The Great Commission

17. October 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: Reflections

Go and make a difference!

After his resurrection, Jesus commanded his disciples 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” [Mt 28:19].  Known as the Great Commission, this is a direct call to action by all the members of the body of Christ to evangelize, to bring the “gospel” or “good news” to others. God commissions us to speak His word to others. Do you witness the truth and joy of the gospel by word and example to those around you?

We are all commanded, as Christians, to spread the good news of our Lord and Savior, every day, through example, word, and action. Jesus calls us all to action, to serve those in need, to help the poor, comfort the sick, bring food to the hungry, and to spread the good news of God’s love to all who are in need. To be a true disciple of Christ we must go beyond the obligatory ritual and become the eyes and hands and feet of Christ. As St. Teresa of Avila wrote centuries ago:

Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,

Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.

Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.

Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

At the end of every Mass, we as the body of Christ are instructed by the priest or deacon to “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.” This is not a simple farewell but a command from Christ to service, to continue to spread the gospel and “make disciples of all the nations.”

During the weekly school Masses the ending is quite different and wonderful. The priest or deacon simply says “Go…” to which the children respond with all the fervor they can muster “and make a difference!”

Now that is what Jesus is talking about!

About the author: Deacon Chuck

Deacon Chuck was ordained into the permanent diaconate on September 17, 2011, in the ministry of service to the Diocese of Reno and assigned to St. Albert the Great Catholic Community. He currently serves as the parish bulletin editor and website administrator. Deacon Chuck continues to serve the parish of Saint Albert the Great Catholic Community of the Diocese of Reno, Nevada. He is the Director of Adult Faith Formation and Homebound Ministries for the parish, conducts frequent adult faith formation workshops, and is a regular homilist. He currently serves as the bulletin editor for the parish bulletin. He writes a weekly column intended to encompass a broad landscape of thoughts and ideas on matters of theology, faith, morals, teachings of the magisterium and the Catholic Church; they are meant to illuminate, illustrate, and catechize the readers and now number more than 230 articles. His latest endeavor is "Colloqui: A journal for restless minds", a weekly journal of about 8 pages similar in content to bulletin reflections. All his reflections, homilies, commentaries, and Colloqui are posted and can be found on his website: http://deaconscorner.org. Comments are always welcome and appreciated. He is the author of two books: "The Voices of God: hearing God in the silence" which offers the reader insights into how to hear God’s voice through all of the noise that surrounds us; and "Echoes of Love: Effervescent Memories" which through a combination of prose and verse provides the reader with a wonderful journey on the way to discovering forever love. He regularly speaks to groups of all ages and size and would welcome the opportunity to speak to your group.

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