Pope Francis waves at the end of a mass of Pentecost in Saint Peter's square at the Vatican June 4, 2017 - REUTERS
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has issued his Message for World Mission Sunday, 2017, which is focused onMission at the Heart of the Christian Faith. World Mission Sunday is marked each year in October, and this year is on October 22nd.
Please find the full text of the Holy Father's Message, below...
*********************************************************
Mission at the heart of the Christian faith
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Once again this year, World Mission Day gathers us around the person of Jesus, the very first and greatest evangelizer (PAUL VI,Evangelii Nuntiandi, 7), who continually sends us forth to proclaim the Gospel of the love of God the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit. This Day invites us to reflect anew on themission at the heart of the Christian faith. The Church is missionary by nature; otherwise, she would no longer be the Church of Christ, but one group among many others that soon end up serving their purpose and passing away. So it is important to ask ourselves certain questions about our Christian identity and our responsibility as believers in a world marked by confusion, disappointment and frustration, and torn by numerous fratricidal wars that unjustly target the innocent. What is thebasisof our mission? What is theheartof our mission? What are theessential approacheswe need to take in carrying out our mission?
Mission and the transformative power of the Gospel of Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life
1. The Churchs mission, directed to all men and women of good will, is based on the transformative power of the Gospel. The Gospel is Good News filled with contagious joy, for it contains and offers new life: the life of the Risen Christ who, by bestowing his life-giving Spirit, becomes for us the Way, the Truth and the Life (cf.Jn14:6). He is theWaywho invites us to follow him with confidence and courage. In following Jesus as ourWay, we experienceTruthand receive hisLife, which is fullness of communion with God the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit. That life sets us free from every kind of selfishness, and is a source of creativity in love.
2. God the Father desires this existential transformation of his sons and daughters, a transformation that finds expression in worship in spirit and truth (cf.Jn4:23-24), through a life guided by the Holy Spirit in imitation of Jesus the Son to the glory of God the Father. The glory of God is the living man (IRENAEUS,Adversus HaeresesIV, 20, 7). The preaching of the Gospel thus becomes a vital and effective word that accomplishes what it proclaims (cf.Is55:10-11): Jesus Christ, who constantly takes flesh in every human situation (cf.Jn1:14).
Mission and thekairosof Christ
3. The Churchs mission, then, is not to spread a religious ideology, much less to propose a lofty ethical teaching. Many movements throughout the world inspire high ideals or ways to live a meaningful life. Through the mission of the Church, Jesus Christ himself continues to evangelize and act; her mission thus makes present in history thekairos, the favourable time of salvation. Through the proclamation of the Gospel, the risen Jesus becomes our contemporary, so that those who welcome him with faith and love can experience the transforming power of his Spirit, who makes humanity and creation fruitful, even as the rain does with the earth. His resurrection is not an event of the past; it contains a vital power which has permeated this world. Where all seems to be dead, signs of the resurrection suddenly spring up. It is an irresistible force (Evangelii Gaudium, 276).
4. Let us never forget that being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a Person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction (BENEDICT XVI,Deus Caritas Est, 1). The Gospel is a Person who continually offers himself and constantly invites those who receive him with humble and religious faith to share his life by an effective participation in the paschal mystery of his death and resurrection. ThroughBaptism, the Gospel becomes a source of new life, freed of the dominion of sin, enlightened and transformed by the Holy Spirit. ThroughConfirmation, it becomes a fortifying anointing that, through the same Spirit, points out new ways and strategies for witness and accompaniment. Through theEucharist, it becomes food for new life, a medicine of immortality (IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH,Ad Ephesios, 20, 2).
5. The world vitally needs the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Through the Church, Christ continues his mission as theGood Samaritan, caring for the bleeding wounds of humanity, and asGood Shepherd, constantly seeking out those who wander along winding paths that lead nowhere. Thank God, many significant experiences continue to testify to the transformative power of the Gospel. I think of the gesture of the Dinka student who, at the cost of his own life, protected a student from the enemy Nuer tribe who was about to be killed. I think of that Eucharistic celebration in Kitgum, in northern Uganda, where, after brutal massacres by a rebel group, a missionary made the people repeat the words of Jesus on the cross: My God, My God, why have you abandoned me? as an expression of the desperate cry of the brothers and sisters of the crucified Lord. For the people, that celebration was an immense source of consolation and courage. We can think too of countless testimonies to how the Gospel helps to overcome narrowness, conflict, racism, tribalism, and to promote everywhere, and among all, reconciliation, fraternity, and sharing.
