The mission of the Church, therefore, is to call all peoples to the salvation accomplished by God through his incarnate Son. It is therefore necessary to renew our commitment to proclaiming the Gospel which is a leaven of freedom and progress, brotherhood, unity and peace (cf. Ad Gentes, 8). I would “confirm once more that the task of evangelizing all people constitutes the essential mission of the Church” (Evangelii Nuntiandi, 14), a duty and a mission which the widespread and profound changes in present-day society render ever more urgent. At stake is the eternal salvation of persons, the goal and the fulfilment of human history and the universe. Animated and inspired by the Apostle of the nations, we must realize that God has many people in all the cities visited by the apostles of today (cfr Acts 18:10). In fact “the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to him” (Acts 2:39).
The whole Church must be committed to the missio ad gentes, until the salvific sovereignty of Christ is fully accomplished: “At present, it is true, we are not able to see that all things are in subjection to him” (Heb 2:8).
On this day dedicated to the missions, I recall in prayer those who have consecrated their lives exclusively to the work of evangelization. I mention especially the local Churches and the men and women missionaries who bear witness to and spread the Kingdom of God in situations of persecution, subjected to forms of oppression ranging from social discrimination to prison, torture and death. Even today, not a few are put to death for the sake of his “Name”. The words of my venerable Predecessor, Pope John Paul II, continue to speak powerfully to us: “The Jubilee remembrance has presented us with a surprising vista, showing us that our own time is particularly prolific in witnesses, who in different ways were able to live the Gospel in the midst of hostility and persecution, often to the point of the supreme test of shedding their blood” (Novo Millennio Ineunte, 41).
What a gloriously unequivocal call to the heart of Christian mission in evangelization! “Thanks be to God for His indescribable Gift!†(2 Cor 9) May the Holy Spirit indeed renew our hearts and lives to this, God’s end.
Lord, watch over those who labor to bring Your Word to all people. Bless them, that their mission may be fruitful. Open the ears of those who most need the freedom of the Gospel. For Your Son’s sake, amen.
I must confess that I find it immensely disheartening that so few senior leaders in my own church (TEC) would have either the ability or the inclination to author a statement such as this. What passes for “mission” is embarrassing.
Worth remembering …
The future of the new creation is already shining in our world