Why Mission? Embracing Our Call to Be Disciples

Family Mission may seem daunting or distant, but it’s a call for all of us. In this powerful reflection, Deacon Ken Dawson explores how we are each uniquely invited to live out Christ’s Great Commission. Whether through prayer, service, or supporting others in their missionary work, there’s a place for everyone to spread the Gospel. Discover how saints, scripture, and even our Blessed Mother guide us to answer the call and say "Yes" to God’s mission in our lives. Catholic Family Mission is doable.

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Why Mission? Christ Calls Us All into His Mission

The idea of mission—going on a mission or being a missionary—may seem daunting, unattractive, or even impossible at first. But this is exactly what Jesus expects from each of us. While the exact form, place, and approach may be unique for each person, the fact of the call is not.

Sent by the Great Commission Our Lord told His apostles, and all of us by extension, to “Go, therefore, 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). This was His mission—the mission He gave to His Church, His disciples—and the mission that endures until the end of time. As His disciples, His followers, we are called to follow Him in this mission.

Pope Francis recently said, "We need lay people who take risks, who get their hands dirty, who are not afraid of making mistakes, who go forward. We need lay people with a vision of the future, not confined to the little things of life." In short, we are needed to join the mission of the Church—a work that will be messy at times, where we will make mistakes, and where the results are not our concern. We are called to enter into a greater vision, breaking free from the constraints that everyday life puts on us. This vision is the saving message of the Lord. The key parts of this mission for us are to “go … and make disciples,” which means we need to leave what is comfortable, easy, and familiar to take the Gospel out to those who do not know Him, sharing His love, mercy, and compassion with those in need.

Called through Church Teaching Saint Pope John Paul II, in Christifideles Laici: On the Vocation and the Mission of the Lay Faithful in the Church and in the World, used the parable of the laborers in the vineyard from Matthew’s Gospel to make this point in reference to the mission of the laity. The householder continues to go out and find laborers, telling them, “You go into the vineyard too” (Mt 20:4). As the Holy Father says, “From that distant day, the call of the Lord Jesus ‘You go into my vineyard too’ never fails to resound in the course of history: it is addressed to every person who comes into this world.”

This focus on going out is tied up with the universal call to holiness, as stressed by Vatican II’s dogmatic constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium. Embedded in this teaching is both the "who" and the "what," while allowing for the "how" to be different for each of us. This call is universal—“for everyone, whether belonging to the hierarchy or being cared for by it” (LG 39)—and is meant to bring us to holiness—“the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of charity” (LG 40). However, the specifics of how we achieve this and live it out are determined by our vocation, circumstances, personality, gifts, and all that makes us unique. It is precisely within the context of the unique situations and experiences of our lives that this is lived out on a daily basis. However, this should not prevent us from entering into the mission of the Church to evangelize, taking the message of the Gospel to people and places that do not know Christ.

We may live this out by going to the missions, as Pope John Paul II describes: “As it stands, the command of the Lord ‘Go into the whole world’ is continuing to find a generous response from laypersons who are ready to leave familiar surroundings, their work, their region, or country, at least for a determined time, to go into mission territory. Even Christian married couples, in imitation of Aquila and Priscilla (cf. Acts 18; Rom 16:3 ff.), are offering a comforting testimony of impassioned love for Christ and the Church through their valuable presence in mission lands” (Christifideles Laici 35).

While only a few may be called to a lifelong or even long-term commitment, all are called to support the missionary activity of the Church and those who serve in missions. For many, a short-term mission trip is a way to understand the missions better, build a connection with a specific mission and its people, and grow in compassion for those different from ourselves. Regardless of how we arrive at a place of compassion and concern for our missionaries and those native to mission territories, our response is necessary. Starting with prayer, we should seek ways to support our missions spiritually, materially, and even through our service.

Our Lady Serves Her Family Our Lady was His first and perfect disciple, following Jesus faithfully throughout Her life. We see this missionary drive in Her from the first moments after the Annunciation. It is precisely in Mary’s fiat—“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38)—that we see the shape of Her life of service to Christ’s mission: a life directed to following His will, serving as He asks, to bring all people to Jesus. After she is overshadowed by the Holy Spirit and is now carrying the Savior of the World in her womb, she immediately sets off in haste to visit her cousin Elizabeth. Mary takes Jesus in her womb to her cousin, and in this encounter, Elizabeth recognizes that Our Lord is present—not to mention John’s reaction. Elizabeth, through a special grace of the Holy Spirit, knows exactly the depth of Mary’s faith: “Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord” (Lk 1:45).

