greater unity. Jesus prayed for the unity of his disciples. Where there are divisions, exclusiveness, and competition, the mission of the Church is defeated. A divided Church where in the faithful hate one another over traditions, liturgy, and rubrics cannot evangelise the world. Unfortunately, individuals and groups within the Church prevent God from acting on our lives and we refuse to be united. Jesus prayed that his disciples might be as fully one as he and the Father are one.
Mission Sunday highlights the importance of praying for the Church, participating in the mission of Christ, and supporting Church’s mission around the world. Our prayer, reflection and material help are lifelines to missionaries and faithful on all continents, striving to preach and live the Good News that God loves us.
In his message for World Mission Sunday, Pope Francis says: “The disciples are to be witnesses of Jesus, in every place and situation, thanks to the grace of the Holy Spirit that they will receive…. The Church’s only mission, as the community of Christ’s disciples, is to bring the Gospel to the entire world by bearing witness to Christ.”
For your reflection:
Prayer is the first power of proclamation. Missionaries are above all men and women of prayer, who nourish faith in a constant bond with the Lord in order to overcome the difficulties that evangelisation entails
Father Josekutty Mathew CMF
