29th sunday -C

Today the Holy Catholic Church celebrates ‘Mission Sunday’. On this day, we, in a special way, pray for all missionary religious and people who dedicate their lives to promote justice and peace and who preach the good news of Christ our Lord namely His love and forgiveness to all. 

We are by the very nature of the Sacrament of Baptism is called to become Missionaries at Home and abroad. 

There is a non-Canonical story in which the angels asked the Ascended Christ, “Lord, now your mission is done on earth and who is going to continue the mission of your love and forgiveness?’ Christ said, “My disciples would you”. The angels were perplexed and said, ‘Are you relying on those apostles who denied, deserted and abandoned you’. What is your second plan? Jesus said, “There is no second plan. That is the only one plan and my disciples and followers will preach the good news. Yes, you are the only plan that Christ has to preach His good news to all. 

In the Old Testament time, people did not go out to preach the message of God but they did it within the community and in the New Testament time, Christ prepared His apostles to go out and preach the Good news saying, “Therefore go everywhere and preach the Good News and baptize them all in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. 

Once there was a fight between two tribes in Niger and a man from one tribe killed his neighbor who belonged to another tribe. When the other tribe won, they wanted to take revenge of the killer and they called the wife who witnessed her husband’s death and asked to point out the killer but she refused saying, “The missionaries who were here taught us how to forgive and accept others like Christ”. 

Today we are called to become missionaries especially at home teaching your children and grandchildren and family members the value of love and forgiveness. 

In today’s gospel, Christ our Lord shows the way to achieve that unending love and forgiveness. They can easily be achieved through prayer. So, let us pray to God without stopping or ceasing and now the value of love, peace and forgiveness. Amen.