World Mission Sunday
Over 1 billion Catholics all over the world observe Sunday, October 23, 2022, as World Mission Sunday. This annual observance was instituted 96 years ago in 1926 by Pope Pius XI’s Papal decree. Every year since then, the universal Church has dedicated the month of October to reflection on, and prayer for, the missions. On World Mission Sunday, Catholics gather to celebrate the Eucharist and to contribute to a collection for the work of evangelization around the world. This annual celebration gives us a chance to reflect on the importance of mission work for the life of the Church. It reminds us that we are one with the Church around the world and that we are all committed to carrying on the mission of Christ, however different our situations may be.
Pope Francis’ message for World Mission Sunday this year reflects on the theme: "You shall be my witnesses" (Acts 1:8). He reminds us that the Church is missionary in nature and that we are called at Baptism to share in this mission together. The Holy Father exclaims, "Would that all of us in the Church were what we already are by virtue of baptism: prophets, witnesses, missionaries of the Lord, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to the ends of the earth!"
Jesus, the first missionary, made a permanent arrangement for inviting all men throughout the ages to share God’s love and salvation: “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, and teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you” (Mt 28:19). This is why the Council Fathers of the Second Vatican Council declared that the Church of Christ “is missionary in its origin and nature.” Hence, it follows that the mission of the Church is the mission of every member of the Church, and is not reserved for the priests, the religious, and the active missionaries alone. Thus, every Christian is a missionary with a message to share — the message of God’s love, liberation, and eternal salvation.
The most powerful means of fulfilling this goal is by living a truly Christian life — a life filled with love, mercy, kindness, compassion, prayer, and a forgiving spirit. The most important thing is not the Gospel we preach, but the life we live. This is how the early Christians evangelized. Their Gentile neighbors used to say: “See how these Christians love one another!” The Christ they recognized and accepted was the Christ who lived in each Christian.
Prayer is the second means of missionary work. Jesus said: “Without me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5). Therefore, prayer is necessary for anyone who wishes to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, and for everyone who preaches the Good News in his life. In his message for World Mission Sunday, 2004, Pope St. John Paul II stressed the fact that the Holy Spirit would help us to become witnesses of Christ only in an atmosphere of prayer. Since missionaries are weak human beings, and since witnessing to Christ through life is not easy, we need to support them by our prayers always.
All missionary efforts also require financial support because the love of God can often be explained to the poor by providing them with food and a means of livelihood. The sick can experience the healing power of Jesus through the dedicated service of doctors, nurses, and health care workers.
On World Mission Sunday, we join our Holy Father in supporting his missions. As we pray and respond here at home, we share in those celebrations taking place in every parish and school throughout the world. Together, through our prayers and financial support, we bring the Lord’s mercy and concrete help to the most vulnerable communities in the Pope’s missions. In a world where so much divides us, World Mission Sunday rejoices in our unity as missionaries by our Baptism, as it offers each one of us an opportunity to support the life-giving presence of the Church among the poor and marginalized in more than 1,100 mission dioceses.
Deacon Ed Herrera