Mission in the Spirit of Sacrifice and Love
Reading: 1st: Is 10-11 ; Psalm 34; 2nd : Heb 4, 14-16 ; MK 10, 35-43
Today is World Mission Sunday. The Church invites us to reflect on our personal response to Christ’s mission. It is a special day to revitalize our faith and rededicate ourselves to Christ’s mission. It is also a day to show special solidarity to all true missionaries who have responded to Christ’s command: “Go, make disciples of all nations.”
Mission is service and sacrifice rendered in love for the salvation of all nations. This love comes with patience and docility to the will of God. It begins by transforming the missionary into a great instrument for the salvation of others. So, today Christ teaches us that to be great is to be ready to serve and make sacrifices for others.
Today’s Gospel is an account of the request of James and John: “Master, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you. Grant that in your glory we may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left.” This was a very ambitious request. Yet Christ simply responded by reminding them of the implications of their request: “Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?” Of course, they replied, “We can.”
So, through his dialogue with his disciples, Jesus opens our eyes to the realities that confront us in the mission. By asking them: “Will you be able to pass the test that I am going to pass and receive the baptism with which I will be baptized?” Jesus reminds us of the challenges that will confront us in his mission.
Therefore, Isaiah reminds us that, “By his sufferings my servant will justify many, taking their iniquities upon himself.” So, through service and sacrifice, we will find and achieve our own salvation. By setting others free, we will set ourselves free. By giving peace to others, we will find our own peace. And, by identifying with others, Christ will identify with us.
As we celebrate Mission Sunday today, the voice of salvation continues to call us to be more faithful to God’s mission in ourselves and in others. It reminds us of the great challenges we face in God’s mission today. This includes changes in our culture, society, and lifestyle that urgently need to be evangelized and redeemed
The good news is that we can overcome these challenges through the spirit of sacrifice and love. So, in the midst of all these challenges, we must find comfort in these words from the letter to the Hebrews: “Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with confidence, that we may receive mercy and find grace and be helped in due time.”
This grace is sufficient to accomplish God’s mission. Therefore, with the psalmist, let us pray: “Lord, let your love be upon us, for in you we trust.”
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