More broadly, the life of Mary shows us a life of evangelizing through relationships and family—a life where all that She does points us to Her Son. More is revealed to Her when Jesus is brought for His presentation in the temple. While Her path will be difficult and sorrowful, it is the way for Her to enter into and serve the mission of Her Son.

“Simeon's words seem like a second Annunciation to Mary, for they tell her of the actual historical situation in which the Son is to accomplish His mission, namely in misunderstanding and sorrow. While this announcement, on the one hand, confirms her faith in the accomplishment of the divine promises of salvation, on the other hand, it also reveals to her that she will have to live her obedience of faith in suffering at the side of the suffering Savior and that her motherhood will be mysterious and sorrowful” (Redemptoris Mater 16).

This comes to fulfillment when Our Blessed Lord is suffering on the Cross. While all of the Apostles but one seem to have deserted Him, Mary is a quiet witness to the horrors inflicted on Jesus and to the unwavering love He has for us. In this moment, She is given to John and all of us as his—and our—Mother, taking on the missionary work of calling all people to Jesus and interceding for us, Her children.

The Apostles Expand the Church The Apostles received the Great Commission directly and succeeded in taking the saving message of Jesus Christ to the far reaches of the world. They took this calling as it was intended, in the most literal sense, going to distant nations and announcing the Gospel to them. This led to a great expansion of the faith through the baptism of many people and the establishment of churches that have flourished and still exist today.

Immediately before His Ascension, Jesus again told the Apostles exactly what He expected of them: “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). They stayed in Jerusalem, waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. After “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4), they had what they needed to go out into the world and spread the Gospel. And that’s what they did—going to places such as Antioch, Rome, Greece, India, and Ethiopia, being witnesses of Christ and forming disciples and churches wherever they went.

This has continued for the last two thousand years, beginning with the bishops who were the immediate successors to the Apostles and spread the faith throughout the known world. Over time, this led to major missionary efforts to take the Gospel to Asia, Africa, and the Americas. While much of today’s missionary efforts are “ad gentes,” taking Christ to non-Christians, there are increasing opportunities for a “new evangelization” or re-evangelization to those who “have lost a living sense of the faith or even no longer consider themselves members of the Church and live a life far removed from Christ and His Gospel” (Redemptoris Missio 33).

St. Thérèse Supports the Missions from Home St. Thérèse of Lisieux also responded to this call, following Christ in His mission. While she desired to go into foreign missions to spread the Gospel and serve those in need, the form of her calling was very different. She never left the convent because of her frail health and sought to serve the Lord through her “little way.” She continued to pray and sacrifice for the missions, offering up her spiritual efforts for the benefit of missionaries and the conversion of souls.

This is a model that any of us can follow. Pope John Paul II exhorts us that “among the forms of sharing [in the universal mission], first place goes to spiritual cooperation through prayer, sacrifice, and the witness of Christian life” (Redemptoris Missio 77). This is the life that St. Thérèse led and a description of how any of us can—and should—support and join in the universal mission of the Church.

It is precisely those who cannot go into mission territory—or cannot go at this time—who are called to share in the mission and provide for the missions through spiritual and material support. Prayers and sacrifices for the good of the mission and missionaries are necessary “so that the proclamation of the word will be effective through God's grace.” Various forms of donations can ensure that the mission has what is needed to operate and serve those in need. The encouragement and friendship that is offered to those discerning a missionary vocation is a source of courage, ensuring that this work continues. In Redemptoris Missio, St. John Paul II describes the good that this support can do:

“In this way, individual believers extend the reach of their charity and show concern for those both far and near. They pray for the missions and missionary vocations. They help missionaries and follow their work with interest. And when missionaries return, they welcome them with the same joy with which the first Christian communities heard from the apostles the marvelous things which God had wrought through their preaching (cf. Acts 14:27).”

The fact that we are all called to be missionaries—to “Go ... and make disciples”—doesn’t mean that we will all do this in the same way. Our individual call to be missionary disciples will look different, serve different goals, and happen in different places or circumstances than that of other people. But the key is that we answer the call, whether it’s to go to far-off mission locations or serve in the local community, to go for long-term or short-term service, or to stay home and support missionaries with our prayers, sacrifices, and material support. Our Blessed Lord is calling each of us, and our response is valuable and needed to accomplish His mission in our world. Are we ready to say “Yes!”? See why other families are choosing SOLT Family Mission Experience for their Catholic Family Mission Trips.