Baptism initiates a person into the Christian life. From the moment of baptism, every Christian assumes the duty to preach the Good News – that is to say, to make God known to others. This mandate is instituted by Christ in scripture and affirmed by the teaching authority of the Church.[1] In its Decree on the Mission Activity of the Church, Vatican II employs the term “mission” specifically to denote the task of giving witness to the Good News through preaching theGospel and planting the Church among peoples or groups who do not yet believe.[2]
While Christians are called to preach and propagate the
Gospel, our mission also includes standing for moral truths essential for individual
and collective flourishment intended by God, even when these truths are
rejected by the prevailing culture. In a society increasingly disengaged from
liturgical worship and Christian doctrinal and moral truths – favouring instead
a thirst for conspiracy and environmentalism with no real regard for true
ecology – it seems that the true sense of mission is lost.
The Latin maxim Nemo dat quad non habet (“no one
gives what he does not have”) captures a fundamental principle: you cannot
offer to others that you yourself lack. A slightly different yet more quoted
variant is “you cannot pour from an empty cup.”
Although a Christian receives the indelible character and
gifts of the Holy Spirit at Baptism, the missionary activity of the Christian is
largely ineffective if there is no love for God in his heart, for baptism is
the beginning of faith and faith is deepened through love. What is absent in a
heart without this “love which gives meaning to our lives” is not merely the
accidents[3] or sentiments of love, but
the possession of the very object of love who is God himself. Without this
love, the Christian person cannot give what he lacks.
Love of God is found upon and built on prayer. As God is
not found in external objects and is yearned for in the interior of one’s heart
– sometimes misconstrued for in objects or idolatry practices – prayer is the
only place in which God is revealed. Prayer allows God to begin an encounter
with the person who seeks him, deepening that encounter with the one who
persists and trusts in the presence of God in the power of prayer. We see this
in Jesus' own person who saw the necessity of prayer to deepening a relationship
with God. Nine times alone scripture references Jesus retreating to be alone
with the Father.
It is because of prayer that Christians can speak to others
about God because through prayer God makes himself present, teaching us how to
be loved and to love him in return.[4] St Thomas Aquinas tells us
that the purpose of prayer is to be disposed to be received from God the things
he wills to give which includes Knowledge of himself. As knowledge of the
uncreated one cannot be found through systematic experimentation, God knowledge
is discovered only if God so wills to share with us what he knows of himself
and since this is undiscovered through rational inquiry, prayer is the place to
discover God.
God wants us to make him known to others, and this is primarily the task of mission. However, we cannot make God known to others if we do not know him. While prayer is the place to grow in love of God and propels us into the world to serve, it is also the place in which we encounter God and learn from him. It is precisely the reason why we pray, to gain knowledge of the one who loved us first so that we may love him in return. Actively participating in the missionary works of the Church is the outward sign of love of God.
Missionary work is not limited to just propagating what the Church teaches. We must take action to support what we profess. The maxim "Put your money where your mouth is" precisely reflects this idea, challenging us to demonstrate what we believe through concrete action – or keep silent. At the heart of Jesus’ teaching ministry was mercy, and in every case, he embodied what he taught. "Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again" were his words to the woman caught in adultery - words that reflected his teachings on the Father's Mercy. So, while prayer teaches us to know God and build our relationship with him, it shapes our disposition and how we live in the world. It forms us into virtuous agents who not only proclaim the truth but live it, allowing us to testify to the reality of God in mission.
[1]
Evangelii Gaudium, no. 8.
[2] Ad
Gentes , no. 6.
[3] By
accident I mean the property predicated of a thing.
[4]
Crossing the Threshold of Hope, John Paul II.
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