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In virtue of their baptism, all the members of the People of God
have become missionary disciples (cf. Mt 28:19). All the baptized,
whatever their position in the Church or their level of instruction in
the faith, are agents of evangelization, and it would be insufficient to
envisage a plan of evangelization to be carried out by professionals
while the rest of the faithful would simply be passive recipients. The
new evangelization calls for personal involvement on the part of
each of the baptized. Every Christian is challenged, here and now, to
be actively engaged in evangelization; indeed, anyone who has truly
experienced God’s saving love does not need much time or lengthy
training to go out and proclaim that love. Every Christian is a mis-
sionary to the extent that he or she has encountered the love of God
in Christ Jesus: we no longer say that we are “disciples” and “mission-
aries,” but rather that we are always “missionary disciples.”
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The Mass is essential to nourish and form missionary disciples. The
word
Mass
comes from the Latin word
missa
and carries within it the mis-
sion with which we are entrusted. When we hear the words, “Go forth, the
Mass is ended,” our work as disciples begins anew. With these words, we
share in the mission of Christ by bringing forth his message to the world.
The
Catechism of the Catholic Church
explains that “the liturgy in which
the mystery of salvation is accomplished concludes with the sending forth
(
missio
) of the faithful, so that they may fulfill God’s will in their daily
lives”.
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The dismissal at Mass invites us to respond to the Lord’s command
to “go and make disciples” by the faithful witness of our lives. Missionary
discipleship and the Mass are intimately connected.
Dependent on the Holy Spirit
The baptized are sent by Christ in and through the Holy Spirit into the
world as missionaries of faith, hope, and charity. It is with and through
“firm trust in the Holy Spirit” that one’s life is oriented toward Christ and
one can live as a missionary disciple.
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“Therefore, complete trust in the
work of the Holy Spirit is essential.”
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Bl. Pope Paul VI expressed this beautifully when he asked: “What
do we feel is the first and last need of the blessed and beloved Church of
ours? We must say it . . . the Holy Spirit, the animator and sanctifier of the