The Vatican released the message of Holy Father Pope Francis for this year’s World Mission Sunday, in which the Pontiff is inviting young men and women who want to follow Christ, to seek, to discover and to persevere in their vocation. In his message, the Pope urges young people not to be afraid of Christ and his Church, because, he says, “it is where we find the treasure that fills life with joy.”
As reported by en.vaticannews.va, In the message addressed to all Christians, but especially to young people, the Pontiff reminds all that “We are not in this world by our own choice,” and hence there is “an initiative that precedes us and makes us exist.” Each one of us, he says, is called to reflect on the fact that ‘I am a mission on this Earth,” which is why we are here in this world. Holy Father Pope Francis remarked that “Every man and woman is a mission. To be attracted and to be sent are two movements of the heart that hold out promise for our future and give direction to our lives.” Further, His Holiness added, “The heart of the Church’s mission is the infectiousness of love, where joy and enthusiasm become the expression of a newfound meaning and fulfillment in life. The spread of the faith by attraction calls for hearts that are open and expanded by love. This generates encounter, witness and proclamation even in extreme peripheries which are indifferent and hostile and to the ends of the earth in ‘missio ad gentes’. “
Observed by the Catholic Church on the penultimate Sunday of October every year, World Mission Sunday in 2018 falls on Oct. 21. Instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1926, the annual day encourages prayers, cooperation and help for missions as well as reminds Christians about the fundamental missionary character of the Church and of every baptized person. The theme of this year’s observance, “Together with young people, let us bring the Gospel to all,” echoes the upcoming synod of bishops, scheduled from October 3-28 in the Vatican, whose theme is “Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment.”
