MESSAGE OF JOHN PAUL II
FOR WORLD MISSION DAY 1985

Dear brothers and sisters!

Every year, on the solemnity of Pentecost, the Church relives with ineffable joy the beginnings of her own existence and of the evangelizing work destined for all the peoples of the earth. Therefore, on this very significant date, I am pleased, as usual, to address my message for World Mission Day, which will be celebrated next October.

1. The Church is Born under the Breath of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.

The apostles, faithful to Christ’s command, are gathered in the Upper Room to pray and reflect, together with Mary. In those privileged men hovers a feeling of trepidation in the face of the mandate that the Master has entrusted to them: “Go… and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” (Mt 28,19). Trepidation for the recent threats from the Jews, for the incomprehension of many of the Lord’s affirmations, and above all for the experience of one’s own insufficiency and one’s limitations in responding to the divine mandate. Those first apostles, not cultured and not daring, are close to her whom they feel is their Mother and a source of hope and trust.

And behold, suddenly, the “transformation” takes place, at the mighty breath of the Holy Spirit. A radical transformation of the mind and heart: the apostles now feel like opening their intelligence, they are invaded by an uncontainable dynamic fervor; they are dominated by a single impulse: to proclaim, to communicate to others what they contemplate in a new, sunny light. The Spirit recomposes in them, as in a marvelous mosaic, every word spoken by Christ.

Thus, the Church was born. It was born on the day of Pentecost. «It was born – as I recalled in my homily at the conclusion of the XX National Eucharistic Congress in Milan, on May 22, 1983 – under the powerful breath of the Holy Spirit, who orders the apostles to leave the Upper Room and to undertake their mission. They go among men and set out in the world to teach all nations”.

2. The Church, a community in a perennial state of mission.

The Church therefore appears, from its first constitution, as the community of disciples, whose raison d’etre is the implementation in time of the mission of Christ himself, the evangelization of the world. It is therefore a community in a perennial state of mission, it is a missionary community, whose members are united in one body to be sent to the nations; if within this community there are different roles, functions and “charisms” (cf. 1 Cor 12:4-5), however, the missionary vocation is common to all (cf. “Lumen Gentium”, 17; “Ad Gentes », 35-36): to bishops, priests, men and women religious and lay people.

All, without distinction, are called to carry out the mission of the Redeemer, even in their own specific vocation and in their own conditions and possibilities. Everyone must feel committed to the one missionary mandate: to give space in the world to the good news brought to us by Christ, so that the psalmist’s prophecy may be fulfilled: “Throughout the earth their voice goes forth, and their word to the ends of the world” (Ps 19.5).

Therefore, not only must those who specifically work on the outposts of evangelization, the “missionaries” properly so called, have to feel committed; but also, every priest or consecrated person who, in the context of his own activity, must instill in the faithful a sense of missionary duty.

Even the laity have the arduous task of evangelizing in depth the social and cultural fabric in which they live, both in countries where the proclamation of the faith has not yet arrived, and also in countries where Christianity urgently needs to be revitalized, to regain a new and more effective penetration force.

3. Young People, Hope of evangelization.

If this commitment is, as I said, common to all components of the Church, it concerns young men and women in a particular way. Therefore, in this International Youth Year, I appeal to their energies, their generosity, their intelligent dedication, which never fails when it comes to supporting a just cause.

In the perspective of the third millennium, which is approaching, and in this crucial moment of human history, in which an obscure threat of destruction and annihilation seems to weigh upon our world, I call you, I exhort you, in the name of Christ the Lord, to be heralds of the Gospel, to spread with all your might the saving word, the truth of God; and this, both by offering with your life a witness to the eschatological realm of truth and love, and by working concretely for the transformation, according to the evangelical spirit, of all temporal reality (cf. Letter to young people, 31 March 1985, n. 9), overcoming the temptation of discouragement which leads to withdrawal and disengagement.

It is not time to be afraid, to delegate this difficult but sublime task to others. Everyone, as a member of the Church, must take his share of responsibility. Each of you must make those close to you understand, in the family, in the school, in the world of culture, of work, that Christ is the way, the truth, the life; that he alone can eradicate the desperation and alienation of the individual, giving an explanation of the existence of man, a learned creature of a very high dignity because he is made in the image and likeness of God. It is necessary to proclaim and make known the saving truth to every man, because it is not possible to remain indifferent in the face of the millions and millions of people who still do not know or know poorly the priceless treasures of redemption.