Mission inspires a spirituality of constant exodus, pilgrimage, and exile
6. The Churchs mission is enlivened by a spirituality ofconstant exodus. We are challenged to go forth from our own comfort zone in order to reach all the peripheries in need of the light of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium, 20). The Churchs mission impels us to undertake aconstant pilgrimageacross the various deserts of life, through the different experiences of hunger and thirst for truth and justice. The Churchs mission inspires a sense ofconstant exile, to make us aware, in our thirst for the infinite, that we are exiles journeying towards our final home, poised between the already and not yet of the Kingdom of Heaven.
7. Mission reminds the Church that she is not an end unto herself, but a humble instrument and mediation of the Kingdom. A self-referential Church, one content with earthly success, is not the Church of Christ, his crucified and glorious Body. That is why we should prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security (ibid., 49).
Young people, the hope of mission
8. Young people are the hope of mission. The person of Jesus Christ and the Good News he proclaimed continue to attract many young people. They seek ways to put themselves with courage and enthusiasm at the service of humanity. There are many young people who offer their solidarity in the face of the evils of the world and engage in various forms of militancy and volunteering... How beautiful it is to see that young people are street preachers, joyfully bringing Jesus to every street, every town square and every corner of the earth! (ibid., 106). The next Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, to be held in 2018 on the themeYoung People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment, represents a providential opportunity to involve young people in the shared missionary responsibility that needs their rich imagination and creativity.
The service of the Pontifical Mission Societies
9. The Pontifical Mission Societies are a precious means of awakening in every Christian community a desire to reach beyond its own confines and security in order to proclaim the Gospel to all. In them, thanks to a profound missionary spirituality, nurtured daily, and a constant commitment to raising missionary awareness and enthusiasm, young people, adults, families, priests, bishops and men and women religious work to develop a missionary heart in everyone. World Mission Day, promoted by the Society of the Propagation of the Faith, is a good opportunity for enabling the missionary heart of Christian communities to join in prayer, testimony of life and communion of goods, in responding to the vast and pressing needs of evangelization.
Carrying out our mission with Mary, Mother of Evangelization
10. Dear brothers and sisters, in carrying out our mission, let us draw inspiration from Mary, Mother of Evangelization. Moved by the Spirit, she welcomed the Word of life in the depths of her humble faith. May the Virgin Mother help us to say our own yes, conscious of the urgent need to make the Good News of Jesus resound in our time. May she obtain for us renewed zeal in bringing to everyone the Good News of the life that is victorious over death. May she intercede for us so that we can acquire the holy audacity needed to discover new ways to bring the gift of salvation to every man and woman.
From the Vatican, 4 June 2017 Solemnity of Pentecost
Read the original post:
Pope Francis: Message for World Mission Sunday - Vatican Radio
- Managing the ageing process [Last Updated On: September 30th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 30th, 2012]
- Natures Elements Releases New Product: Reishi Mushroom - This Chinese Longevity Mushroom Has Miraculous Health Benefits [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2012] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2012]
- Dance conference [Last Updated On: October 11th, 2012] [Originally Added On: October 11th, 2012]
- Immortal moment for Sonya [Last Updated On: October 15th, 2012] [Originally Added On: October 15th, 2012]
- Read in [Last Updated On: October 15th, 2012] [Originally Added On: October 15th, 2012]
- An artificially intelligent future: Ray Kurzweil on engineering the brain [Last Updated On: November 28th, 2012] [Originally Added On: November 28th, 2012]
- OpenWorm brings simulated life one step closer with ‘real’ digital muscles [Last Updated On: December 20th, 2013] [Originally Added On: December 20th, 2013]
- Tozer Devotional - The Alliance: Living the Call Together [Last Updated On: December 20th, 2013] [Originally Added On: December 20th, 2013]
- The Eucharist: What Do Catholics Believe? [Last Updated On: December 20th, 2013] [Originally Added On: December 20th, 2013]
- Elixir of life - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [Last Updated On: December 20th, 2013] [Originally Added On: December 20th, 2013]
- Immortality - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [Last Updated On: December 20th, 2013] [Originally Added On: December 20th, 2013]
