Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Lord Jesus sent the Apostles to preach the Gospel to the entire world. As fruit of the vitality of His Word and the power of His Grace, the Kingdom has extended little by little throughout the entire world. The Triune God has begun living in the hearts of many of His sons and daughters living in lands where no one had ever heard of the sole Savior of the World: Jesus Christ.
Thanks to the work of many missionaries who have generously consecrated their lives, the Church, Mystical Body of Christ, has begun to grow and become present in many places on the planet, like a mother lovingly searching for her children who inhabit the four corners of the earth. As a result of this presence, new dioceses, young Churches have been established, in whose lives the mystery of the Universal Church is present.
The Pope invites these young Churches to show their appreciation for the gift of the faith. The faith is certainly the greatest gift that God gives us. This does not only imply the acceptance of a series of intellectual affirmations or a code of ethics. The faith gives us the possibility of entering into communion with God's own life, living His divine life. Saint John assures us that “believing, we will have life in his name” (cf. Jn 20:31). This communion of life that springs forth from the faith is rooted in love. Believing is knowing the personal love that God has for me. This is why true faith, as it is true love, cannot remain silent. Love, as a good, is “diffusivum sui,” it demands to be communicated by its very nature. This shows that a Church that lives the joy of her faith, a young Church with the newness of love for Jesus Christ, should also be a missionary Church, sharing this God-Love that they have known with others. In speaking of Saint Paul, Benedict XVI commented: “On the way to Damascus he had experienced and understood that the redemption and the mission are the work of God and his love. Love of Christ led him to travel over the roads of the Roman Empire as a herald, an apostle, a preacher and a teacher of the Gospel.” (Message for World Mission Sunday 2008)
Number 20 of the Decree “Ad gentes,” in addressing the recently founded Churches, says: “In order that this missionary zeal may flourish among those in their own homeland, it is very fitting that the young churches should participate as soon as possible in the universal missionary work of the Church, and send their own missionaries to proclaim the Gospel all over the world, even though they themselves are suffering from a shortage of clergy. For their communion with the universal Church will be somehow brought to perfection when they themselves take an active part in missionary zeal toward other nations.”
We can all call to mind the parable of the widow that only placed two small coins in the temple treasury. The Lord assures us that she “gave more than the rest” (cf. Mk 12:43). This is why we should foster a generous missionary spirit. Every Church is responsible for the growth of the Universal Church. It is certain that the Churches with ancient roots have also contributed to the spread of the Gospel, with great generosity, in the past. Perhaps, today what is needed is that we shake off the comfort, complexes, and fears we have in facing a secularized society, so as to renew it with an evangelizing spirit.
Let us give thanks to God for the vitality and generous flowering of vocations in the younger Churches. They are a witness to the eternal youth of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Let us ask Mary, in this month dedicated to her, to accompany us in prayer. Gathered in recollection with her in the Cenacle, awaiting a new Pentecost in love, we pray that the Church of Christ, of which she is the image as Mother and Virgin, may continue bearing forth more “sons in the Son” in faith and baptism. (Agenzia Fides 28/4/2009)
