29th Sunday A 18 October 2026 Mission
Where did our faith come from?
It must have been from someone, somewhere. Someone believed these things enough
to pass them on to others, and somehow it filtered down to me.
There are other stories. Some find the faith in adult life, having bypassed the usual structures.
Some had no faith and discovered it; some had the wrong faith and found the true one.
If we have the faith we should be grateful to those who had it before us, and kept the flame burning.
And we should be willing to take our part in the process, whereby we might pass on the faith to others.
Give to God what is God’s today’s Gospel (Mt 22,21). It is all His anyway, but He wants us to acknowledge that.
Whatever He gives us is for our own benefit – houses, cars, health, food, water, talents, knowledge, blessings beyond counting.
These things keep us alive and for that we are grateful. But there is one point higher still – it is through His created gifts to us that God wants us to come to know, love and serve Him.
He wants us to be grateful but also detached, so that we do not cling to the things of this life but are ready to give them up if required.
God lends us these things, but they are still His. That we possess Him is our main concern.
He wants to be made known to the whole world – not restricted by race or location. He wants all people to be one in Himself.
Those who know Him have a duty to help others know Him - to tell of His promises and to call to repentance.
First stage: to tell of the promises: that we can have Heaven in eternity, and even in this earthly life a large degree of happiness because we are living in right balance, where we have enough but not too much. All that we need, not necessarily all we want. Giving to Caesar, and to God.
Second stage: the call to repentance is necessary because people commit sin. If things are out of balance they need to be set right. This happens in confessing our sins. We are forgiven and then sent forth renewed.
To proclaim the life we could have, and to call to repentance where it is not happening.
This is Mission, proclaiming, protecting; addressed to each person in whatever way it is possible.
Discouragement looms as a temptation but we can transcend it.
Some would say that Mission is no longer about which religion we belong to; more about fraternal equality and a more material view of salvation.
But if we look at the Gospels and Church history it is plain that Jesus wants to be proclaimed as the one real God. I am the way the truth and the life. Jn 14,6)
If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me (cf Mt 16,24)
The concern is that if we preach the Gospel we are patronizing our listeners. We do not think ourselves superior to others, but we do think that Jesus Christ is superior!
Are we not bound to make Him known as far as is possible, for the benefit of those who have not yet encountered Him?
Do we not find the answers in our own situation? We would not be here but for missionaries who convinced some people back sometime, and somehow we end up with the faith.
Would we want it any differently?
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