General Theme:
Means of perseverance
 
General Objective:
That the disciples can participate actively in the mission of Jesus making them missionary disciples that persevere faithfully in their following.
 
Objective of the week:
That we can be more aware that the mission for all requires the commitment of all.

​Last October 20 we celebrated World Mission Sunday. We are in the last week of October and we will reflect on the third part of the message of Pope Francis for World Mission Sunday 2024.
 
The reflections for the following days could help us to be more convinced that we, as evangelizers, are indispensable and irreplaceable in the Church and in the world of today. 

MONDAY
 "God our Savior Desires Everyone to be Saved"

From the message of Pope Francis (World Mission Sunday 2024)   
The third and last reflection concerns the recipients of the King’s invitation: “everyone.” As I emphasized, “This is the heart of mission: that ‘all,’ excluding no one. Every mission of ours, then, is born from the heart of Christ in order that he may draw all to himself” (Address to the General Assembly of the Pontifical Missionary Societies, 3 June 2023). Today, in a world torn apart by divisions and conflicts, Christ’s Gospel remains the gentle yet firm voice that calls individuals to encounter one another, to recognize that they are brothers and sisters, and to rejoice in harmony amid diversity. “God our Saviour desires everyone to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4). Let us never forget, then, that in our missionary activities we are asked to preach the Gospel to all: “Instead of seeming to impose new obligations, [we] should appear as people who wish to share their joy, who point to a horizon of beauty and who invite others to a delicious banquet” (Evangelii Gaudium, 14).
 
Evangelii Gaudium 266
But this conviction has to be sustained by our own constantly renewed experience of savouring Christ’s friendship and his message. It is impossible to persevere in a fervent evangelization unless we are convinced from personal experience that it is not the same thing to have known Jesus as not to have known him, not the same thing to walk with him as to walk blindly, not the same thing to hear his word as not to know it, and not the same thing to contemplate him, to worship him, to find our peace in him, as not to. It is not the same thing to try to build the world with his Gospel as to try to do so by our own lights. We know well that with Jesus’ life becomes richer and that with him it is easier to find meaning in everything. This is why we evangelize.
 
Psalm 34:8
Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
 
Luke 5:12-15
12 While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy.[a] When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” 13 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him. 14 Then Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 15 Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses.

Luke 4:42-44
42 At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. 43 But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” 44 And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
 
God the Father and King is inviting us to be in His Banquet, telling us, "Come and Enjoy the Banquet of the Lord".(WMS 2024 theme) The love of God is for everyone. This shows us His unconditional love despite our unfaithfulness to Him, yet He remains faithful to us. The very heart of God is meant to reach all the people to be united with Him through all eternity. The fact that the world offers to us other “banquets” remarks an urgent call to respond to the mission. Faithfulness to the mission makes us become holy. Jesus is the model of our life and of selfless love in our mission. Jesus is faithful to the Father as he says to the apostles: "I must preach the Good News about the Kingdom of God in other towns because this is what God sent me to do." (Lk. 4: 43) Let us invite everyone to taste and see the goodness of the Lord in their daily life and be grateful to the Father.
 

• Am I responding to the invitation of the Lord?
• How do I sustain my faithfulness to the mission?

From the message of Pope Francis (World Mission Sunday 2024)
Christ’s missionary disciples have always had a heartfelt concern for all persons, whatever their social or even moral status. The parable of the banquet tells us that, at the king’s orders, the servants gathered “all whom they found, both good and bad” (Mt 22:10). What is more, “the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame” (Lk 14:21), in a word, the least of our brothers and sisters, those marginalized by society, are the special guests of the king. 
 
Evangelii Gaudium 48
If the whole Church takes up this missionary impulse, she has to go forth to everyone without exception. But to whom should she go first? When we read the Gospel, we find a clear indication: not so much our friends and wealthy neighbors, but above all the poor and the sick, those who are usually despised and overlooked, “those who cannot repay you” (Lk 14:14). There can be no room for doubt or for explanations which weaken so clear a message. Today and always, “the poor are the privileged recipients of the Gospel,” and the fact that it is freely preached to them is a sign of the kingdom that Jesus came to establish. We have to state, without mincing words, that there is an inseparable bond between our faith and the poor. May we never abandon them.
  
Matthew 11:2-6
2 When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples 3 to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”4 Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy[a] are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 6 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”
 
Matthew 15:22-28
22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.” 23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” 25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. 26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” 27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” 28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.
 
Jesus embraces all those who come to Him without distinction. He loves all who come to Him. His Sacred Heart has that special place for the poor.  In today’s world, the poor are not only those who have no basic needs but also those who are unwanted, unloved, and uncared for which results in them being lonely, despairing, and hopeless.  The only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is LOVE. As Mother Theresa said “There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread but there are many more dying for a little love. There is a different kind of poverty -- it is not only a poverty of loneliness but also of spirituality. There's a hunger for love, as there is a hunger for God.” As disciples, we are called to love the poor.  This love is inspired by Jesus´concern for the poor.
 

• Have we loved the poor people around us? Who are they? 
• How do we respond to the call of Jesus to love the least, the last, and the lost?

From the message of Pope Francis (World Mission Sunday 2024)
The wedding feast of his Son that God has prepared remains always open to all, since his love for each of us is immense and unconditional. “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (Jn 3:16). Everyone, every man and every woman, is invited by God to partake of his grace, which transforms and saves. One need simply says “yes” to this gratuitous divine gift, accepting it and allowing oneself be transformed by it, putting it on like a “wedding robe” (cf. Mt 22:12).
 
