Missionaries

Today once again the first reading includes nearly all of one of the New Testament’s shortest epistles: in this case, the third letter of St. John.

This letter has essentially a single purpose: to encourage financial and other support for missionaries.

Too often we as Christians get so wrapped up in our own lives, or even the life of our own parish or other Christian community, that we forget our Lord’s command to preach the Gospel to every creature. Support for missionary activity is an essential part of our response to this command (especially if we ourselves cannot be fulltime missionaries).

This missionary activity obviously encompasses the support of churches, schools and evangelical activities in the developing world, especially those areas where pagan religions still thrive.

More and more, however, we must increase our missionary activities in areas of the world that accepted the Gospel long ago, but where large segments of the population have forsaken the truth of Christ in favor of hedonism, atheism, or new age paganism.

(Side note: St. John’s mention of “accepting nothing from the pagans” is a reminder of the dangers of receiving government support for church-related activities. There are too many possible dangers: identification with oppressive regimes, the inner weakness that comes with prolonged dependence, and the “strings” attached to such support that may be used to pull us in ungodly directions.)

Christ has commanded us to preach the Gospel to every creature. We must respond, in what we say and do, and in the support we give to the missionary work of the Church.