29th Sunday A
Mission Sunday
St. Colman’s Cathedral, Cobh
22nd October 2023
“Impulse toward Mission”
My friends,
The “young church” is now in Africa – when I say young, I mean both young in age and in energy. After more than a century and a half of mission, the young churches of the continent are sending missionaries to other African nations as well as contributing to the church in Europe.
My friends, Mission Sunday which we mark to-day invites us to widen our horizons of prayer and support for the young churches across the world. But not just the young churches because we know only too well the plight of many of the “mature” churches especially those in the ‘western’ world.
The fact is that for many reasons the older/mature churches have gone into decline and are increasingly tired in the face of the cultural waves of individualism that makes it difficult to hear and sense the “Joy of the Gospel”. The nature and fact of life is that if you have good news you will want to share it – that is the impulse of every true disciple of Jesus – what has been experienced as grace and gift in one’s own life – we want others to know its blessing too. Something of that spirit is felt in the theme for Mission Sunday 2023 “Hearts on fire, feet on the move”.
It comes from the Gospel of the disciples on the road to Emmaus – where you find the disciples leaving Jerusalem with downcast spirits ‘till the stranger walked with them. Their conversation “set their hearts on fire as he talked to them on the road”. We’re told they recognised him at “the breaking of the bread” and he vanished from their sight.
The church’s sense of mission is to share the fire of hope and joy that comes to us through our faith and trust in the Lord in our life and our experience of his love for us. This fire of hope and joy blesses us with a deep sense of personal worth, dignity and purpose. It enables us to embrace all that is noble, true, beautiful and worthy of praise.
This fire of hope and joy can often be reduced to an ember unless it is nurtured, supported and tended to. Two key elements of that nurturing and support are individual personal prayer and prayer in a community of faith. That requires prioritising in our lives – it requires time and commitment.
The erosion of faith is inevitable if lost in a sea of indifference. You all know that well and I’m speaking to and affirming your fidelity. But I also ask that, regardless of age, do not underestimate the impact of your witness and wisdom when it comes to conversation with family and friends. That’s your mission and mine.
Our new understanding of tolerance leads many to declare that faith and belief is private and personal, which it is. But it is also communal and social. Belief and Christian faith needs a sense of belonging to one another and with one another.
So this Mission Sunday we think of churches both young and old as they seek to be beacons of hope and joy in their own place. We hold close to our hearts to-day our sisters and brothers suffering persecution because of their discipleship of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Laudetur Iesus Christus
