Mission in today's world is the responsibility of all Christians
What is mission? There are hundreds of definitions. Evangelization (this is another name for missions) is a very meaningful activity that can be carried out in various forms. Thus, we can define the mission in different ways, highlighting one or another aspect of it.
The MISSION is the joy of believing in the Good News announced to the humble shepherds and continued: "Do not be afraid! Behold, I am announcing to you great joy that will be for all the people. A Savior was born to you today in the city of David. He is the Lord Messiah" (Lk 2, 10-11).
MISSION is the joy of knowing God, who is the Father and who is Love, and to proclaim to all the person and works of Jesus Christ, the only Son of the Father, as the apostles did: "So we have seen and testify that the Father sent the Son, the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him and he abides in God. We have come to know and believe the love with which God loves us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him" (1 Jn 4, 14-16). To believe that God loves me is to experience simply contagious joy.
The MISSION is to believe that Jesus died "one for all" (2 Cor 5:12), also for those who do not know it. Like the apostle Paul, who did not know Jesus during his earthly life, so can I and each of us personally say: He "loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal 2:20). That's why I can't hide this fact!
The MISSION is to follow in the footsteps of the Virgin Mary, who, knowing that she was carrying the Savior of the world in her womb, "hastily set out for the hill town of Judea" (Luke 1:39).
The MISSION is to bring to the world the fire that Jesus Christ kindled in the world and longs for it to burn (cf. Luke 12:45).
The MISSION is to carry the light that is Jesus Christ - the true light "that enlightens every person" (Jn 1, 9).
The MISSION is to bring the water of life to the world: "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you: 'Give me a drink', you would have asked him yourself, and he would have given you living water! (…) whoever drinks the water that I will give him will never thirst again, and the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up into eternal life" (Jn 4, 10.13). Hearing these words, the Samaritan woman immediately hurried to preach the Messiah to her countrymen. Indeed, as John Paul II states in his encyclical Redemptoris missio: "This is why missionary activity results not only from the formal command of the Lord, but also from the deep demand of God's life in us" (RM 11).
The MISSION is to give one's life "for the salvation of the world" - pro mundi vita, to communicate the life that was given to us by the one who came "that people may have life, that they may have it abundantly" (John 10:10).
The MISSION is to be witnesses of the Risen One: "When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will receive his power and become my witnesses (...) to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1, 8).
MISSION is the courage characteristic of the apostle Paul: "Do not be afraid! Speak up and don't be silent! I am with you" (Acts 18, 9-10). At the same time, this is also grace: "I, the least of all the saints, have received the grace to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ" (Eph 3, 8).
Mission brings salvation: "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How will people cry out to him whom they did not believe?! How will they believe in him whom they have not heard of?!" (Rom 10, 13-14).
Mission paths are various: testimony, first proclamation, conversion, baptism and formation of ecclesial communities, inculturation, dialogue, development of human resources. But the heart and driving force of the mission is the love that prompts action: Caritas Christi urget nos!
We can describe the mission with one summarizing and expressive word - Person. Jesus is the source of every life. Mission is above all a proclamation that becomes a testimony. And not necessarily in a distant country where people live in poverty. It is possible to be a missionary in any environment: you just need to joyfully witness to your faith.
THE DIMENSION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THE CHURCH
The Church transcends the boundaries of the parish or diocese. It is a community of local churches, a huge family. October, the global Missions Month, and especially the World Missions Day, is an opportunity to celebrate this unity in diversity by praying and sharing.
SOLIDARITY WITHOUT BORDERS
On the occasion of World Mission Day (this year it is October 23, 2022), over a billion Christians will unite in prayer. It will also be an opportunity to share spiritual, liturgical, cultural treasures; it is also important to share material goods.
BROTHERLY SHARING
Every year in October, the Church celebrates World Missions Day. For many years now, the whole of October has been the Month of Missions, during which the faithful pray and give material support to Catholic missions in the wider world.
Fr. Alessandro Barelli SDB, National Director Pontifical Mission Societies of the Lithuanian
For more details: MISIJOS KATALIKAI LIETUVIŲ