In a few days, we will be celebrating WORLD MISSION DAY 2024. This year, the date is set for October 20th under the theme “Go and invite everyone to the banquet” (cf. Mt 22:9). Pope Francis emphasizes the Church’s mission to go and invite everyone to the Lord’s feast, without weariness or discouragement. This text chosen by Pope Francis in his message for World Mission Day reminds us that all people need God to reach heaven. Missionaries have the task of teaching us the Gospel so that we can attain eternal life.
Speaking about mission fields within the Augustinian Recollect Family is relatively simple, but living, knowing, and feeling the mission as one’s own is a much deeper experience. Most people are inspired by the stories and experiences of missionaries, deeply iring their service to the Church. However, a question arises: is it enough to ire missionaries? Is a prayer request at Mass sufficient? I would dare to say no. Pope Francis invites us to express our closeness to them through prayer and gratitude for their dedication. It is also essential to manifest this with concrete gestures. Many of us have missionary friends, but often, due to daily hustle or simple forgetfulness, we miss the opportunity to write to them, converse, share laughs, and even talk about our challenges and hopes. Let’s that all Christians are called to participate in this universal mission, bearing witness to the Gospel in our daily environment. We invite you to reflect on how you can become more involved in this mission. Why not start today by sending a message of encouragement to a missionary you know?
A fundamental aspect of the Pope’s message lies in his statement that “the mission of bringing the Gospel to every creature must faithfully reflect the style of the One we proclaim.” It is beautiful to see how missionaries embody this call with joy, generosity, and kindness, fruits of the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. Their closeness, comion, and tenderness perfectly reflect divine love and mercy. In fact, the eyes of missionaries possess a unique sparkle, a gaze that transcends age and challenges us to step out of our comfort zone, confronting us with their testimony of faith, vitality, and dynamism.
Another very important connection is the strong link between our mission to bring God’s word, our vision of the future Kingdom of God, and the celebration of the Eucharist. The hope of a world where God will reign in fullness motivates us to proclaim the Gospel with joy and hope. Participation in the Eucharist, where we celebrate Jesus’ presence among us, strengthens our desire to bring the good news to all people. The poorest and those living on the margins of society are especially important to us, as they were to Jesus, for we see them as special guests at the banquet of God’s Kingdom.
In the Augustinian Recollect Family, mission territories are a constant presence. Missionaries dedicate their lives to the service of God and peoples in places as diverse as the Vicariate of Trinidad (Colombia), the prelatures of Bocas del Toro (Panama), Lábrea and Marajó (Brazil), Chota (Peru), Philippines, Sierra Leone, Indonesia, Antilla (Cuba), China, and in social projects in Argentina, Venezuela, Guatemala, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic.
This missionary month is an ideal opportunity to learn more about these initiatives and strengthen our emotional bond with them. ARCORES, as the Solidarity Network of the Augustinian Recollect Family, is pleased to promote and accompany the missionary spirit that characterizes us. Would you be willing to be a missionary or volunteer in any mission of the Augustinian Recollect Family?
