How do you experience and understand the Church today? Is it a group of people who bond together to preserve a way of life for itself? Is it a group that gathers every Sunday only to say hello and bid each other goodbyes after what feels like the most extended hour of the week? With a hand on one's heart, is this the way we witness to the world? Did Jesus call us to be this way?
This Month of Mission, Pope Francis brings to our focus the passage on Acts chapter 1:8. "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses, in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." The power of the spirit that comes through hearing given in Baptism creates unity through understanding. On that first Pentecost, the disciples spoke the people's language, and those who heard and understood believed and were baptised (Acts 2:41). Faithful witnesses are effective communicators. Communication happens through words and deeds. It was not enough for the friends of Jesus to be disciples, only. They have to be missionary disciples. Missionaries are people whonot only affirm the presence of goodness in the culture and its people but also proclaim the message and life of Jesus, the Word made flesh. Creating the phrase missionary disciple enables a believer to create the channel of peace that leads to unity.
Our MISSION SUNDAY Poster presents Pope Francis hosting the leaders of other faiths in Assisi, Italy, to pray and witness as peacemakers. All gathered as one heart, praying to eliminate wars, division, anger, greed, and egoism. In the prayer of St. Arnold Janssen SVD, "May the darkness of sin and the night of unbelief vanish before the Light of the Word and the Spirit of grace. May the heart of Jesus live in the hearts of all."
"You are my witnesses" is the one clear definition of who believers are as a Church. At Pentecost, God found a people, a Church, who become his face for others to believe.
Two Hundred years ago, a physically fragile girl started to gather fifteen friends and assign each to pray daily a decade of the Rosary wherever they may be, and at any moment of the day each chose. Each praying for the intention that believers truly be witnesses of Jesus and that the saving power of God continues to grow. Her name was Pauline Marie Jaricot from Lyon, France. She also asked each to donate a weekly coin for the missions. That is how Mission Sunday began.
Mission Sunday is not just collecting money. It is a day to celebrate our being missionary –disciples. It is also a day when we bring to Church the money we have set aside to express our solidarity to assist in supporting the Mission of the Church beyond our parochial/diocesan/national borders.
Mission Sunday is celebrating our being witnesses of God, ready to proclaim, in word and deeds, the Joy of the Good News of Jesus.
Fr. Bernard Espiritu, SVD, National Director Pontifical Mission Societies in New Zealand
