Church Calls to Obey the Great Commission

Oswald Gracias at Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine, Villianur to bless the new entrance. wikipedia

On the World Mission Sunday on Oct. 22, Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai has urged Christians to obey the great commission and step out of their comfort zone in order to reach out to the "peripheries" in need of the light of the Gospel.

"Jesus' command to 'go and make disciples' echoes in our changing scenario and ever new challenges to the Church's mission of evangelization, and all of us are called to take part in this missionary 'going forth,'" said Gracias.

Summoning up Pope Francis' message for the World Mission Sunday this year Gracias said the Pope calls us to understand most importantly that our 'mission' comprises an essential part of the 'Christian faith.'

Pope insisted that "we are sent to our brothers and sisters in order to bear witness to our faith in Christ and to proclaim his Gospel."

"Mission Sunday is an opportunity for us to teach our children about the missions, promote love of the missions in our families, and different cells in our parishes co-coordinating their activities with a sense of mission," said Gracias, according to Vatican Radio.

The pontiff gave the message for the World Mission Sunday on Pentecost Sunday. The theme chosen by Francis for this year is 'Rediscovering Mission at the Heart of Christian Faith'.