During this Year of Faith, we will blog reflections and stories to accompany you on your faith journey.
Mother Teresa often told her Sisters to remember the “gospel on five fingers.” As she held up each finger of her hand, she would say, “You. Did. It. For. Me.” These words come from Matthew 25:40, where Jesus tells us we will be judged by how we help the thirsty or hungry or sick.
We are charged with a mission
The Eucharist calls us to become the Church of Matthew 25. We who have been fed, filled, and healed by word and sacrament are charged to go forth to carry God’s mission into the world.
The changes in the dismissal formulas at the end of Mass might be easy to overlook. But for me, they are one of the best changes in the new Mass translations. They make more explicit the relationship between Eucharist and mission. Each of the new dismissal options begins with “Go.” The dismissal is more about beginning than ending.
The Eucharist will guide us
The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Church’s participation in God’s mission to the world. We are sent from the liturgy of the Eucharist to the liturgy of the world. The heart of the Eucharist is missiological, reminding us through word and sign that the household of God is not meant to stay in the house.
The gospel we hear proclaimed week after week is God’s good news about the redemption of the world, in which we are invited to take part. In the Penitential Act, we acknowledge our sins against God and neighbor, and we do not mean just those sitting beside us in our pews or even those sitting next to us at our dinner tables. Our prayers of petition are prayers for the Church and for the world.
We are a people on mission—God’s mission of bringing mercy and healing to the world.
Go and glorify the Lord!
Every Mass exhorts us to “Go” and be the Church of Matthew 25—a community of committed disciples helping the thirsty, hungry, and sick. We are gathered and sent to go forth; to go in peace, glorifying the Lord by our transformed lives; to go and announce the gospel, the good news of Jesus’ saving love for the world.
Suggestions for Prayer:
- How do I live during the week what I celebrate on Sunday?
- Prayerfully read Matthew 25:31-46 and then pray, “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.”
Reprinted with permission from Living with Christ. For more information or to subscribe, visit www.livingwithchrist.us or call 1-800-214-3386.
Sr. Terry is the Executive Director of RENEW International and a Dominican Sister from Blauvelt, NY.