St. Joan’s words could have easily come off the lips of the disciples of the early Church. They were born for their time and their mission as well. The last words of Jesus before ascending to the Father were, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Mt. 28:18-20) Then he sent them on mission.  Because they embraced their mission to take the Gospel into the world, we have been recipients of their sacrifices. This very same mission has been entrusted to each one of us through Baptism and Confirmation.

In the last issue of Great Lakes Bay Catholic magazine, I outlined the Mission Values of the Diocese of Saginaw.  They provide the moral and spiritual direction in guiding behaviors for our lives as missionary disciples of Jesus Christ. Guiding behaviors are important and they help answer the question, “What do we stand for?” However, the most important question is, “What does it mean to be disciples on mission?”

“Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” is the heart of true discipleship and is fundamentally our mission. Though challenging in these secular times, it is our diocesan mission “to courageously proclaim the transforming power of the gospel so that Christ Jesus may lead people to salvation through his healing, love and mercy.”

Therefore, our mission is to take the saving message of Jesus into whatever places we find ourselves day-to-day, moment-by-moment. People need to hear what Jesus has to offer them personally. It means to live everyday life with gospel intentionality, sharing the gospel message with those whom God has placed around you. Pope Francis spoke of these challenges. “One of the great challenges facing the Church in this generation is to foster in all the faithful a sense of personal responsibility for the Church’s mission, and to enable them to fulfill that responsibility as missionary disciples, as a leaven of the Gospel in our world.” (Pope Francis, at Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul, Philadelphia, Sept. 26, 2015)

“Jesus is not a personage from the past; he is a person living today. We do not know him from history books; we encounter him in life. The life of Jesus did not happen years ago; it is something that is still happening now. As Christian disciples, we are called to bring this ever-present Life of God into the world.” (Pope Francis, Homily for the Easter Vigil, April 20, 2019)

This mission is deeply embedded in two pillars in the Diocesan Plan: Build Disciples to be Sent on Mission and Go After the Lost Sheep.

How can you begin to be a disciple on mission? Where can you begin in light of these Pillars?

• Honestly reflect upon how you have answered the call to missionary discipleship. Challenge yourself in stepping out as a missionary disciple.  
• Embrace our Mission Values wholeheartedly.
• With the Lord’s help, seek to discover your own gifts and charisms for mission.
• Embrace your own formation program for discipleship; take advantage of opportunities to grow in your own faith.
• Reflect upon the missionary culture and atmosphere within your parish.
• “Leave the 99 and go after the one lost sheep.” We all know people who are no longer in our pews on Sunday. Jesus is waiting to welcome them back through your engagement with them! It is all about personal invitation and accompaniment.  If every faith-filled Catholic in our Diocese brought just one person back to Mass, we would experience the fruit of the Eucharistic Revival.  
• Become the disciple whom God has created you to be. Step out courageously in faith like Joan of Arc. You were born for this!
• Join me on mission to transform the Diocese.

No matter how old or young we are, no matter where we find ourselves on our faith journey, all of us are in need of constant renewal, and we are called to bring this renewal to the world.  That is what it means to be a missionary disciple.

“Let us seize this moment as the great missionary opportunity of our time. When we hear the words, “Go forth, the Mass is ended,” our work as missionary disciples begins anew as we respond to the Lord’s command to “go and make disciples” by the faithful witness of our lives—by reaching out to the lost, the least and the last. With confidence, let us entrust ourselves to the care and guidance of the Holy Spirit to bring about a Eucharistic Revival at this time in the life of the world!” [From Resources for the National Eucharistic Revival]

“Let us go to proclaim Jesus zealously and joyfully for the life of the world.”

Our mission values are:

• Ambitious for God and his kingdom
• Authentically human
• Docile to the Holy Spirit