Pope John Paul II has said, “It is not enough to discover Christ, we must bring Him to others.” As we celebrate World Mission Month, Pope Benedict XVI, quoting the Gospel passage “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (Jn 20:21), urges each believer in Christ not just to discover Christ but to bring Him to others by giving witness to His works and words.

 

We can reflect upon three important points on how we may bring Christ to others and witness to God’s Word.  First, witnesses of God’s Word are not the “qualified,” but those who are willing and committed to promote God’s Kingdom

Jesus commissions very ordinary people like each of us to give witness to His works and words. He wants ordinary people who could take an assignment and do it extraordinarily well. He invites us not for what we are, but for what we would be capable of becoming under His direction. Thus, when God calls us to follow Him, we must not think we have nothing to offer. The Lord takes the gifts that ordinary people, like us, can offer and uses them for the greater glory of His kingdom. As the saying goes, “God calls not the qualified but He qualifies those whom He has called.”

Secondly, witnesses of God’s Word must have total dependence on God’s providence. God cannot be outdone in His generosity, especially to the workers of His vineyard; He has always promised He would provide for their needs for the completion of His kingdom.  As we give our all to Him, we also need to put all our trust in Him. Hence, God alone suffices.

Thirdly, witnesses of God’s Word must be both transformed and transforming.  As missionaries of Christ, we witness not mainly by the words we speak but by our very being that reflects God’s merciful and loving presence. Let us then remember that we preach better by our life than by our lips. Hence, we must be formed by the words we proclaim so that in turn we may touch the hearts and transform the very lives of those people we serve.

Recall that John Paul II said, “It is not enough to discover Christ, we must bring Him to others.”

Father Nelson B. Bisco, CM, is Mission Director of the Vincentian Popular Mission based in Quezon City.