Sunday October 20, 2024, Twenty-Ninth Sunday of the Year B – Mission Sunday
Today’s Readings:
First reading – Isaiah 53: 10-11; Second Reading – Hebrews 4:14-16) and the
Gospel – Mark 10:35-45
Today, we celebrate the mission Sunday. What is mission Sunday all about? Mission Sunday is a day dedicated by the pope for all the Catholics all over the world to recommit ourselves to our common vocation, through Baptism to be missionaries, through prayer, participation in the Eucharist, and by giving generously to the collection for the Society for the Propagation of the Faith.
So what is the primary missionary duty of every member of the Church?
As the community of Christ’s disciples, every member of the church has no other mission than that of bringing the Gospel to the entire world by bearing witness to Christ.
This is the principal duty of every catholic. So when we think of a mission, the first thing that comes to our mind is “evangelisation of the world”.
To Evangelize means to bear witness to the goodness of God and to invite others to share in the redemptive work of Christ. Pope Francis’ message for World Mission Sunday this year reflects on the theme: “You shall be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8).
He reminds us that, “every Christian is called to be a missionary and witness to Christ.
How do we bear witness to Christ?
The first reading from Isaiah 53:10-12, gives us the first Christian understanding of witnesses.
God said: “By his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous; and he shall bear their iniquities.
So the first duty of an Evangelizer who bears witness to the goodness and love of God is to make others righteous through his words and actions. As a good shepherd, he is ready to suffer for those he is evangelizing.
Secondly, to be a witness means to serve. With the story of James and John and the reactions of the other apostles in today’s gospel, Jesus uses the opportunity to teach his apostles what leadership is all about and to prepare them for the future.
Christian leadership as taught by Jesus is a service. After washing the feet of his apostles during the last supper, he asked them, “do you know what I have done”?
You call me Lord and master, yes I am, if I, your Lord and master have washed your feet, you must do the same to one another “.
This is a wonderful message and teaching about leadership. As parents, what kind of leadership system do we apply? Do we lead our children with love and service? Do we understand that our roles as leaders in the family is fulfilling our mission as parents and at the same time as witnesses to the goodness and love of God to your family and all your neighbours.
As teachers in a school, our duty is not just to teach the students their academic requirements but through our services to evangelize them and show them the goodness of God through our life.
As a trader, everyone who enters your shop must experience the goodness of God.
This is what the mission is all about. We are missionaries wherever we find ourselves. We should understand that we have been called to be missionaries in our families, school, workplaces, offices, business places etc.
We should not be afraid of this important task God has given us for he will make it lighter for us. Our only duty is to seek his directive, guidance and listen to his instructions. We should trust in God knowing that He who called us will not abandon us.
Through this, we shall surely become good and holy missionaries.
We pray that Almighty God may help us to serve him and our neighbours as good missionaries.
May Almighty God bless us and protect us from all evil through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Have a lovely and wonderful Sunday. Happy mission Sunday.
Rev. Fr. Ambrose Onyeka Anene SDB is the Parish Priest of Church of the Archangels, Gaduwa, Abuja.
