Mission Sunday,Elia9th S,Oct.24,10

Mission Sunday, Elia 9^th S,Oct.24,10

(Mt.28:16-20)

Mother Teresa was once told by a Chinese person that he would not do what she was doing even if he were given a gift of a million dollar. She replied that she would not do the same even for two millions if it were not for the love of Jesus Christ. It was the love for Jesus that made her do such great works of mercy. She often has told people that she was a just pencil in the hand of the Lord to write His letters of love. She felt called to live this life of love because she saw in every poor and haggard person the face of Jesus Christ. It was not through words that she preached the message of love but through her sacrificial life. She carried the sick and the dying in her own hands, nursed them and made them happy and loved. She lived literally what St Francis Assisi has said of his mission: “ Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary, use words.”

The above words of St .Francis and the life of Mother Teresa should cross our minds as we prepare ourselves to celebrate today the Mission Sunday.

The Gospel makes it very clear what Jesus wants from each one of us. Without mincing words our using parables or stories, Jesus tells the disciples very plainly what they should be doing after his departure from the world. They are to go and preach this Good News, make every one know that Jesus is the Savior of their lives and baptize them. This is the mission entrusted to every one who is a disciple of Jesus.

Accordingly, the mission of the church is threefold: “Evangelization of all nations and the conversion of entire cultures are to be done. Every area of life must be brought under the Lordship of Christ. Secondly, the administration of sacraments is essential to the Church’s mission .Thirdly, the transmission of all that Christ taught necessitates the assistance of the Holy spirit, who guides the Church to proclaim the Gospel infallibly.”(Ignatius Catholic Study Bible).
The Gospel has to become part of our lives. Our families should become first the centers of Christian love, of forgiveness, of deep and abiding faith in Jesus. It is through our lives that we have to proclaim the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Otherwise, what we say just becomes meaningless words and we become the laughing stocks of our neighbors.
Albert Schweitzer was a great missionary in Africa. There was a great reception arranged for him on one of his trips to Chicago. People were at the train station to receive him as he got down from the train. But when he got down, he saw an elderly black lady struggling to get down and to get her suitcase from the compartment. Instead of greeting the people who came to receive him, he walked over to the elderly lady and helped her to get down. He also helped her to take the suitcase from the compartment. Can anyone doubt the sincerity of his faith? He was preaching the Gospel through his noble action. It is though our lives that the Gospel has to be preached first.
The Holy Father in his message for the Mission Sunday observes: “Like the Greek pilgrims of two thousand years ago, the people of our time ask believers not only to speak of Jesus but to make Jesus seen, to make the face of the Redeemer shine out in every corner of the earth.” He wants us to “promote the proclamation of the Gospel in the heart of every person, of every people, culture, race and nationality in every place.”

Evangelization involves first and foremost the transformation of our attitudes. Unless we carry the face of Jesus in our lives, we can never speak of him to others.

Our hearts should be devoid of all ill-feelings, revenge, hatred etc. We should carry this spirit of love and forgiveness to our places of work and living---to our schools and work-places. Let the people who interact with us know that we live by different standards.
Then our witness to the Gospel becomes really genuine and sincere. The commandment that Jesus has given us becomes part of our lives. We have to ask ourselves at the end of every day: “ How did I proclaim Jesus today in my life?”
We also have to help the Church in its mission of evangelization by our personal contribution of time, talent and financial resources.

According to a recent study about the changes in American Catholic life, it has been mentioned that in the Gallup poll done in 1958, 74 of American Catholics attended mass regularly. A recent poll has indicated that only 30-40 % attend mass regularly. This study shows that we are living in a world that is becoming fast receding from faith.

What Matthew Arnold, the poet, wrote in the 19^th C. is true of our times: “The Sea of Faith was once, too, at the full,….But now I only hear its melancholy, long withdrawing roar.”

Our young people live in this world that is fast evaporating of Christian faith. Evangelization and practice of a Christian way of life have to start in our families. It is from the fire of faith from the hearth at home that other hearths in other homes should be lighted.

Mission Sunday is a day not only for dreaming and planning about evangelization in distant lands, but also a time of planning about realizing it right in the heart of our families. The silence of the believers is deadening. Let this day inspire us to bear witness to our faith in our families as well as in our workplaces.