MISSION POSSIBLE!
Blessed Sunday, one & all. If you are reading this today, it is most likely because some person(s) in your life introduced you to the Lord Jesus Christ. Perhaps your parents consented to having you baptized as a child. Or perhaps you came to the Catholic faith as an adult. Or perhaps you are not yet baptized but seeking God. Whatever the circumstance & your state of life right now, we praise & thank the Lord for drawing you to Himself. We earnestly pray that He will speak to your heart today through this short reflection.
Today’s scripture reminds all of us that the Church is missionary in nature & called to proclaim to everyone that God loves us with deep personal love, & that “God has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings of heaven in Christ” (cf Ephesians 1:3 – from our 2nd Reading today). We see that Jesus in the Gospel today sent his apostles to go out on mission, to preach repentance, cure illnesses & diseases & administer deliverance from evil (Mark 6:13); that the apostles showed through their outreach to, & care, concern & love for others, that indeed God was blessing & restoring their lives.
Indeed, what began with the apostles & the early Church continues to be the raison d’etre (reason for being or existence) for the Church until the end of time – to preach the Word, go out to the ends of the earth to make disciples & bring people into a familial relationship with God through baptism.
In 1975 Pope St. Paul VI, issued an Apostolic Exhortation “Evangelii Nuntiandi” (“Evangelization in the Modern World”). Drawing upon the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, Pope St. Paul VI described evangelization as the Church’s deepest identity and mission; that “the Church exists to evangelize”; that she must proclaim Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, so that all people will open their hearts to Jesus and find in Him and in His Church salvation from their sins and the pathway to true & authentic holiness.
I’m sure that we have all benefited tremendously from the missionary & outreach work that others have done for us. So, what can we do to reciprocate & contribute to mission & evangelization, in our regular day to day interactions? The scope is indeed very wide & the mission field is large. We could offer to teach catechism to children & teens, journey in the Parish RCIA as a Sponsor, serve in various liturgical functions like Lectors. Cantors, Choir Member, Eucharistic Ministers etc. Or we could get involved with the SSVP to reach out to the needy & less fortunate. And even if we do not have an opportunity to get involved in any formal ministries of the Church, all of us can certainly do the best & most important thing: to be a witness to Jesus & the Good News by the testimony of our lives. So, are we loving, patient & kind? Do we treat others with respect? Do we forgive others & try to live in peace with each other? Do we reflect the mercy & love of God in our attitudes to others?
Here’s an intriguing question for us to ponder: If you were to be accused of being a Catholic Christian & brought before a court, would there be enough irrefutable evidence to convict you?
As we close the reflection for this week, may the Response to the Psalm be our prayer: “Let us see, O Lord, your mercy, and give us your saving help” (Psalm 85:8). Let us continue to open our hearts to the merciful & saving love of God & bring this to our family, friends & all those we meet in our outreach & service as lay missionaries.
Article by Damian Boon, HFC Blog Team Lead