- The Immortal Life « Rebecca Skloot [Last Updated On: December 21st, 2013] [Originally Added On: December 21st, 2013]
- Could humans attain immortality? - Curiosity [Last Updated On: December 23rd, 2013] [Originally Added On: December 23rd, 2013]
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot - Book ... [Last Updated On: December 23rd, 2013] [Originally Added On: December 23rd, 2013]
- Alex Chiu Eternal Life Immortality Device [Last Updated On: December 23rd, 2013] [Originally Added On: December 23rd, 2013]
- Jiaogulan - gynostemma pentaphyllum - China's "Immortality ... [Last Updated On: December 23rd, 2013] [Originally Added On: December 23rd, 2013]
- FSU will go down as one of the all-time great teams [Last Updated On: January 8th, 2014] [Originally Added On: January 8th, 2014]
- Sermons and Papers [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2014] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2014]
- Twin fiestas mirror Filipinos’ duality of spirit [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2014] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2014]
- Medicine of Immortality [Last Updated On: January 21st, 2014] [Originally Added On: January 21st, 2014]
- Hockey great Bobby Orr presents his new book in Vero Beach [Last Updated On: February 7th, 2014] [Originally Added On: February 7th, 2014]
- RIP Jade Rabbit: China's lunar rover officially dead [Last Updated On: February 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: February 15th, 2014]
- Catholic Social Doctrine Can Help Rescue Aging Societies [Last Updated On: February 27th, 2014] [Originally Added On: February 27th, 2014]
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Science NetLinks [Last Updated On: March 13th, 2014] [Originally Added On: March 13th, 2014]
- Community HealthNet offers comprehensive healthcare for all [Last Updated On: March 16th, 2014] [Originally Added On: March 16th, 2014]
- REVIEW The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story, By Vivek J. Tiwary And Brian C. Robinson [Last Updated On: March 22nd, 2014] [Originally Added On: March 22nd, 2014]
- Wallace Baine, Baine Street: Why the silence on science? [Last Updated On: March 24th, 2014] [Originally Added On: March 24th, 2014]
- Why Freezing Yourself Is a Terrible Way to Achieve Immortality [Last Updated On: April 2nd, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 2nd, 2014]
- Gene therapy successfully regenerates an old organ inside a living animal [Last Updated On: April 10th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 10th, 2014]
- Grief-stricken memorialize loved ones on 'R.I.P. T-shirts' [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2014]
- Doctors Can Now Grow Engineered Vaginas in Women [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2014]
- Celldex's Phase 1 study of CDX-1401 published in Science Translational Medicine [Last Updated On: April 17th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 17th, 2014]
- Researchers Link Aging to Cellular Interactions That Occur Across Generations [Last Updated On: April 25th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 25th, 2014]
- UNC researchers link aging to cellular interactions that occur across generations [Last Updated On: April 25th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 25th, 2014]
- Aging linked to cellular interactions that occur across generations [Last Updated On: April 26th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 26th, 2014]
- Sir Roger Bannister has Parkinson's Disease [Last Updated On: May 2nd, 2014] [Originally Added On: May 2nd, 2014]
- Do Not Miss the Secrets to Longevity, Healing & Immortality with Soul Miracle Healer Dr. and Master Zhi Gang Sha at ... [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2014] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2014]
- New, young blood can reverse some signs of aging, improve cognitive abilities [Last Updated On: May 5th, 2014] [Originally Added On: May 5th, 2014]
- Sixty years on from the day Sir Roger changed athletics [Last Updated On: May 6th, 2014] [Originally Added On: May 6th, 2014]
- University Medal runners-up find turning point at Berkeley [Last Updated On: May 13th, 2014] [Originally Added On: May 13th, 2014]
- How a Rare Medical Condition Could Help Extend All of Our Lives [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2014] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2014]
- The Eternal Problem Silicon Valley Can't Solve [Last Updated On: September 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: September 1st, 2014]
- Americas highest-paid female CEO was born a man [Last Updated On: September 8th, 2014] [Originally Added On: September 8th, 2014]
- Harry Potter Magic at the Eccles Library [Last Updated On: September 9th, 2014] [Originally Added On: September 9th, 2014]
- Brain Trust: 15th Annual IdeaFestival Blossoms, Branches Out [Last Updated On: September 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: September 12th, 2014]