Evangelii Gaudium 264
The primary reason for evangelizing is the love of Jesus which we have received, the experience of salvation which urges us to ever greater love of him. What kind of love would not feel the need to speak of the beloved, to point him out, to make him known? If we do not feel an intense desire to share this love, we need to pray insistently that he will once more touch our hearts. We need to implore his grace daily, asking him to open our cold hearts and shake up our lukewarm and superficial existence.
 
Colossians 3:12-15
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
 
2 Corinthians 5:1-4.17
For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here!
 
Our ‘Yes’ to the mission is how we show Jesus how much we love Him. We are able to say yes to Him because we experience firsthand how much He loves us in return. It is our mission to make Christ be known to all, that they too may experience the wonders of His love. When we live out our life in kindness, humility and patience, we transform our life to be beacons of His love that others may come and seek Him out. It may be difficult to do alone, but with the community to guide and support us, may we all be sheltered by Christ’s love, and be more committed to the works of service.
​

• What urges me to continue doing the mission?
• What are the things keeping me from being committed to the mission? 

From the message of the Pope (World Mission Sunday 2024)
The mission for all requires the commitment of all. We need to continue our journey towards a fully synodal and missionary Church in the service of the Gospel. Synodality is essentially missionary and, vice versa, mission is always synodal. Consequently, close missionary cooperation is today all the more urgent and necessary, both in the universal Church and in the particular Churches. In the footsteps of the Second Vatican Council and my Predecessors, I recommend to all dioceses throughout the world the service of the Pontifical Mission Societies. They represent the primary means “by which Catholics are imbued from infancy with a truly universal and missionary outlook and [are] also a means for instituting an effective collecting of funds for all the missions, each according to its needs” (Ad Gentes, 38). For this reason, the collections of World Mission Day in all the local Churches are entirely destined to the universal fund of solidarity that the Pontifical Society of the Propagation of the Faith then distributes in the Pope’s name for the needs of all the Church’s missions. Let us pray that the Lord may guide us and help us to be a more synodal and a more missionary Church (cf. Homily for the Concluding Mass of the Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, 29 October 2023).
 
Evangelii Gaudium 273
My mission of being in the heart of the people is not just a part of my life or a badge I can take off; it is not an “extra” or just another moment in life. Instead, it is something I cannot uproot from my being without destroying my very self. I am a mission on this earth; that is the reason why I am here in this world. We have to regard ourselves as sealed, even branded, by this mission of bringing light, blessing, enlivening, raising up, healing and freeing. 
 
Luke 10:25-37
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]” 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” 29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
 
1 John 3:14-18
14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15 Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.
16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
 
As Verbum Dei Missionary disciples, all of us are sent as servants of the Word of God in this present time. During the recently concluded World Mission Sunday, all of us are convinced of the urgency to preach the Word of God in all places. We are invited to continue to be missionaries by heart, at all times,  as this is our specific place in the Catholic church. Missionaries of the Word of God by heart require full commitment to dedicate our lives for the mission. As Pope Francis (WMS 2024) says the mission for all requires the commitment of all. In Evangelii Gaudium 273 it says, I am a mission on this earth. We are called to be Good Samaritans (Lk 10:25-37), transmitters of eternal life to those who are spiritually needy because of the harsh and difficult challenges many are facing. As VDMD, this is our commitment.
 

• How convinced are you of the urgency to bring the Good News to others?
• How can you be more committed to do the mission?

From the message of the Pope (World Mission Sunday 2024)
Finally, let us lift our gaze to Mary, who asked Jesus to perform his first miracle precisely at a wedding feast, in Cana of Galilee (cf. Jn 2:1-12). The Lord offered to the newlyweds and all the guests an abundance of new wine, as a foreshadowing of the nuptial banquet that God is preparing for all at the end of time. Let us implore her maternal intercession for the evangelizing mission of Christ’s disciples in our own time. With the joy and loving concern of our Mother, with the strength born of tenderness and affection (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 288), let us go forth to bring to everyone the invitation of the King, our Savior. Holy Mary, Star of Evangelization, pray for us!
 
Evangelii Gaudium 286
She is the missionary who draws near to us and accompanies us throughout life, opening our hearts to faith by her maternal love.
 
Evangelii Gaudium 266
A true missionary, who never ceases to be a disciple, knows that Jesus walks with him, speaks to him, breathes with him, works with him. He senses Jesus alive with him in the midst of the missionary enterprise. Unless we see him present at the heart of our missionary commitment, our enthusiasm soon wanes and we are no longer sure of what it is that we are handing on; we lack vigor and passion. A person who is not convinced, enthusiastic, certain and in love, will convince nobody.
 
John 2:1-12
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there,  and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.  When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” “Woman,[a] why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”  Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.
 
Acts 1:12-14
Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk[a] from the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
 
Pope Francis in his message (WMS 2024), is inviting us to focus our gaze on Mother Mary. For she is the great light that can guide us to become real disciples of Christ Jesus. Mary,"the Morning Star", has the important role as our mother in faith. She is very willing to walk with us and be our guiding light as evangelizers of this present time. As missionary disciples we are encouraged in Evangelii Gaudium 288 that says," Let us go forth to bring to everyone the invitation of the King our Savior. Holy Mary, Star of Evangelization. Pray for us." Here we can learn the importance of Mother Mary in our discipleship. How good it would be if we can always recognize the very presence of Mary and always ask her maternal intercession in the midst of the challenges we meet in our daily life and in the mission. For she is our mother in faith and she knows what is best for all of us, her children.
 
