Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Equipping the Church to Carry the Gospel to the Ends of the Earth.

      Last Sunday, Oct 18 was the 100th Anniversary of World Mission Sunday. The Pontifical Mission Society USA was headed by the now Blessed Fulton Sheen as part of his many evangelical endeavors for Christ & the Church. Pope Leo issued a letter to mark the occasion, titled “One in Christ, united in mission". In the letter, Pope Leo brought attention to 3 themes. It is good for us to remember that the Mission field is not far off lands or foreign languages. It is often right here in our community & country where “Nones” are the fastest growing demographic, and these are not at all uncommonly from among our own families, parishes & Catholic School alumni. We Must Embrace the Mission of Carrying the Gospel to the Ends of the Earth.

1. One in Christ – Missionary disciples united in Him and with our brothers and sisters

     The mystery of union with Christ lies at the heart of the mission. Before his Passion, Jesus prayed to the Father, “that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us” (Jn 17:21). These words reveal Jesus’ deepest desire, as well as the identity of the Church as a community of his disciples. That is, a communion that flows from the Trinity, and continues to be sustained by the Trinity. A communion at the service of fraternity among all human beings and harmony with all creation. Being a Christian is not primarily about practices or ideas; it is a life in union with Christ, in which we share in his filial relationship with the Father in the Holy Spirit. It means abiding in Christ, like branches on the vine (cf. Jn 15:4), immersed in the life of the Trinity. This union gives rise to mutual communion among believers and is the source of all missionary fruitfulness…In this context, the Church’s primary missionary responsibility is to renew and sustain spiritual and fraternal unity among its members…Being “one in Christ” calls us to keep our gaze fixed on the Lord, so that he may truly be at the center of our lives and communities, the center of every word, action and interpersonal relationship, leading us to say with amazement: “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me” (Gal 2:20).

2. United in mission – That the world may believe in Christ the Lord

     The unity of disciples is not an end in itself; it is directed towards mission. Jesus states this clearly: “So that the world may believe that you have sent me” (Jn 17:21). It is through the witness of a reconciled, fraternal and united community that the proclamation of the Gospel acquires its full communicative power… In fact, no baptized person is exempt from or indifferent to mission: everyone, each according to their own vocation and condition of life, participates in the great work that Christ has entrusted to his Church… Needless to say, missionary unity should not be understood as uniformity, but rather as the convergence of different charisms for the same purpose, namely to make Christ’s love visible and to invite everyone to encounter him. 

     Evangelization is achieved when local communities cooperate with one another and when cultural, spiritual and liturgical differences are fully and harmoniously expressed in the same faith. I therefore encourage all institutions in the Church to strengthen their sense of ecclesial missionary communion and to develop creative and concrete ways of cooperating with one another for and in the mission.

3. Mission to love – Proclaiming, living and sharing God’s faithful love

      If unity is the condition of mission, love is its essence. The Good News that we are sent to proclaim to the world is not an abstract ideal; it is the Gospel of God’s faithful love, which became flesh in the face and life of Jesus Christ. The mission of the disciples and the Church as a whole is to continue the mission of Christ in the Holy Spirit: a mission born of love, lived in love, and leading to love. In fact, the Lord himself, in his great prayer to the Father before his Passion, after invoking unity among his disciples, concludes: “so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them” (Jn 17:26). Impelled by the love of Christ, the Apostles then went out to evangelize for Christ (cf. 2 Cor 5:14). In the same way, throughout the centuries, multitudes of Christians — martyrs, confessors and missionaries — have given their lives to make this divine love known to the world. Thus, guided by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of love, the Church’s evangelizing mission will continue until the end of time.

< https://pontificalmissions.org/news/stories/story/2026/01/26/message-of-the-holy-father-for-the-100th-world-mission-day>

Nothing Less than saints for the Holy Family of God.

Holy Family, close to creation, Pray for us.

~ Fr Jeremy M. Gries