“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28: 19).
By: JIM FAIR
(Zenit) Reflecting on Christ’s message to evangelize all the nations, Pope Francis on May 5, 2018, had a simple message to the members of the Neocatechumenal Way on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the group’s founding: Go!
Holy Father traveled to the esplanade of Tor Vergata, Rome, where the Meeting of the Neocatechumenal Way took place, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of its founding. During the celebration, Pope Francis blessed the crosses and gave to the leaders 34 new missio ad gentes, to take the Gospel to various parts of the world.
“Go. The mission demands that we leave,” Pope Francis urged the crowd, estimated to be 150,000.
“But in life, there is a strong temptation to remain, not to take risks, to be content with having the situation under control. It is easier to stay at home, surrounded by those who love us, but it is not Jesus’ way.
“He sends us out: ‘Go’. He does not use half measures. He does not authorize reduced transfers or reimbursed trips, but he says to His disciples, to all his disciples one word only: ‘Go!’
“Go: a powerful call that resonates in every corner of Christian life; a clear invitation always to be outbound, pilgrims in the world in the search for the brother who still does not know the joy of God’s love.”
In addition, the Pope charged some communities of the parishes of Rome to take their mission of faith and assistance to the peripheries of the capital.
The Way, as it is often called, was launched in Madrid in 1964 by Spanish artist Kiko Argüello. The movement focuses on Christian formation and claims some 40,000 parish-based communities worldwide.