Evangelii Gaudium 286 is inviting us to look at Mother Mary and listen to her as the servants in John 2:5. When the servants obeyed her motherly instruction, Jesus was able to perform his first miracle. Today Mother Mary is also telling each one of us the same words she uttered to the servants “do whatever He tells you”. 
 
Mother Mary is a mother who can teach us on how to live in the very presence of Jesus in our day to day life. For she is very generous in sharing her personal experiences of her son Jesus (John 2:12). Mother Mary emphasizes that to live with Jesus is to listen to him everyday and make him the center of our lives as evangelizers of today (Evangelii Gaudium 266).
 
We are again reminded about the importance of our prayer life as Verbum Dei disciples. For this is one of the important nourishments to be and act as committed missionary disciples of Christ Jesus (Acts 1:14). Let us lift our gaze to Mother Mary, our guiding light in order for us to continue the works of Jesus here on earth. Jesus needs us to bring everyone to the great banquet he is preparing for all of us.      
  

• What have I learned from Mother Mary today? 
• Am I faithful to my commitment as a Verbum Dei missionary disciple?

1st Reading:                     Dt 6:2-6
Psalm                                Ps 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51
2nd Reading:                   Heb 7:23-28
Gospel:                              Mk 12:28b-34​

General Theme:
Means of perseverance
 
General Objective:
That the disciples can participate actively in the mission of Jesus making them missionary disciples that persevere faithfully in their following.
 
Objective of the week:
That we may deepen the eschatological and Eucharistic dimension of the mission of Christ and the Church.

​In this introduction, we will make a summary of the one from last week.
 
October is the month dedicated to the mission. Every year on the third Sunday of October we celebrate World Mission Sunday.
 
   What is World Mission Sunday?  World Mission Sunday, organized by the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, is a day set aside for Catholics worldwide to reflect on their own baptism, when they received the gift of faith, and recommit themselves to the Church's missionary activity through prayer and sacrifice.
 
   Pope Francis message for World Mission Sunday 2024:” Let us not forget that every Christian is called to take part in this universal mission by offering his or her own witness to the Gospel in every context, so that the whole Church can continually go forth with her Lord and Master to the “crossroads” of today’s world.
 
  The Guidelines sheet during this month will be focused on the Pope's message for World Mission Sunday 2024. The theme proposed by Pope Francis is “GO AND INVITE EVERYONE TO THE BANQUET” (cf Mat 22:9). This is an invitation to live out Jesus’ mission in this present moment.
 
   Our Verbum Dei Family of Cebu is willing to go to some places to reach out to others during this month. Our theme “COME, ENJOY THE BANQUET OF THE LORD” is taken from the Pope’ message with the intention of making us aware of the active participation in inviting all to the banquet of the Lord.
 
Matthew 22: 1-14 is the main passage which has been the basis for the message for WMS 2024. Our prayer this week is centered on the Eucharist and its eschatological and missionary dimension. This specific objective is reflected in the second part of the Pope’s message.

From the message of Pope Francis (World Mission Sunday 2024)
“In the parable, the king asks the servants to bring the invitation to his son’s wedding banquet. That banquet is a reflection of the eschatological banquet. It is an image of ultimate salvation in the Kingdom of God, fulfilled even now by the coming of Jesus, the Messiah and Son of God, who has given us life in abundance (cf. Jn 10:10), symbolized by the table set with succulent food and with fine wines, when God will destroy death forever (cf. Is 25:6-8).
 
Christ’s mission has to do with the fullness of time, as he declared at the beginning of his preaching: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand” (Mk 1:15). Christ’s disciples are called to continue this mission of their Lord and Master. Here we think of the teaching of the Second Vatican Council on the eschatological character of the Church’s missionary outreach: “The time for missionary activity extends between the first coming of the Lord and the second…, for the Gospel must be preached to all nations before the Lord shall come (cf. Mk 13:10)” (Ad Gentes, 9)”.
 
Isaiah 25:6-9
Here on Mount Zion the LORD Almighty will prepare a banquet for all the nations of the world — a banquet of the richest food and the finest wine. Here he will suddenly remove the cloud of sorrow that has been hanging over all the nations. The Sovereign LORD will destroy death for ever! He will wipe away the tears from everyone's eyes and take away the disgrace his people have suffered throughout the world. The LORD himself has spoken! When it happens, everyone will say, “He is our God! We have put our trust in him, and he has rescued us. He is the LORD ! We have put our trust in him, and now we are happy and joyful because he has saved us.”
 
John 10:7-10
So Jesus said again, “I am telling you the truth: I am the gate for the sheep. All others who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever comes in by me will be saved; they will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only in order to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come in order that you might have life — life in all its fullness.
 
Matthew 22:1-10
Jesus again used parables in talking to the people. “The Kingdom of heaven is like this. Once there was a king who prepared a wedding feast for his son. He sent his servants to tell the invited guests to come to the feast, but they did not want to come. So he sent other servants with this message for the guests: ‘My feast is ready now; my bullocks and prize calves have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast!’ But the invited guests paid no attention and went about their business: one went to his farm, another to his shop, while others grabbed the servants, beat them, and killed them. The king was very angry; so he sent his soldiers, who killed those murderers and burnt down their city. Then he called his servants and said to them, ‘My wedding feast is ready, but the people I invited did not deserve it. Now go to the main streets and invite to the feast as many people as you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, good and bad alike; and the wedding hall was filled with people.
 
