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Here am I, send me (Is 6:8)
Pope Francis: Message for World Mission Day 2020
In this year marked by the suffering and challenges created by the Covid-19 pandemic, the missionary journey of the whole Church continues in light of the words found in the account of the calling of the prophet Isaiah: “Here am I, send me” (6:8). This is the ever new response to the Lord’s question: “Whom shall I send?” (ibid.). This invitation from God’s merciful heart challenges both the Church and humanity as a whole in the current world crisis. “Like the disciples in the Gospel we were caught off guard by an unexpected, turbulent storm. We have realized that we are on the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented, but at the same time important and needed, all of us called to row together, each of us in need of comforting the other. On this boat… are all of us. Just like those disciples, who spoke anxiously with one voice, saying ‘We are perishing’ (v. 38), so we too have realized that we cannot go on thinking of ourselves, but only together can we do this” (Meditation in Saint Peter’s Square, 27 March 2020). We are indeed frightened, disoriented and afraid. Pain and death make us experience our human frailty, but at the same time remind us of our deep desire for life and liberation from evil. In this context, the call to mission, the invitation to step out of ourselves for love of God and neighbour presents itself as an opportunity for sharing, service and intercessory prayer. The mission that God entrusts to each one of us leads us from fear and introspection to a renewed realization that we find ourselves precisely when we give ourselves to others.
-Pope Francis, Message for World Mission Day 2020
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In english
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Jesus the Missionary
Excerpt from To The Ends of the Earth: A Pastoral Statement on World Mission
Jesus was a missionary. As the Word of God, he is the light of all nations. As the Word made flesh, he brought God's own life into our midst. Before returning to the Father, he sent the Church to continue the mission given him by the Father and empowered Her with his Spirit. "As the Father has sent me, so I send you" (Jn 20:21).
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The Missionary Church
Excerpt from To the Ends of the Earth: A Pastoral Statement on World Mission
The Church, therefore, in missionary by Her very nature. She continues the mission of the Son and mission of the Holy Spirit by proclaiming to the ends of the earth the salvation Christ offiers those who believe in him. We are faithful to the nature of the Church to the degree that we love and sincerely promote her missionary activity. As teachers and pastors, we are responsible for keeping alive a vibrant Catholic missionary spirit in the United States.
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Vatican Documents on Mission
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