Cardinal's Column 11/7/04

November 7, 2004

‘Go and make disciples’: participation in the Church’s mission

Considering participation in the Church, our thoughts often focus on the various services provided through the Church. We think of being part of the Church’s life through her schools, universities, hospitals, her works of charity and action for justice, her celebrations of the Mass and the sacraments. The reasons for all these services, however, is the mission that the risen Christ gave to the apostles just before he instructed them to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit and then ascended to his Father: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” (Mt. 28: 18-20).

The missionary commission given to the apostles is not an extrinsic command. It is rooted in God’s life in them. Because God’s life is in us, we hear it today with the same urgency as the apostles. The Jesus who commanded them is the Son begotten by the Father from all eternity, sent in love to rescue the world from sin. The same impulse of love that is the life of God, that sent the Son into the world and to his passion, death and resurrection, sends the Church to proclaim the Gospel to the world until Christ returns in glory. The Church participates in the salvific mission of God, and all those gathered into the Church personally participate in that mission to the entire world.

St. Therese of Lisieux, patroness of the missions, so opened her heart to the Holy Spirit that she spoke piercingly of the mission to which all Christians are called. She wrote, “I understood that it was love alone that made the Church’s members act and that if love ever became extinct, apostles would not preach the Gospel, martyrs would refuse to shed their blood.”

Jesus called the apostles his friends and told them to win more friends for him. That is the fundamental reason for the Church. The apostles made new friends for the Lord by announcing his resurrection and calling all to learn his truth and live by his love. The Church exists to win the world for Christ. All of us “are missionaries above all because of what we are as a Church whose innermost life in unity in love.” (Redemptoris missio, 23). The Church is apostolic, because her mission is that of the apostles; the Church is catholic, because her mission is the salvation of the whole human race.

The Church’s mission has many dimensions. Its heart is the proclamation that Jesus is risen from the dead. Its purpose is the conversion of individuals and entire societies and cultures. Its consequences are personal holiness and societies marked by charity and justice. “Through the Gospel message, the Church offers a force for liberation which promotes development precisely because it leads to conversion of heart and ways of thinking, fosters the recognition of each person’s dignity, encourages solidarity, commitment and service of one’s neighbor and gives everyone a place in God’s plan which is the building of his kingdom of peace and justice, beginning already in this life.” (Redemptoris missio, 59).

Everywhere, the Church is missionary. The call to evangelize is to be heard in every land, and I am encouraged by an increase in reflection on what evangelization means here and by several new initiatives in evangelization in many parishes. The internal obstacles to mission here are, as everywhere, our own sinfulness and lack of courage. Divisions among those who claim to call Jesus “Lord” weaken the Gospel. Suspicion of religion in general and the Catholic Church in particular, especially in the wake of the sexual abuse scandals, is a great external obstacle to mission. Confusion about the Church’s doctrines and apathy about her future also complicate the mission here, as does the constant struggle to keep all her institutions alive, even if their contribution to the mission is marginal. The truth remains, despite every obstacle, that participation in the Church demands participation in mission. Every Catholic is a missionary, and every ministry and service should be judged in the light of its contribution to the mission. All this is a challenge, but meeting it brings new energy and joy to the Church.

At the beginning of the Year of the Eucharist last month, Pope John Paul reminded the Church that “the Eucharist and mission are two inseparable realities. … Authentic celebration and adoration of the Eucharist that does not lead to mission does not exist. At the same time, mission assumes another essential Eucharistic characteristic: union of hearts.” Mission and Eucharist both flow from love for Christ and for the world he died to redeem. Our participation in the Eucharistic heart of the Church brings to life a desire to tell others who this Eucharistic Lord truly is and to draw others into the circle of his friendship in his body, the Church. May this desire grow every stronger in our hearts. God bless you.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Francis Cardinal George, OMI
Archbishop of Chicago

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