The Call to Missionary Discipleship
a participant to the Convocation, we are one in the calling to missionary discipleship.
As missionary disciples, Catholic leaders are not just managers or administrators but spiritual leaders who love Jesus Christ, are faithful to the mission of the Church, and can inspire others by being responsive to the vocation, gifts, and charisms that have been given to them by the Lord.
The Holy Father presents some characteristics of a missionary disciple( or a“ Spirit-filled evangelizer”) in chapter five of Evangelii Gaudium. The first characteristic of a missionary disciple is a personal encounter with Jesus Christ every day.“ Let us call upon [ the Holy Spirit ] today, firmly rooted in prayer, for without prayer all our activity risks being fruitless and our message empty. Jesus wants evangelizers who proclaim the good news not only with words, but above all by a life transfigured by God’ s presence.” 30 Missionary disciples have an“ interior impulse which encourages, motivates, nourishes and gives meaning” to their work. 31 In addition, a missionary disciple is not a solitary figure but rather a person sent by Christ through the community of faith, the Church.“ Mission is at once a passion for Jesus and a passion for his people.” 32
To consider further how missionary discipleship inspires and informs our responsibilities as leaders, here are some personal characteristics of missionary disciples:
• Leaders are people of prayer. They are intimately in tune with God’ s voice that speaks in silence and find time to imitate the Lord, who“ went up on the mountain by himself to pray”( Mt 14:23). They receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist frequently.
• Leaders are conscious of the mission field around them. They are willing to go beyond their comfort zones to embrace and engage others. They act with intentionality and an open heart for all God’ s people, not only those who are already active in the life of the Church.
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