HOMILY FOR WORLD MISSION SUNDAY
19th October 2025 – 29th Sunday of the Year (C)
Twenty-seven hundred years ago, a young man, Isaiah, was praying in the temple of Jerusalem. As he was immersed in deep prayer, he saw the Glory of God. Immediately, he became aware of his sinfulness and said, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” At that moment, a seraph flew to him, holding an ember, and touched the mouth of Isaiah and said, “Now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.” Then Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and Who will go for Us?” Immediately, Isaiah responded, “Here I am! Send me.”
At that moment, Isaiah became a messenger of the Lord and a prophet to the people of Israel. He preached the word of God for many years among his people. In vivid language, this prophet Isaiah presented the Good News of the coming of the Messiah, the One who would suffer and die for the forgiveness of our sins. Later, in the fullness of time, Jesus, the Messiah and Saviour, was born in Bethlehem. He was the perfect messenger of the Father’s love for everyone.
After his death and resurrection for our salvation, when it was time for Jesus to ascend to heaven, he gathered his disciples around him and said: “Be my witnesses to the ends of the earth. Teach them what I have taught you. Baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And I will be with you till the end of the age” (Mt 28:19–20).
The Church, founded on the rock of Peter, has remained faithful in continuing the mission of Jesus. It has always relied on its members—on each of us—to fulfil this mission. Today, as then, the Lord is asking the same question He once asked young Isaiah: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” The Lord needs messengers and witnesses now more than ever – people who will go out, speak His Word, and bring His love to the ends of the earth.
This year, as we celebrate World Mission Sunday 2025, we are invited to respond anew with Isaiah: “Here I am, send me.”
In his message for this year’s celebration, Pope Leo XVI offers us the theme: “Missionaries of Hope Among All Peoples.” He reminds us that in this Jubilee Year, the world needs not just words but witnesses of hope. The Pope urges us to be men and women “burning with holy zeal” for a new era of evangelisation. In a world overshadowed by division, fear, and uncertainty, we are called to be “builders of hope,” letting the Holy Spirit guide our actions, words, and lives. Hope is not a vague feeling – it is a mission, a light we carry into places of darkness.
Throughout the years, the popes have continually invited us to rediscover this missionary vocation:
- Pope Benedict XVI highlighted Christian charity as the beating heart of evangelisation and encouraged a renewed commitment to proclaim the Gospel everywhere.
- Pope Francis reminded us that “I am a mission, always; you are a mission, always; every baptised man and woman is a mission.” His message is clear: the missionary mandate is personal and universal.
The most powerful way to fulfil this mission is by living a truly Christian life – a life filled with love, mercy, kindness, compassion, prayer, and forgiveness. Mr. Gandhi once said, “My life is my message.” He challenged Christians to live the “apostolate of the rose.” A rose does not preach; it simply radiates its fragrance and attracts everyone by its irresistible beauty. Similarly, the Gospel we proclaim is most credible when it is visible in our lives. That is how the early Christians evangelised. Their neighbours would say: “See how these Christians love one another!”
Prayer is another vital pillar of mission. Jesus said: “Without me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5). Pope John Paul II emphasised that only in an atmosphere of prayer can we become true witnesses of Christ. Our missionaries, who are often in difficult and challenging places, depend on our prayerful support.
Finally, missionary work requires generosity. The love of God is often made tangible to the poor through food, education, health care, and human dignity. Evangelisation is not only about preaching – t is also about serving. Schools, hospitals, and media outreach are powerful instruments of mission, and they require our financial support.
As Pope Benedict XVI concluded in his 2006 World Mission Sunday message, “May the Virgin Mary, who collaborated actively in the beginning of the Church’s mission with her presence beneath the Cross and her prayers in the Upper Room, sustain their action and help believers in Christ to be ever more capable of true love, so that they become sources of living water in a spiritually thirsting world.”
On this Mission Sunday, may we hear once more the voice of God: “Whom shall I send?”
And may we, like Isaiah, answer with faith and courage: “Here I am, Lord. Send me.”
May we go forth as missionaries of hope, radiating the love and mercy of Christ to every corner of the world.