“ Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations; baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And know that I am with you always; yes to the end of time,“ Mt 28:20.
“Of this Gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things.” Eph 3:6-8.
“The Lord Christ has always called from the number of his disciples those whom he has chosen that they might be with him so that he might send them to preach to the nations. So the Holy Spirit implants in the hearts of individuals a missionary vocation and at the same time raises up institutes in the Church who take on the duty of evangelization, which pertains to the whole Church, and make it as it were their own special task.” Vatican II, Missionary Activity.
“Those who are sent to the different nations should, as worthy ministers of Christ, be nourished by the ‘words of faith and with good doctrine,’” Ibid.
“Interior dispositions should be diligently developed and fostered: they should be elevated and nourished by the spiritual life. With a living faith and an inexhaustible hope, the missionary should be a person of prayer.” Ibid.
The missionary church,” borrows from the customs, traditions, wisdom, learning, arts and sciences of people everything which can serve to confess the glory of the Creator, to illustrate the grace of the Savior and rightly order the Christian life. “ Ibid.
“The new evangelization will show its authenticity and unleash all its missionary force when it is carried out through the gift not only of the word proclaimed, but also of the word lived.” Pope John Paul II, The Splendor of Truth, 1987.
“ Missionary activity demands a specific spirituality, which applies in particular to all those whom God has called to be missionaries. This spirituality is expressed first of all by a life of complete docility to the Spirit. It commits us to being molded from within by the Spirit, so that we may become ever more like Christ. It is not possible to bear witness to Christ without reflecting his image, which is made alive in us by grace and the power of the Spirit. This docility then commits us to receive the gifts of fortitude and discernment, which are essential elements of missionary spirituality.” Pope John Paul II, Redeemer of Man, 87.
“You must set yourselves on the path of holiness. Only thus can you be a sign of God in the world and re-live in your own countries the missionary epic of the early Church. You will also be a leaven of missionary spirit for the older churches. For their part, missionaries should reflect on the duty of holiness required of them by the gift of their vocation, renew themselves in spirit day by day, and strive to update their doctrinal and pastoral formation. The missionary must be a “contemplative in action.” Ibid, 91.
The Holy Spirit, “leads the Church on her missionary path. The mission continues the mission of Christ, who was sent to evangelize the poor. The Church, urged on by the Spirit of Christ, must walk the road Christ himself walked, a way of poverty, and obedience, of service and self-sacrifice,” CCC 853.
“That the answer of the entire people of God to the common vocation to sanctity and mission may be promoted and fostered, with careful discernment of the charisms and a constant commitment to spiritual and cultural formation.” Pope Benedict XVI, July 31, 2008.
Missionaries
Missionaries are those who leave home to bring the good news of faith to people in other countries. The spiritual gifts of missionaries include the willingness and the aptitude to share their faith with Catholics and non Catholics around the world. The Holy Spirit leads them to hunger to serve others and to concentrate on promoting and fostering the doctrines and religious experience of their faith.
They see the gifts of those in foreign lands and meld them into the gifts of our faith. They evangelize by sharing their lives and faith experiences. Their spiritual lives are enriched by their own faith experiences.
Questions to share
- Which passage touches you or burns in your heart the most? Why?
- How have you exercised this gift in the past?
- How are you now exercising this gift in ministry?
- Do you see new ways you can exercise this ministry in the future?