Pope Francis urges Christians to be missionaries

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 says.
“What instructions does the Lord give us for going forth to others?” the Pope said on Oct 20 as he celebrated World Mission Sunday.
“Only one, and it’s very simple: “Make disciples. But, be careful: His disciples, not our own,” 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 attire.
Before reciting the Angelus prayer after Mass, Francis recalled the 100th anniversary of Pope Benedict XV’s apostolic letter on mission, Maximum Illud. The letter, the Pope 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 globalisation seems more about “homogenisation” and power struggles that breed conflict, and “ruin the planet,” rather than solidarity and respect for differences, Francis said, Christians must be missionary disciples who share the Gospel with humility and respect.
He asked Catholics to commit themselves to a new effort to proclaim “the Good News that Jesus mercy defeats sin, hope defeats fear, brotherhood defeats hostility.”
“Christ is our peace and in him, every division was overcomed,” he said. “In him alone, there is salvation for every person and all people.”
In his homily, Pope Francis said Christians were called to share God’s love and mercy with all people.
“All, because no one is excluded from his heart, from his salvation,” he said.
“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.” The Pope said the call to be a missionary, is a call that is included in every Christian’s baptism.
“Jesus is also saying to you: ‘Go, don’t miss a chance to bear me witness,” he said.
“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.”
“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 does not mean conquering, mandating, proselytising, but rather witnessing, humbling oneself alongside other disciples and offering with love, the love that we ourselves received.”
“Our mission 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.”