    Jesus through the parable is telling us, "Now, go to the main streets and invite to the feast as many as you find. So, the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, bad and good alike, and the wedding hall was filled with people." (Mt. 20: 9-10) What a beautiful privilege to be called to participate in the mission of the Church to reach out to those who are far from God's Word. The word of God is light nor only for our own path, but for everyone. The eucharist is a tangible memory of Jesus' presence in which we truly receive His humanity and divinity as a strength to preach the Good News. He accompanies us today. It is meant not only for our personal salvation, that's why our mission as disciples is to bear His light into the world to ensure that no one is left behind or excluded from God's Eschatological Banquet.
 

• What is my personal experience in the missionary journey?
• How do I encourage myself to participate in the mission?

From the message of Pope Francis (WMS 2024)
“We know that among the first Christians missionary zeal had a powerful eschatological dimension. They sensed the urgency of the preaching of the Gospel. Today too it is important to maintain this perspective, since it helps us to evangelize with the joy of those who know that “the Lord is near” and with the hope of those who are pressing forward towards the goal, when all of us will be with Christ at his wedding feast in the kingdom of God. While the world sets before us the various “banquets” of consumerism, selfish comfort, the accumulation of wealth and individualism, the Gospel calls everyone to the divine banquet, marked by joy, sharing, justice and fraternity in communion with God and with others”
 
Acts 4:1-29
Peter and John were still speaking to the people when some priests, the officer in charge of the temple guards, and some Sadducees arrived. They were annoyed because the two apostles were teaching the people that Jesus had risen from death, which proved that the dead will rise to life. So they arrested them and put them in jail until the next day, since it was already late. But many who heard the message believed; and the number of men grew to about 5,000. The next day the Jewish leaders, the elders, and the teachers of the Law gathered in Jerusalem. They met with the High Priest Annas and with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and the others who belonged to the High Priest's family. They made the apostles stand before them and asked them, “How did you do this? What power have you got or whose name did you use?” Peter, full of the Holy Spirit, answered them, “Leaders of the people and elders: if we are being questioned today about the good deed done to the lame man and how he was healed, then you should all know, and all the people of Israel should know, that this man stands here before you completely well through the power of the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth — whom you crucified and whom God raised from death. Jesus is the one of whom the scripture says: ‘The stone that you the builders despised turned out to be the most important of all.’ Salvation is to be found through him alone; in all the world there is no one else whom God has given who can save us.” The members of the Council were amazed to see how bold Peter and John were and to learn that they were ordinary men of no education. They realized then that they had been companions of Jesus. But there was nothing that they could say, because they saw the man who had been healed standing there with Peter and John. So they told them to leave the Council room, and then they started discussing among themselves. “What shall we do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone in Jerusalem knows that this extraordinary miracle has been performed by them, and we cannot deny it. But to keep this matter from spreading any further among the people, let us warn these men never again to speak to anyone in the name of Jesus.” So they called them back in and told them that on no condition were they to speak or to teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, “You yourselves judge which is right in God's sight — to obey you or to obey God. For we cannot stop speaking of what we ourselves have seen and heard.” So the Council warned them even more strongly and then set them free. They saw that it was impossible to punish them, because the people were all praising God for what had happened. The man on whom this miracle of healing had been performed was over forty years old. As soon as Peter and John were set free, they returned to their group and told them what the chief priests and the elders had said. When the believers heard it, they all joined together in prayer to God: “Master and Creator of heaven, earth, and sea, and all that is in them! By means of the Holy Spirit you spoke through our ancestor David, your servant, when he said: ‘Why were the Gentiles furious; why did people make their useless plots? The kings of the earth prepared themselves, and the rulers met together against the Lord and his Messiah.’ For indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together in this city with the Gentiles and the people of Israel against Jesus, your holy Servant, whom you made Messiah. They gathered to do everything that you by your power and will had already decided would happen. And now, Lord, take notice of the threats they have made, and allow us, your servants, to speak your message with all boldness. '
 
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
And now I want to remind you, my brothers and sisters, of the Good News which I preached to you, which you received, and on which your faith stands firm. That is the gospel, the message that I preached to you. You are saved by the gospel if you hold firmly to it — unless it was for nothing that you believed. I passed on to you what I received, which is of the greatest importance: that Christ died for our sins, as written in the Scriptures; that he was buried and that he was raised to life three days later, as written in the Scriptures; that he appeared to Peter and then to all twelve apostles. Then he appeared to more than 500 of his followers at once, most of whom are still alive, although some have died. Then he appeared to James, and afterwards to all the apostles. Last of all he appeared also to me — even though I am like someone whose birth was abnormal. For I am the least of all the apostles — I do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted God's church. But by God's grace I am what I am, and the grace that he gave me was not without effect. On the contrary, I have worked harder than any of the other apostles, although it was not really my own doing, but God's grace working with me. So then, whether it came from me or from them, this is what we all preach, and this is what you believe.
 