- The Essence of Senescence [Last Updated On: September 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: September 12th, 2014]
- The $1 Million Race For The Cure To End Aging [Last Updated On: September 16th, 2014] [Originally Added On: September 16th, 2014]
- Hedge fund offers $1M to cure aging [Last Updated On: September 16th, 2014] [Originally Added On: September 16th, 2014]
- Derrick Rose's Long Journey Back to Superstardom Is Only Just Beginning [Last Updated On: September 17th, 2014] [Originally Added On: September 17th, 2014]
- 7 Most Audacious Medtech Predictions [Last Updated On: September 17th, 2014] [Originally Added On: September 17th, 2014]
- What's up, docs? [Last Updated On: September 21st, 2014] [Originally Added On: September 21st, 2014]
- Forever creator previews the newest show about immortality [Last Updated On: September 22nd, 2014] [Originally Added On: September 22nd, 2014]
- Penn Researchers Explain How Ends of Chromosomes are Maintained for Cancer Cell Immortality [Last Updated On: September 26th, 2014] [Originally Added On: September 26th, 2014]
- Show mixes mystery and medicine [Last Updated On: September 26th, 2014] [Originally Added On: September 26th, 2014]
- How the Ends of Chromosomes Are Maintained for Cancer Cell Immortality [Last Updated On: September 26th, 2014] [Originally Added On: September 26th, 2014]
- Unraveling the Universe: Griffins Tower [Last Updated On: September 29th, 2014] [Originally Added On: September 29th, 2014]
- 8 superfoods that arent all that super [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- 'The Strain' News: Season 1 Finale Recap, Show Renewed for Second Season [Last Updated On: October 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 11th, 2014]
- Author Rebecca Skloot to Present Free Public Lecture at UCR as Part of Immortality Project Lecture Series [Last Updated On: October 21st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 21st, 2014]
- Eskind Biomedical Library highlights world of Harry Potter [Last Updated On: October 24th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 24th, 2014]
- Ali Regained Title in Historic Fight 40 Years Ago [Last Updated On: October 31st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 31st, 2014]
- 'Rumble in the Jungle' Turns 40 [Last Updated On: November 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 1st, 2014]
- Death: Only Lazarus can refute [Last Updated On: November 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 1st, 2014]
- November 2014 [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2014]
- Here Are All the Movies Opening Today, November 7. What Will You See? [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2014]
- Brittany Maynard forced us to confront death [Last Updated On: November 9th, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 9th, 2014]
- How Brittany Maynard made us look at death [Last Updated On: November 9th, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 9th, 2014]
- Modern medicine unwraps ancient mysteries around 2,000-year-old child mummy [Last Updated On: November 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 15th, 2014]
- Revealed: Modern medicine unwraps ancient mysteries of Bolton's 2,000-year-old child mummy [Last Updated On: November 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 15th, 2014]
- EDEL: In a galaxy far far away [Last Updated On: November 17th, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 17th, 2014]
- The Immortal Medication - Genetics Medicine [Last Updated On: November 20th, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 20th, 2014]
- Dr. and Master Zhi Gang Sha, Creator of Soul Healing Miracles, Invites Public to Q & A Online Seminar About New Book ... [Last Updated On: November 22nd, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 22nd, 2014]
- I dont want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not dying. Woody Allen [Last Updated On: November 23rd, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 23rd, 2014]
- Part 2: Mushrooms for health and wealth [Last Updated On: November 26th, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 26th, 2014]
- What should doctors do when the drugs wont work? Often its easier to push one more treatment than to acknowledge ... [Last Updated On: November 27th, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 27th, 2014]
- CRUCIBLE: Hilot and Wellbeing (1) Julkipli Wadi [Last Updated On: November 30th, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 30th, 2014]
- VP Gems: Medicine For Finals [Last Updated On: December 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: December 12th, 2014]
- The Vampire Preservation Society Stands Out From The Pack As A Distinctive Narrative Of Brotherhood, Compassion, And ... [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2014] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2014]
- Dying we live [1995] [Last Updated On: December 18th, 2014] [Originally Added On: December 18th, 2014]
- The final chapter on the festive season [Last Updated On: December 20th, 2014] [Originally Added On: December 20th, 2014]