Posted by Word Alive–Fr. Bel San Luis, SVD October 23, 2022 / 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
One Sunday morning after saying Mass at the Sacred Heart Church in Kamuning, Quezon City run by our SVD confreres, a couple approached me. “Father, we’re from this parish,” they greeted.
“We’re lay missionaries working in Papua New Guinea and we’re presently on vacation.” Then they related their mission work.
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I found it extraordinary and inspiring that a Filipino lay couple could make the sacrifice of leaving a comfortable life and country to devote some years in the “bush mission.”
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Today is WORLD MISSION SUNDAY. Before ascending to heaven, Jesus Christ said: “Go out into the whole world and proclaim the Good News to every nation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved.” (Mk 16,15).
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Many have the misconception that spreading God’s Word belongs to religious and lay missionaries only. The truth is: every Christian, by virtue of baptism, IS a missionary.
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Not all, however, can emulate what the missionary couple had been doing. For most Christians, they can be missionaries at home, whether they’re a teacher, nurse, executive, lawyer, and others. What counts is not geography, but the spirit or motive that impels a baptized Christian to follow the mandate of Christ.
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Remember St. Therese of the Child Jesus? She never stepped out of the four walls of her Carmelite cloister but was chosen as the universal patroness of Catholic missions. She merited the title because of her burning obsession to save immortal souls by offering every little act of sacrifice, every bodily pain, every fervent prayer.
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When I was ordained priest in the missionary Society of the Divine Word (SVD), I applied to work in Mexico, Central America. Unfortunately, I did not get my wish. The farthest I’ve gone to is Mexico…Pampanga!
That doesn’t mean, however, that I am not a genuine missionary. By my work in the media and supporting seminarians under the “Adopt A Seminarian” scholarship program, I am a missionary.
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Further, we can be missionaries by contributing financial support for the mission. Money is necessary in building churches, convents, clinics, social centers needed especially in far-flung “bush missions.”
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The Holy Father, Pope Francis, in his World Mission Sunday 2022 message, says, “We should establish a network of prayer and collection for missionaries, so that the faithful could actively participate in the mission ‘to the ends of the earth’. This brilliant idea gave rise to the annual celebration of World Mission Day, in which the funds collected in local communities are applied to the universal fund with which the Pope supports missionary activity.”
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ASK YOURSELF: Am I contributing for the mission through the three Ts–Time, Treasure, Talent? Am I aware of my mission obligation only on Mission Sunday or throughout the whole year round?
When I meet the Lord in the next life, can I say: “Lord, I did my share in spreading your teachings and following your mandate?”
The answers? All yours.
World Mission Sunday 2022 Message of Pope Francis
