A Homily for Saturday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial of Saints John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Priests, and Companions, Martyrs
Saturday, October 19, 2024
Prince of Peace Catholic Church – 8:00 Mass
2 Corinthians 4:7-15; Psalm 126:1bc-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6; Matthew 28:16-20
Audio Recording
Today’s Gospel reading is from the conclusion of the Gospel of Matthew. The Eleven have gathered at a mountain in Galilee specified by Jesus and upon seeing him in his risen glory, they worship him, although some apparently still doubted. Jesus is about to ascend into heaven and is giving the eleven their marching orders, so to speak. He tells them to go out to all the world – all nations – and baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. He also commands them to observe everything he has commanded them to do and to teach the world to do the same.
These final verses in Matthew serve as the basis and stimulus for our mission as the Church, the body of Christ. Jesus declares that it is the duty of his followers to evangelize “all nations.” Some are called to the special task of venturing into distant lands with the gospel, just as the apostles did when they took the Christian message to the “ends of the earth”. But the responsibility is laid on the whole people of God…all of us. We are all are summoned to participate in the Church’s efforts at evangelization. This means making the gospel known through the witness of our words and actions, wherever we find ourselves.
It is important to recognize that making disciples should not be reduced to winning converts or ensuring that people get baptized. While these are important, they are only the beginning of the Christian life. A disciple is one who listens to Jesus and learns from him how to live, how to pray, and how to do what is pleasing to the Father.
Christian discipleship is a total way of life, a commitment to pattern our daily actions and decisions after the example set by Jesus and his most heroic followers, followers such as Saints John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues and their companions whose feast we celebrate today. As important as it is to attend Mass, to pray the rosary and say one’s bedtime prayers, something much more is called for in the Lord’s mandate to his followers.
The seriousness of hearing Jesus’ words and putting them into practice is confirmed by Christ just before he acsends to heaven. We might say that his last words emphasize that which is most important for those who follow him.
The gospel message is meant to give shape and direction to our ENTIRE life. We believers must be informed of how it must influence and guide family matters, economics, relationships, employment, government, education, and so on. In other words, the good news of Jesus Christ must ultimately go beyond personal formation to evangelization. The Lord wants the truth of his message to Christianize all nations as nations. Only when both individuals AND societies are conformed to the gospel can we say that the Father’s will has been done “on earth as in heaven”.
Sadly, our western culture has become less and less Christian and more and more secular. We often hear that the era in which we live is a post-Christian era. We must stand up against the false secular religions of materialism and wokeism by speaking the truth in the public square and to our friends and family. It’s not easy and it’s often uncomfortable, but we MUST take a stand against the false “religions” of our time.
Finally, we must support our foreign missionaries both financially and prayerfully. Countless obstacles have to be overcome in the mission field, and a combination of material and spiritual aid is a critical part of making the efforts of missionaries possible and fruitful. Let us never forget that it is the business of all God’s people to heed the mandate of Jesus to “make disciples of all nations.”
Let’s take Jesus’ mandate seriously so as to stand firmly as lights in a dark world. Let’s resolve to do whatever God is calling us to do in the time we have remaining here on earth to bring others into his glorious kingdom.