Go and invite everyone to the banquet

Pope Francis has released his message for World Mission Day 2024, being celebrated this Sunday, October 20, drawing inspiration from the parable of the wedding banquet in the Gospel of Matthew. The theme, Go and invite everyone to the banquet (cf Mt 22:9), serves as a foundation for the Pope’s reflections on evangelisation in today’s world.

In his message, Pope Francis emphasised the importance of tireless outreach in the Church’s mission. He calls for “a tireless going out to all men and women, in order to invite them to encounter God and enter into communion with him.”

The Pope praises missionaries who leave their homelands to spread the Good News, describing their dedication as “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).

He reminds all Christians of their role in this universal mission, urging them to bear witness to the Gospel in every context. He stressed that this call to mission is not limited to a select few but is a fundamental aspect of Christian identity for all believers.

The Pope states, “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.”

In a powerful metaphor, he warned against the danger of becoming an “‘imprisoning’ Church which does not let the Lord out” and elaborated on this concept, explaining, “Today’s drama in the Church is that Jesus keeps knocking on the door, but from within, so that we will let him out!”

The Pope highlighted the dynamic, outward-focused nature of true faith, stating, “the Lord came for mission and wants us to be missionaries.” He called for a renewal of missionary zeal, encouraging all baptised individuals to be “ready to set out anew, each according to our state in life, to inaugurate a new missionary movement, as at the dawn of Christianity!”

The Pope stressed that the Gospel should be proclaimed with joy, magnanimity, and benevolence, reflecting God’s own way of being and acting. He cautioned against pressure, coercion, or proselytising, instead advocating for “closeness, compassion and tenderness, and in this way reflecting God’s own way of being and acting.”

Drawing parallels between the wedding banquet in the parable and the eschatological banquet in God’s Kingdom, Pope Francis connects this to the Eucharist, describing it as “a real foretaste of the final banquet foretold by the prophets.”

He encouraged a deeper experience of the Eucharist, underscoring its eschatological and missionary dimensions. “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,” the Pope stated.

Francis stressed that the mission is for everyone and requires everyone’s commitment. He calls for a fully synodal and missionary Church, noting that “Synodality is essentially missionary and, vice versa, mission is always synodal.”

The Pope recommends the service of the Pontifical Mission Societies to all dioceses worldwide, highlighting their role as “the primary means by which Catholics are imbued from infancy with a truly universal and missionary outlook.”

In conclusion, Pope Francis invokes the intercession of Mary, the Star of Evangelisation. He encourages all Christians to “go forth to bring to everyone the invitation of the King, our Saviour,” with “the joy and loving concern of our Mother, with the strength born of tenderness and affection.”