World Mission
Sunday
Some Give To the Mission by going
Others Go to the Mission by Giving
Today is celebrated the world over as the
World Mission Sunday. This day was instituted by Pope Pius Xl in 1926, for the
whole Church to participate in the work of the Church, to bring Christ to the
ends of the earth. Pope Francis set the month of October as Missionary Month
with the title: Baptized and Sent: The Church of Christ on Mission in the
world. He said, inter alia, “Celebrating this month will help us first to
rediscover the missionary dimension of our faith in Jesus Christ, a faith
graciously bestowed on us in baptism. Our filial relationship with God is not
something simply private, but always in relation to the Church.” The first
worldwide Mission Sunday collection was taken in October 1927. Since then, the
Mission Sunday collection is always taken on the next to the last Sunday during
the month of October. That day is celebrated in all the local Churches as the
feast of Catholicity and universal Solidarity, so Christian the world over,
will recognize their common responsibility, with regard to the evangelization
of the world.
I am a member of the Missionary Society of
St. Paul of Nigeria. My Society was founded by the late Dominic Cardinal
Ekandem, in consultation with the Episcopal Conference of Nigeria, in 1977, for
missions (42 years ago). This was in answer to the call of the Second Vatican
Council and Pope Paul Vl in Uganda in 1969, to Africans to participate in the
mission mandate of the universal Church. Jesus Christ calls on us to “Go into
the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to all creatures.” (Mk. 16:15). Since the
Nigerian Church were beneficiaries of the faith brought to our lands by
European missionaries, it is only fitting that we too, should share in this
mandate, to bring the Gospel of Christ to the Americas, Europeans and indeed to
the ends of the world. Today, the Missionaries
of St. Paul have also answered the call, to bring the Gospel of Christ to God’s
people in America, Canada, Sweden, Ireland, Italy, Germany, England, France, Grenada,
Bahamas, South Africa, South Sudan, Botswana, Central African Republic, Chad,
Malawi, Cameroon, the Gambia, Kenya, Libera and Nigeria.
This year we commemorate the centenary of
the Apostolic Letter Maximum Illud of
Pope Benedict XV published on November 30, 1919. This, indeed is a must read
for all missionaries and Catholics. The holy father stressed the need for all
Catholics to take interest in missionary work. Pope Francis said this of the
Apostolic letter of his predecessor 100 years ago, “Its farsighted and
prophetic vision of the apostolate has made me realize once again the
importance of renewing the Church’s missionary commitment and giving fresh
evangelical impulse to her work of preaching and bringing to the world the
salvation of Jesus Christ, who died and rose again.”
We must all see ourselves as missionaries.
In fact, we only exist as Church because we are a missionary Church, sent on
mission by God in Jesus, who commands us to go and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit (Matt. 28:19-20). Some of us must necessarily go on mission as
missionaries, but then others must also go on mission by giving to support the
mission. Pope Benedict XV, in his Apostolic letter, Maximum Illud, said, “There are three general ways in which a
Catholic can assist the missionary effort, and missionaries themselves
constantly remind us of them. This is within everyone’s capacity.”
· Prayer that God
may grant the missions His merciful aid. “This kind of prayer cannot fail,
especially in this cause. For no cause is dearer or more pleasing to God than
this one. While the Israelites fought their battle with Amalek, Moses took his
stand on a great hill and, lifting up his hands, implored God’s aid for his
people. The teachers of the Gospel are manfully at work in the Lord’s vineyard,
and it is the duty of all the faithful to follow the example of Moses and grant
them the support of their prayers.”
· Fostering
vocations. Everyone must pray for an increase of vocation in the Church. Jesus
reminds us: “The harvest is large, but there are few workers to gather it in.
Pray to the owner of the harvest that he will send out workers to gather in his
harvest” (Matt. 9:37-38).
· Economic Help.
Every Catholic must give to support mission.
I want to express my gratitude to all who
have supported work of the mission. May God bless and reward you abundantly.
Rev. Augustine
Etemma Inwang, MSP
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