One of the greatest gifts that we receive from God is being a Verbum Dei disciple. Let us thank the Lord for the gift of our discipleship and putting us in this community, the Verbum Dei Missionary community. It is in the formation and guidance given to us that we are molded to live the mission. Apostles Peter and John encourage us today to continue the mission of Jesus in this present time as said in Acts 4:20 " For we cannot stop speaking of what we ourselves have seen and heard." We are again reminded by Jesus of the need to continue the mission he has started. He passed it onto the 12 Apostles and this time, to us. Jesus needs us to tell everyone that our "LIFE" is more than the things this world offers. How good it is to see the trust of Jesus in each one of us and He chose us to be His disciple to preach the Good News. Many people nowadays need to be reminded of 1Co 15:2 that says, "For we are saved by the Gospel if we hold firmly to it." And that is to believe that the presence of the Lord is very near to us through His words in the Gospel. In the message of Pope Francis WMS 2024 says, "For the Gospel calls everyone to receive what is prepared by the Lord which is more than what is offered here on earth”. What the Lord offers is Joy, Justice, Fraternity in communion with God and others. This is heaven while we are still here on earth. This is the Good News that we believe, live out, and preach. As what St Paul says in 1Co15:11"So then whether it came from me or from them, this is what we all preach and this is what we believe."
 

• As a Verbum Dei Missionary disciple, how often do you listen to the Gospel? Is your life available always to live out the Gospel?

From the message of Pope Francis (WMS 2024)
“This fullness of life, which is Christ’s gift, is anticipated even now in the banquet of the Eucharist, which the Church celebrates at the Lord’s command in memory of him. The invitation to the eschatological banquet that we bring to everyone in our mission of evangelization is intrinsically linked to the invitation to the Eucharistic table, where the Lord feeds us with his word and with his Body and Blood. As Benedict XVI taught: “Every Eucharistic celebration sacramentally accomplishes the eschatological gathering of the People of God. For us, the Eucharistic banquet is a real foretaste of the final banquet foretold by the prophets (cf. Is 25:6-9) and described by the New Testament as ‘the marriage-feast of the Lamb’ (Rev 19:9), to be celebrated in the joy of the communion of the saints” (Sacramentum Caritatis, 31)”.
 
1 Kings 19:1-8
1 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done—that he had murdered all the prophets by the sword. 2 Jezebel then sent a messenger to Elijah and said, “May the gods do this to me and more, if by this time tomorrow I have not done with your life what was done to each of them.” 3 Elijah was afraid and fled for his life, going to Beer-sheba of Judah. He left his servant there 4 and went on a day's journey into the wilderness, until he came to a solitary broom tree and sat beneath it. He prayed for death: “Enough, Lord! Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 He lay down and fell asleep under the solitary broom tree, but suddenly a messenger[b] touched him and said, “Get up and eat!” 6 He looked and there at his head was a hearth cake and a jug of water. After he ate and drank, he lay down again, 7 but the angel of the Lord came back a second time, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat or the journey will be too much for you!” 8 He got up, ate, and drank; then strengthened by that food, he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb.
 
John 6:35.53-56
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst. 53 Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. 54 Whoever eats[s] my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.
 
Through the Eucharist, we come face to face with Jesus and unite in his body and blood. The Eucharist is the source of all the graces that we need for our lifelong journey in body and spirit. Living life through the ways of this world cannot fill the desire of our soul to be close to God, the source of everything. When we are at our lowest point, our belief in the Eucharist enables us to stand up and face our trials head-on, knowing that through Christ’s body and blood, we are strengthened. We sometimes doubt our capabilities and are easily burdened by hardship, but with Christ who strengthens us, we are more than capable of achieving feats that would otherwise be impossible if we do not look to Him.
 

• Do I look to the Eucharist when I am called to do the mission?
• How do I approach the mission with the Eucharist in mind?

From the message of Pope Francis (WMS 2024)
 “Consequently, all of us are called to experience more intensely every Eucharist, in all its dimensions, and particularly its eschatological and missionary dimensions. In this regard, I would reiterate that “we cannot approach the Eucharistic table without being drawn into the mission which, beginning in the very heart of God, is meant to reach all people” (Sacramentum Caritatis, 84). The Eucharistic renewal that many local Churches are laudably promoting in the post-Covid era will also be essential for reviving the missionary spirit in each member of the faithful. With how much greater faith and heartfelt enthusiasm should we recite at every Mass: “We proclaim your death, O Lord, and profess your resurrection, until you come again”!
 
Sacramentum Caritatis, 86 (Pope Benedict XVI)
 “Emphasis on the intrinsic relationship between the Eucharist and mission also leads to a rediscovery of the ultimate content of our proclamation. The more ardent the love for the Eucharist in the hearts of the Christian people, the more clearly will they recognize the goal of all mission: to bring Christ to others. Not just a theory or a way of life inspired by Christ, but the gift of his very person. Anyone who has not shared the truth of love with his brothers and sisters has not yet given enough. The Eucharist, as the sacrament of our salvation, inevitably reminds us of the unicity of Christ and the salvation that he won for us by his blood. The mystery of the Eucharist, believed in and celebrated, demands a constant catechesis on the need for all to engage in a missionary effort centered on the proclamation of Jesus as the one Savior. This will help to avoid a reductive and purely sociological understanding of the vital work of human promotion present in every authentic process of evangelization.
                                            
1 John 1:1-3
We write to you about the Word of life, which has existed from the very beginning. We have heard it, and we have seen it with our eyes; yes, we have seen it, and our hands have touched it. When this life became visible, we saw it; so we speak of it and tell you about the eternal life which was with the Father and was made known to us. What we have seen and heard we announce to you also, so that you will join with us in the fellowship that we have with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
 
Acts 26:16
But get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant. You are to tell others what you have seen of me today and what I will show you in the future.
 
