Readings: Jonah 3:10-4:11, Psalm 98:1,2,3,5-6, Ephesians 3:2-12, Luke 24:44-53
“Repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” (Luke 24:47-48)
Last Sunday, Jesus asked the leper who returned to give thanks, “Were not ten cleansed, where are the other nine?” Today, as the church celebrates World Mission Sunday, Jesus is asking us, “Are you not my disciples? Why are you not spreading the Gospel to all nations?” In his message for World Mission Sunday, Pope Francis calls all Christians to embrace their fundamental vocation to be messengers and builders of hope in the world. Let us highlight some vital points in the Pope’s Message.
1. In the Footsteps of Christ Our Hope
According to the Pope, Jesus Christ is the ultimate model and source of hope, who continues his ministry through the Church. Jesus, anointed by the Holy Spirit, is the fullness of salvation and the one who came “to proclaim the Good News” and “restore hope in God to the needy.”
Even in his darkest moments (Gethsemane, the cross), he trusted in God’s saving plan. The Church, as the community of Christ’s missionary disciples, continues this ministry of hope, offering “the balm of consolation and the wine of hope” to those who are poor, afflicted, or despairing.
The Church is called to be “not a static Church, but a missionary Church that walks with her Lord through the streets of the world,” urging all baptised individuals to make Christ’s hope shine forth everywhere.
2. Christians, Bearers and Builders of Hope Among all Peoples
Christian hope has a practical and transcendent nature in today’s world. Christians are called to hand on the Good News by sharing the concrete life situations of those they meet, making the joys, hopes, griefs, and anxieties of humanity their own. Christian hope is not only concerned with material or temporal needs; it is a “salvation both transcendent and eschatological,” beginning in this life but fulfilled in eternity, exceeding the limits of this world.
The Gospel, when lived out in community, offers a corrective to the “human crisis” of indifference, loneliness, and self-centeredness prevalent in many “developed” nations, restoring us to a whole, healthy humanity. Pope Francis emphasises the need to carry out works of mercy with God’s own “style”: closeness, compassion, and tenderness, cultivating a personal relationship with those in need, especially the poorest, sick, and elderly.
3. Renewing the Mission of Hope
Some spiritual practices and communal dimensions are needed to revitalise the mission of hope. Missionaries must be renewed in the Easter spirituality of Christ’s death and resurrection, recognising themselves as a “springtime people” who know “death and hate are not the final word” on human existence.
Hopeful Christians are people of prayer. Prayer is called the “primary missionary activity” and “the first strength of hope,” keeping the divine spark of hope alive to enlighten and warm others. Evangelisation is a communitarian process and continues with the building up of Christian communities. The Church’s missionary activity requires a communion of prayer and action (missionary synodality), urging all—children, young, and old—to participate actively in the mission.
The message of Pope Francis for World Mission Sunday concludes with a prayer to Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, our hope, to entrust the Jubilee and the coming years to her. Having looked at the Pope’s Message, let us now reflect on the readings selected for today’s Mass.
4. As Missionaries, we are Agents of Divine Mercy
In today’s first reading, we learn that God is “gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.” His compassion extends beyond Israel to their enemies, the people of Nineveh, who repent and are spared. The prophet Jonah represents a narrow, nationalistic view. He is angry that God showed mercy to the Gentiles (Nineveh), wanting destruction rather than salvation for those outside his own people.
God questions Jonah’s anger by contrasting his pity for a plant he didn’t labour for with the vast city of Nineveh, which includes over 120,000 souls and much cattle. The mission is rooted in God’s boundless compassion that desires the salvation of all people, not just those we deem worthy or like us.
Today’s first reading warns against the “Jonah complex”—the reluctance, prejudice, or anger that can make us unwilling to share the Good News with certain groups or “enemies.” We must have God’s heart for the whole world. Similarly, Today’s responsorial psalm provides the ultimate goal of the mission, which is to ensure that the entire earth sees and praises God for His saving work.
5. No one is excluded from the Proclamation of God’s Word.
In today’s second reading, St. Paul speaks about the “mystery of Christ” (hidden for ages) that is now “revealed” through the apostles and prophets. The core of this mystery is that “the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” There is no distinction; all are one in Christ.
Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles is a “stewardship of God’s grace” given to him to make all men see this eternal plan. The Church’s mission is central to God’s purpose. The missionary mandate is to preach the “unsearchable riches of Christ,” showing the world God’s “manifold wisdom.”
The mission to the ends of the earth is not an afterthought, but the fulfilment of God’s eternal plan. Every person, regardless of ethnic or cultural background (Jew or Gentile), has been made an equal heir to the promise through the Gospel. The Church is a single body of all nations.
6. Jesus commands that We Preach to All Nations
In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus opens the disciples’ minds to understand that His suffering, death, and resurrection were the fulfilment of everything written in the Scriptures (Law, Prophets, and Psalms). The direct command is given: “Repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” This is the Great Commission. The disciples are appointed as “witnesses of these things” and told to wait for the promised “power from on high” (the Holy Spirit) before starting the mission. The mission should not be attempted using human strength. Still, it relies entirely on the “power from on high,” making prayer and dependence on the Holy Spirit essential for every missionary endeavour.
Let us pray: Almighty, ever-living God, help us to fulfil our mandate as missionaries of hope to all the world. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. May God’s abundant blessings be upon us all. (World Mission Sunday. Liturgical Colour: White. Jonah 3:10-4:11, Psalm 98:1,2,3,5-6, Ephesians 3:2-12, Luke 24:44-53)
@Rev. Fr. Evaristus E. Abu