Extraordinary Missionary Month
How are you doing in this Extraordinary Missionary Month? The Parish was very generous in its support of the Missionary congregation of the Spiritans. After Fr Patrice’s preaching on the first Sunday of the month you raised £1,633. 54. Also some of you give regularly to the Churches missionary work through the Red Box that that you have at home. Thank you to all of you who give to missionary work.
Today is World Mission Sunday and Pope Francis in his message to us says: “We must also remember that the soul of the Church’s mission is prayer. In this extraordinary missionary month, let us pray that the Holy Spirit may engender a new missionary spring for all those baptized and sent by Christ’s Church.”
Pope Francis invites us all to pray this intention with him and, from that prayer, to be mobilised to whatever missionary action that we might discern, each in our own situation and circumstances. Our prayer should always include a readiness to be mobilised for action, or at least an openness to receiving that grace. In prayer the spirit can lead us to be more aware of what Jesus is asking us to do as missionary disciples. This is the calling of each of us. Pope Francis writes in Evangelii Gaudium “Each one of us is a missionary 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 “missionaries”, but rather that we are always “missionary disciples”.’
Praying with the Pope this month could include pondering this quotation. Have I encountered the love of God, and how, where and when has this set me on a path of missionary discipleship? Can I ask the Holy Spirit to give me, or renew in me, this experience?
Here is a prayer for the spread of the Gospel from the Roman Missal:
O God, whose will it is that all should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, look upon your abundant harvest and be pleased to send workers to gather it, that the Gospel may be preached to all creation and that your people, gathered by the word of life and sustained by the power of the Sacraments, may advance in the path of salvation and love.
