VATICAN CITY — Every Christian is called to be a missionary,
sharing the good news of salvation in Christ and making disciples for him, not
for oneself or one's clique of like-minded believers, Pope Francis said.
"What instructions does the Lord give us for going forth to
others? Only one, and it's very simple: Make disciples. But, be careful: his
disciples, not our own," the pope said Oct. 20 as he celebrated World
Mission Sunday.
Dozens of participants from the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon
joined the pope for the Mass in St. Peter's Basilica; many indigenous wore
their native headdresses, had their faces painted or dressed in traditional
clothes.
Before reciting the Angelus prayer after Mass, Pope Francis
recalled the 100th anniversary of Pope Benedict XV's apostolic letter on
mission, "Maximum Illud." The letter, Pope Francis said, was
motivated by his predecessor's conviction of "the need to evangelically
relaunch the church's mission in the world so that it would be purified of any
colonial incrustation and freed from the influences of the expansionist
policies of European nations."
Today, he said, the letter calls Catholics "to overcome the
temptation of every self-referential closure and every form of pastoral
pessimism in order to open us to the joyful newness of the Gospel."
At a time when globalization seems more about
"homogenization" and power struggles that breed conflict and
"ruin the planet" rather than solidarity and respect for differences,
Pope Francis said, Christians must be missionary disciples who share the Gospel
with humility and respect.
The pope asked Catholics to commit themselves to a new effort to
proclaim "the good news that in Jesus mercy defeats sin, hope defeats
fear, brotherhood defeats hostility."
"Christ is our peace," the pope said, "and in him
every division is overcome; in him alone there is salvation for every person
and all people."
In his homily at the Mass, Pope Francis said Christians are
called to share God's love and mercy with all people. "All, because no one
is excluded from his heart, from his salvation. All, so that our heart can go
beyond human boundaries and particularism based on a self-centeredness that
displeases God. All, because everyone is a precious treasure, and the meaning
of life is found only in giving this treasure to others."
"Those who bear witness to Jesus go out to all, not just to
their own acquaintances or their little group," he said.
The call to be a missionary is a call that is included in every
Christian's baptism, the pope said, telling people at the Mass: "Jesus is
also saying to you: 'Go, don't miss a chance to bear me witness!' My brother,
my sister, the Lord expects from you a testimony that no one can give in your
place."
The first and most important way to share the Gospel with others
is by living it, he said. "A credible proclamation is not made with
beautiful words, but by an exemplary life: a life of service that is capable of
rejecting all those material things that shrink the heart and make people
indifferent and inward-looking; a life that renounces the useless things that
entangle the heart in order to find time for God and others."
Being a missionary disciple, he said, does not mean
"conquering, mandating, proselytizing," but rather "witnessing,
humbling oneself alongside other disciples and offering with love the love that
we ourselves received."
"Our mission," he said, is "to give pure and fresh
air to those immersed in the pollution of our world; to bring to earth that
peace which fills us with joy whenever we meet Jesus on the mountain in prayer;
to show by our lives, and perhaps even by our words, that God loves everyone
and never tires of anyone."