John 4:25-30
The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah will come, and when he comes, he will tell us everything.” Jesus answered, “I am he, I who am talking with you.” At that moment Jesus' disciples returned, and they were greatly surprised to find him talking with a woman. But none of them said to her, “What do you want?” or asked him, “Why are you talking with her?” Then the woman left her water jar, went back to the town, and said to the people there, “Come and see the man who told me everything I have ever done. Could he be the Messiah?” So they left the town and went to Jesus.
 
    The Eucharist is one of the sources of Verbum Dei Spirituality. We vitally connect with Jesus in every Eucharistic celebration, where He empties Himself to us so we will be saved. It is not enough that He suffered and died for us on the cross, rather, He chose to remain with us, to sustain us in the Eucharist. The Eucharist continues to nourish us, to save us.  In this regard, we are conscious of the urgency to do the mission to bring this salvation to many. As we continue to encounter the Messiah in the Eucharist, we are reminded to bring others to the same encounter, just like what the Samaritan woman did who announced the good news to everyone: then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him. Jn 4: 28-30. As in the message of Pope Francis: In this regard, I would reiterate that “we cannot approach the Eucharistic table without being drawn into the mission which, beginning in the very heart of God, is meant to reach all people”. Truly, at the end of every Eucharistic celebration we are reminded to “go and proclaim the gospel” because this is what every Christian must really do.
 

• What is in the Eucharist that inspires you to do the mission to reach out to many?
• How can you bring others to encounter the Messiah?

From the message of the Pope (WMS 2024)
“In this year devoted to prayer in preparation for the Jubilee of 2025, I wish to encourage all to deepen their commitment above all to take part in the celebration of Mass and to pray for the Church’s mission of evangelization. In obedience to the Saviour’s command, she does not cease to pray, at every Eucharistic and liturgical celebration, the “Our Father,” with its petition, “Thy kingdom come.” In this way, daily prayer and the Eucharist in particular make us pilgrims and missionaries of hope, journeying towards everlasting life in God, towards the nuptial banquet that God has prepared for all his children”.
 
Luke 11:2
Jesus said to them, “When you pray, say this: ‘Father: May your holy name be honoured; may your Kingdom come.
 
Luke 12:32-34
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the Kingdom. Sell all your belongings and give the money to the poor. Provide for yourselves purses that don't wear out, and save your riches in heaven, where they will never decrease, because no thief can get to them, and no moth can destroy them. For your heart will always be where your riches are.
 
Philippians 3:20-21
We, however, are citizens of heaven, and we eagerly wait for our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from heaven. He will change our weak mortal bodies and make them like his own glorious body, using that power by which he is able to bring all things under his rule.
 
Acts 7:48-50
“But the Most High God does not live in houses built by human hands; as the prophet says: ‘Heaven is my throne, says the Lord, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house would you build for me? Where is the place for me to live in? Did not I myself make all these things?’
 
2 Corinthians 5:1
For we know that when this tent we live in — our body here on earth — is torn down, God will have a house in heaven for us to live in, a home he himself has made, which will last for ever.
 
1 Peter 1:1-9
From Peter, apostle of Jesus Christ — To God's chosen people who live as refugees scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. You were chosen according to the purpose of God the Father and were made a holy people by his Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be purified by his blood. May grace and peace be yours in full measure. Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Because of his great mercy he gave us new life by raising Jesus Christ from death. This fills us with a living hope, and so we look forward to possessing the rich blessings that God keeps for his people. He keeps them for you in heaven, where they cannot decay or spoil or fade away. They are for you, who through faith are kept safe by God's power for the salvation which is ready to be revealed at the end of time. Be glad about this, even though it may now be necessary for you to be sad for a while because of the many kinds of trials you suffer. Their purpose is to prove that your faith is genuine. Even gold, which can be destroyed, is tested by fire; and so your faith, which is much more precious than gold, must also be tested, so that it may endure. Then you will receive praise and glory and honour on the Day when Jesus Christ is revealed. You love him, although you have not seen him, and you believe in him, although you do not now see him. So you rejoice with a great and glorious joy which words cannot express, because you are receiving the salvation of your souls, which is the purpose of your faith in him.
 
2 Peter 3:13
But we wait for what God has promised: new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness will be at home.
 
Each one of us has an important role in the mission. Pope Francis in his message for the WMS 2024, encourages us to deepen our commitment in attending masses and offering our unceasing prayers for the Church's Mission of Evangelization. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus as He teaches us on how to pray. In Luke 11:2  says,  Jesus said to them "when you pray, say this; ' Father may your holy name be honored; May your kingdom come." Today we are again reminded by Jesus that  God in  heaven is our Father. And we need to hope and believe that His kingdom will come here on earth as promised. That is why we are also reminded by Pope Francis in  his message  for WMS 2024, that to pray  and to always receive the Eucharist are ways that we can deepen and renew our commitment as missionaries of hope in this present time. How beautiful it is if we can show to others the hope we receive from Jesus. For we are to set an example for others on how to look forward with eagerness of the Kingdom of God prepared for us, His children. As in 1 Peter 1:4 says, " and so we look forward to possessing the rich blessings that God keeps for His people. He keeps them for you in heaven, where they cannot decay, or spoil, or fade away." How beautiful it is if we can learn on how to look beyond what is temporary and together we journey towards the nuptial banquet that God has for us. It is our duty to inspire others to hold on to the hope that Christ Jesus has bestowed on us. We can persevere in waiting as in 1 Peter 1:9 says, " But we wait for the new heavens and a new earth where righteousness will be at home."                 
 

