Day 119: The Church's Missionary Mandate

It is from God's love for all men that the Church in every age receives both the obligation and the vigor of her missionary dynamism, "for the love of Christ urges us on." Indeed, God "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth"; that is, God wills the salvation of everyone through the knowledge of the truth. Salvation is found in the truth. Those who obey the prompting of the Spirit of truth are already on the way of salvation. But the Church, to whom this truth has been entrusted, must go out to meet their desire, so as to bring them the truth. Because she believes in God's universal plan of salvation, the Church must be missionary. CCC 851

In today's reading, the Catechism speaks of the mission of the Church to "continue the mission of Christ himself" and "proclaim to everyone the Good News borne by [Him]" (#173). This was outlined in the Great Commission to "make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit" (Mt 28:16-20). The Church has carried this mandate for 2,000 years now, at times with gruesome cost, but as Tertullian rightly declared: “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” And so it has been and continues to this day. The Catechism Compendium summarizes today's reading on why the Church is called to proclaim the Gospel to everyone:

The Church must do so because Christ has given the command: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). This missionary mandate of the Lord has its origin in the eternal love of God who has sent his Son and the Holy Spirit because “he desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). (#172)

The Catechism Companion, Vol I notes on this:

We are saved only by Jesus Christ... There are people living in the world who have no idea that God exists and how much he knows and loves them, and God desires us to help bring them to him so they can receive salvation. The martyrs who bore witness to the Gospel appeared to be destroyed, but what looked like weakness became fruitful. (p. 242)

Saint Paul delivering the Areopagus Sermon in Athens, by Raphael, 1515.

St. Paul understood well the Church's missionary mandate. Here we see the "apostle to the Gentiles" preaching in Athens. The apostles helped to spread the message of Christ and his salvation to the ends of the earth. (p. 243)