Pope’s Mission Intention for April

...That mission churches may be signs and instruments of hope and resurrection.

In a very real way the Catholic Church in every nation is a mission church. In the words of Pope Benedict’s 2012 Message for World Mission Day, “the number of those who do not know Christ has grown.” More people than at any other time have never heard the Good News of Jesus and more people than ever who have heard about him don’t care. This is the “crisis of faith” which led Pope Benedict to call for the Year of Faith which we are now celebrating.

As part of our celebration we are praying this month in particular for the Church in places where the Gospel has been newly planted or where Christians are a minority. In many cases these are places of great injustice and poverty, conflict and genocide, where our brothers and sisters are tempted by hopelessness. In these places the Church must proclaim the Gospel not only with its words but by its witness. It must be a sign of hope for people: so that justice and reconciliation are made possible. The Church must be the instrument that empowers people to work for order and the common good that can lead to peace. We join the Holy Father Pope Francis, in praying that through an increase in their faith the mission churches may be ever more effective signs and instruments of hope and resurrection.