Three words are striking in my reflection on today’s Gospel; mission, discipleship, and proclamation.
Mission
Mission could be a complex term. The content of mission as bearing witness to God’s kingdom and the call to repentance is ever-enduring. However, the mode of its interpretation and communication requires more attention. I adopt the view of mission issuing from the understanding of revelation as God’s dialogue with human beings for saving grace, and the fullness of life. Jesus announced the mission of the Father with the proclamation of human wholeness. “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full” (John 10,10).
Thus, mission is a means of establishing this dialogue of salvation initiated by God himself in human history. It is realized through the deeds and words of Jesus Christ. It is both dialogue and praxis. And the Church’s mission in today’s world is relevant because of the message and work of salvation. This idea is represented in Vatican II’s teachings. For example, Gaudium et Spes and Ad Gentes emphasize that mission is a means of fulfilling God’s plan of salvation in the world of human beings. On the same note, Pope Paul VI made the dialogue of salvation a core discussion in his 1964 encyclical Ecclessiam Suam.
Discipleship
Jesus teaches us that we should not only live the gospel but hand it on. I am convinced that the gospel of Christ and the Christian faith have a missionary dimension so long as we understand mission also as a call to the life of discipleship. Regarding the agents of mission in today’s gospel, the disciples were people from all walks of life. Most of them were simple people. Some of them did not have formal education. All were ordinary human beings with the usual imperfections.
By virtue of Baptism and Confirmation, every one of us is also called to be apostles and disciples. Often, we are stuck with self-evaluation and self-justification. This limits our spirit-filled testimony and sharing of the faith in which we believe. Our discipleship is not a result of our personal righteousness. Though the holiness of life is a compelling testimony of God’s presence within us. Instead, we have been given the faith so that we can take part in God’s mission of salvation in the world. The faith we receive as Christians is meant to be shared. God alone gives us the grace and strength for the ministry.
As disciples, we ask God to show us how we can be bearers of the gospel in encounters with others so that God’s kingdom of justice, truth and love may reign.
Proclamation of the Kingdom of God and the Call to Continuous Conversion
The preaching and teaching of Jesus reveal the kingdom of heaven or the reign of God. It is as near as the reality he brings, in which we also participate. In the Lord’s Prayer Our Father, we pray daily for the coming of God’s kingdom. We may be more intentional in considering how we can participate in making God’s reign come alive in today’s world. In a world where evil is loud, the reign of God comes through people who believe strongly in the goodness of God’s message in Jesus. War, injustice, sickness, and all sorts of spiritual and moral brokenness break people. True believers become a healing presence to accompany people who are broken-hearted and lend a listening ear to those in need of love.
[Gn 44:18-21, 23b-29; 45:1-5; 105:16-17, 18-19, 20-21; Mt 10:7-15]
Excellent piece. Keep it up!