• Are you ready to deepen your commitment as missionaries of hope? How?
• Are you willing to journey with those people who don't know how to hope in the goodness of God?

General Theme:
Means of perseverance
 
General Objective:
That the disciples can participate actively in the mission of Jesus making them missionary disciples that persevere faithfully in their following.
 
Objective of the week:
That we, as members of the Church recognize that we exist to evangelize

​October is the month dedicated to the mission. Every year on the third Sunday of October we celebrate World Mission Sunday.
 
What is World Mission Sunday? World Mission Sunday, organized by the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, is a day set aside for Catholics worldwide to reflect on their own baptism, when they received the gift of faith, and recommit themselves to the Church's missionary activity through prayer and sacrifice.
 
Pope Francis message for World Mission Sunday 2024:” Let us not forget that every Christian is called to take part in this universal mission by offering his or her own witness to the Gospel in every context, so that the whole Church can continually go forth with her Lord and Master to the “crossroads” of today’s world.”
 
IMVDMFa 70. “In the VDMFa we wish to ensure that no one feels excluded, but rather good administrators of the incalculable riches, rights and duties of their Christian identity, conferred by baptism, to follow Christ in his same mission, participating in his being priest, prophet and king.”
 
There is a call to renew our commitment as disciples of Christ. October is a month specially dedicated for this renewal as Catholics and as Verbum Missionary disciples. Let us again pray and live out our missionary activity during this month.
 
October is the month to pray for missionaries all over the world. Pope Francis in his message for World Mission Sunday 2024 affirms: “I take this opportunity to thank all those missionaries who, in response to Christ’s call, have left everything behind to go far from their homeland and bring the Good News to places where people have not yet received it, or received it only recently. Dear friends, your generous dedication is a tangible expression of your commitment to the mission Ad Gentes that Jesus entrusted to his disciples: “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19). We continue to pray and we thank God for the new and numerous missionary vocations for the task of evangelization to the ends of the earth.”
 
These missionaries are helping people in need in different places through many assisting projects and they also need financial support. Propaganda Fidei (Society for the Propagation of Faith) is in charge of collecting the money from every country and to distribute to the most needed people in this world through the missionaries living with them.
 
The Guidelines sheet during this month will be focused on the Pope's message for World Mission Sunday 2024. The theme proposed by Pope Francis is “GO AND INVITE EVERYONE TO THE BANQUET” (cf. Mat 22:9). This is an invitation to live out Jesus´ mission in this present moment.
 
Our Verbum Dei Family of Cebu is willing to go to some places to reach out to others during this month. Our theme “COME, ENJOY THE BANQUET OF THE LORD” is taken from the Pope's message with the intention of making us aware of the active participation in inviting all to the banquet of the Lord.

Message of the Pope (World Mission Sunday 2024):
“In the king’s command to his servants we find two words that express the heart of the mission: the verbs “to go out” and “to invite”. Mission, we see, is a tireless going out to all men and women, in order to invite them to encounter God and enter into communion with him. Tireless!”
 
John 20:21
21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
 
Acts 13:43-49
43 When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God. 44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him. 46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us:
“‘I have made you[a] a light for the Gentiles,
    that you[b] may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’[c]”
48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. 49 The word of the Lord spread through the whole region.
 
Every one of us is called to be a part of the mission, witnessing Jesus and continuing His work in our lives. God's love is so great; His love does not limit to those who recognized Him but those strangers of Him are covered by His immense love. He is telling us to go tirelessly and invite all His children even to those who are in the face of indifference and refusal to come and enjoy His banquet of love. Sometimes, we feel unworthy and unprepared to go, but Jesus is inviting us to obey and trust in Him so that He can freely act in us and we may be capable of imitating Him. So we become effective missionaries in our little ways with our examples and not only with our words. So we are invited to preach with our lives the way we relate to each other and in our family with patience, forgiveness, and humility.
 

• How is the Lord calling me to participate in His mission?
• How am I called to imitate Jesus in my daily life?

Message of the Pope (World Mission Sunday 2024):
“God, great in love and rich in mercy, constantly sets out to encounter all men and women, and to call them to the happiness of his kingdom, even in the face of their indifference or refusal.”
 
1 John 4:19
We love because he first loved us.
 
1 Timothy 2:1-7
I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed at the proper time. 7 And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles.
 
Hosea 11:1-4
“When Israel was a child, I loved him,
     and out of Egypt I called my son.  2 But the more they were called,
     the more they went away from me.[a]  They sacrificed to the Baals
     and they burned incense to images.  3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
     taking them by the arms; but they did not realize
     it was I who healed them.  4 I led them with cords of human kindness,
     with ties of love.  To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them.
 
Aware of the great love of God for us, a universal love that knows no limits, a love that brings forth true happiness and peace that everyone is looking for, a love that bears fruit and grows all the more when shared to others. In one way or another we experienced this love from our brothers and sisters in so many ways, allowing this love to flourish. The world is in need of the Love of God. As His witnesses, we are all invited by Jesus to let our brothers and sisters  experience the same Love we received from Him. Let the world know that Jesus is alive in the lives of His true witnesses in the way they love.
 

• Are we grateful for the great love of God for all of us?
• In what concrete ways can we live out and share this great Love?