Two thousand years have passed since Christ’s “euntes, docete”: well, that imperative seems to have suffered a setback in some places, while in others it seems to proceed very slowly. Therefore, I call you young people from all over the world, and I send you as Christ sent the apostles, with the strength that comes from the word of Christ himself: the future of the Church depends on you, the evangelization of the earth in the coming decades depends on you ! Be Church! Make young, keep young the Church, with your enthusiastic presence, impressing everywhere vitality and prophetic vigor.

Christ needs you to proclaim the truth, to bring the message of salvation to the streets of the world, he needs your generous and available heart to show all men his infinite and merciful love.

Animate, sensitize your peers, your communities, light the flame of faith everywhere: only in this way can the demon of drugs be defeated, only in this way can the scourges of violence, secularism and hedonism that cloud and divert so many precious youthful energies! Only in this way will the soul of many brothers belonging to different religions be open to a fruitful and constructive dialogue. And in this exalting undertaking, like the apostles from the day of Pentecost, always let yourselves be guided docilely by the Spirit, “the principal agent of evangelization” (Evangelii Nuntiandi, 75), who sustains, enlightens, comforts and perfects everything.

4. Missionary cooperation: a serious and urgent commitment of all God’s people.

However, all the faithful are strongly exhorted to reflect very carefully on the above considerations. In fact, all the faithful, all the members of the Church, “by her missionary nature” (“Ad Gentes”, 2), are “envoys”, they are co-responsible for the expansion of the kingdom of God. reviews the needs of missionary activity and the alarming situation of such a large part of humanity not yet reached by the evangelical proclamation, one cannot fail to feel, in the depths of one’s conscience, the peremptoriness of Christ’s command, one cannot failing to perceive the gravity of the duty incumbent on every Christian to favor the progress of evangelization. In fact – says Saint Paul – “how can they believe without having heard of it? And how will they be able to hear about it without someone announcing it? And how will they announce it without being sent first?” (Rom 10:14-15).

As a community, as mystical body of Christ, the Church accompanies and supports the missionary commitment of her members by indicating the most appropriate ways of cooperation according to which the individual can make his contribution.

These modalities are manifold, the means innumerable, however, on the current anniversary of World Mission Day, I wish to recall the specific importance of some of these means, well tested by experience, not exclusive, but privileged, as closely connected to the See of Peter: the Pontifical Mission Societies.

5. The Pontifical Mission Societies, a privileged instrument of cooperation.

The Pontifical Mission Societies are, as stated in the related Statutes, “the official and principal instrument of all the Churches for missionary cooperation”. To them – the Council reiterates – “the first place must be reserved, because they are means both for instilling in Catholics from an early age a truly universal and missionary spirit, and for favoring an adequate collection of subsidies for the benefit of all the missions and according to each one’s needs” (Ad Gentes, 38). In fact, they are the active, modern, dynamic tools to support, in all aspects, the direct action of the missionaries who find themselves on the front line and to ensure the indispensable support of the populations entrusted to their pastoral care.

The Pontifical Mission Societies are the instrument of the charity of the people of God, of the miracle of fraternal love which is renewed every year for the benefit of many, even if unfortunately, they cannot reach everyone. Among them, the missionary union of priests, men and women religious is precisely that of the four works which keeps alive in the faithful the awareness of the duty of missionary cooperation, through the leaders of the people of God, suitably formed and “educated” in missionary spirit, intrinsic to their vocation, through the constant work of animation carried out by this worthy work.

That is why I wish to repeat once again to all priests, men and women religious, members of secular institutes, to those who have the joy of living a consecrated life, to work not in isolation, but in close union, under the sign of the same ideal and of the same common commitment. The Pontifical Missionary Union offers you this opportunity, forming you in the missionary spirit, supporting you, helping you on your journey.

I am confident that this Message, brought to all the faithful in the individual local Churches, will awaken in each one the duty to support the Pontifical Mission Societies which unfortunately are not yet known and established everywhere. By supporting the Pontifical Mission Societies, every Christian will be able to feel a living and vital part of the universal Church and penetrate the most authentic sense of her catholicity: in effect, the Pontifical Mission Societies are the most effective means for all Christians, cooperating in the missionary effort of the Church itself, feel and are to all intents and purposes the “living stones” (cf. 1Pt 2:5) that build up the mystical body.

Let us ensure that those who in so many parts of the world now reach out to us begging for help, may one day say, with the apostle: «Now I have what is necessary and also what is superfluous; I am filled with your gifts… which are a sweet-smelling perfume, a sacrifice accepted and pleasing to God” (Phil 4:18).

May Mary Most Holy, Mother of Christ and Mother of the Church, assist you in this generous missionary commitment!

To all I impart my apostolic blessing, propitiatory of abundant heavenly favours.

June 9, 1985

JOHN PAUL II

Credit: Dicastery for Communication, to the Holy See