faith and mission
October 1, 2013
PREACH THE GOSPEL WITH COURAGE
This year, as we celebrate World Mission Day, the Year of Faith, which is an important opportunity to strengthen our friendship with the Lord and our journey as a Church that preaches the Gospel with courage, comes to an end.
"EXPERIENCE THE JOY"
Everyone should be able to experience the joy of being loved by God, the joy of salvation! It is a gift that one cannot keep to oneself, but it is to be shared. If we want to keep it only to ourselves, we will become isolated, sterile and sick Christians.
"CONSTANT COMMITMENT"
The proclamation of the Gospel is part of being disciples of Christ and it is a constant commitment that animates the whole life of the Church.
MEASURE OF FAITH
The strength of our faith, at a personal and community level, can be measured by the ability to communicate it to others, to spread and live it in charity, to witness to it before those we meet and those who share the path of life with us.
"A RENEWED AWARENESS"
The Year of Faith ... motivates the entire Church towards a renewed awareness of its presence in the contemporary world and its mission among peoples and nations.
"HERALDS OF HIS GOSPEL"
... We are all invited to walk the streets of the world with our brothers and sisters, proclaiming and witnessing to our faith in Christ and making ourselves heralds of His Gospel.
URGENT MISSION
It is urgent in our time to announce and witness to the goodness of the Gospel, and this from within the Church itself. It is important never to forget a fundamental principle for every evangelizer: one cannot announce Christ without the Church.
WITNESS WITH LOVE
The men and women of our time need the secure light that illuminates their path and that only the encounter with Christ can give. Let us bring to the world, through our witness, with love, the hope given by faith.
"MISSIONARY SPIRIT"
The Church's missionary spirit is not about proselytizing, but the testimony of a life that illuminates the path, which brings hope and love.
LIVE THE WONDER
The Church ... is ... a community of people, animated by the Holy Spirit, who have lived and are living the encounter with Jesus Christ and want to share this experience of deep joy, the message of salvation that the Lord gave us. It is the Holy Spirit Who guides the Church in this path.
(Source: Message for World Mission Day, dated 5/19/13)