Message of the Pope (World Mission Sunday 2024):
“Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd and messenger of the Father, went out in search of the lost sheep of the people of Israel and desired to go even further, in order to reach even the most distant sheep (cf. Jn 10:16).”
 
1 John 4:9-10
9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
 
Luke 15:1-6
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’
 
Matthew 9:9-13
9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. 10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’[a] For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
 
John 8:1-12
1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” 12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
 
We are all equal in the eyes of God, regardless of one’s past. We may sometimes lose our way and go astray, but there will always be those who understand our burdens and reach out that we may not go astray. As disciples, we too are imperfect. But our imperfections do not stop us from giving our all for the service of the Lord. When we acknowledge who we are and follow the Lord regardless, our identity as disciples will outshine the sins of the past.
 

• Does my burden and shame of the past stop me from doing what is right?
• How do I view my past deeds as a disciple of Christ?

Message of the Pope (World Mission Sunday 2024):
“Both before and after his resurrection, he told his disciples, “Go!”, thus involving them in his own mission (cf. Lk 10:3; Mk 16:15)
To return to the king’s command in the parable, the servants are told not only to “go,” but also to “invite”: “Come to the wedding!” (Mt 22:4). Here we can see another, no less important, aspect of the mission entrusted by God. As we can imagine, the servants conveyed the king’s invitation with urgency but also with great respect and kindness. In the same way, the mission of bringing the Gospel to every creature must necessarily imitate the same “style” of the One who is being preached. In proclaiming to the world “the beauty of the saving love of God made manifest in Jesus Christ who died and rose from the dead” (Evangelii Gaudium, 36), missionary disciples should do so with joy, magnanimity and benevolence that are the fruits of the Holy Spirit within them (cf. Gal 5:22). Not by pressuring, coercing or proselytizing, but with closeness, compassion and tenderness, and in this way reflecting God’s own way of being and acting.”
 
Luke 10:1-3
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two[a] others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.
 
Mark 16:15-16,20
15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
 
As VDMD our charism is to pray, live and preach the Word of God. We are to “Go” as Jesus commissioned each one of us, so we can invite everyone to the wedding banquet. “Go” is in the present tense since Jesus knows the urgency of preaching each day “in season and out of season” 2Tim 4:2-5.  All must be invited and must encounter the love and mercy of God through us! As servants of the Word of God we are to bring the Good News to others just like Jesus did, full of love and compassion for His people especially, the least, the lost and the last. Our pedagogy of preaching must imitate that of our Master’s whose effectiveness is due to His loving connection and obedience to the will to His Father. So let us offer ourselves as servants of Jesus who is always willing to reach out to others so they too, can partake in the wedding festivities, just as we did. As it is said in Acts 4:20 “As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard”.
 

• What inspires you to “go” and invite others to encounter Jesus?
• How can you be more effective as a servant of the Word of God?

Message of the Pope (World Mission Sunday 2024):
“The Church, for her part, in fidelity to the mission she has received from the Lord, will continue to go to the ends of the earth, to set out over and over again, without ever growing weary or losing heart in the face of difficulties and obstacles.
 
Evangelii Nuntiandi 14:
The Church knows this. She has a vivid awareness of the fact that the Savior's words, "I must proclaim the Good News of the kingdom of God," apply in all truth to herself. It is with joy and consolation that at the end of the great Assembly of 1974 we heard these illuminating words: "We wish to confirm once more that the task of evangelizing all people constitutes the essential mission of the Church."
 
Evangelii Gaudium 25:
Throughout the world, let us be “permanently in a state of mission”.
 
1 Corinthians 9:16
16 For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!
 
2 Timothy 2:1-13
You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrusted to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. 3 Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. 5 Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. 7 Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained. 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
11 Here is a trustworthy saying:
If we died with him,
    we will also live with him;
12 if we endure,
    we will also reign with him.
If we disown him,
    he will also disown us;
13 if we are faithless,
    he remains faithful,
    for he cannot disown himself.
 
Romans 10:1, 13-15
Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”[f]14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”[g]
 
"I believe in one Holy Catholic and Apostolic church." This line is very familiar from the Apostle's Creed that points out that we are the Church - the people of God. The church who receives the call of Jesus to remain faithful to the mission. Mission is a grace from God which gives us the privilege to serve Him in proclaiming the Good News of Salvation. Fidelity is essential in the mission because our life itself is a mission. By our fidelity, neither obstacle nor suffering can hinder us to reach out to the ends of the earth. Thus, Jesus is telling us in Mt.28:20 "Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you and I will be with you always to the end of age." Which means that doing the mission is living in union with Christ Jesus.
 

• How's your commitment to Jesus being a Verbum Dei disciple?
• Are you willing to respond to the call of Jesus to mission? How?

SUNDAY
28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

We stand before You, Holy Spirit, as we gather together in Your name.  With You alone to guide us, make Yourself at home in our hearts; Teach us the way we must go and how we are to pursue it.  We are weak and sinful; do not let us promote disorder. Do not let ignorance lead us down the wrong path nor partiality influence our actions. Let us find in You our unity so that we may journey together to eternal life and not stray from the way of truth and what is right. All this we ask of You, who are at work in every place and time, in the communion of the Father and the Son, forever and ever.  Amen.

We pray that the Church continue to sustain in all ways a Synodal lifestyle, as a sign of co-responsibility, promoting the participation, the communion and the mission shared among priests, religious and lay people.