World Mission Month 2008

One World, One Family, One Mission of Love

One thing we all long for is to belong in some way or another to a family. Families may take many different forms, but the essential ingredient for creating family is love.

Pope Benedict XVI tells us in his Mission Sunday message that mission is a question of love, or in other words, mission means creating family.

We shouldn’t limit who are members of our family. God’s dream for us is to all be one family with one loving Father, even a world family. Mission is an expression of God’s love for us, and our love for others. The God of love is the source of care, tenderness, compassion, hospitality and interest in other people’s problems, in order to create one world family.

Awareness of just how inter-connected and interdependent our lives are is growing. We are one planet, one world, one globe.

World Youth Day this year highlighted the diversity yet oneness, love and harmony of the world family.

World Mission Day challenges us to take this message to the 80 per cent of world youth who, due to poverty, war, conflict and AIDS did not even know about World Youth Day and are waiting to be liberated from so much suffering. In this globalised world decisions we make and everything we do has either positive effects or wreaks devastating destruction on our fellow citizens of earth.

Jesus’ farewell wish and command to his disciples was that we all be one, and that we love each other as a family. “I pray also for those who will believe in me … that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you” (Jn 17:20,21) and "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (Jn 13:34,35).

With immediate access to information about the situation our world-wide sisters and brothers, and with increasing awareness of the global consequences of our lifestyle and choices, we are called to act to create a global family where all people can live life in all its fullness as Jesus wanted.

This year for World Mission Month as a focus study we are looking at Thailand, a country of 63 million people, the majority of whom are Buddhists, with less than 1% Catholics. We learn how Christians there are caring for young children, creating homes and building families, often under very challenging circumstances. We also challenge ourselves to commit to building a better future for the world family, on a mission of love.