Homily – 29th Sunday – Year C – Fr Jeremiah Browne (National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies #southafrica #Swaziland #eswatini #Botswana)
Few events in history match the horror of the Holocaust of World War II, and yet, that event also gave rise to extraordinary examples of bravery and steadfast faith. In France, for example, a Jewish family were hidden by a French family in the basement of their house. The Jewish family waited and waited, in fear, for the day that they would found by the authorities or be free again. At the end of the war these words were found scribbled on the wall of that basement: “I believe in the sun even when it does not shine. I believe in love even when it is not given. I believe in God even when he is silent.”
Those powerful words speak of a faith that survives in darkness – a hope that refuses to die. They remind us that even when everything seems lost, the human heart can still believe, still trust, still hope.
Today, the Church around the world celebrates World Mission Sunday – a day that reminds us that we are a missionary people, sent to bring light into the world’s dark places. This year’s theme, “Missionaries of Hope Among the Peoples,” calls each of us to witness to Christ’s love not only by what we say, but by how we live – especially where hope is fragile or fading.
Hope, as we Christians understand it, is not mere optimism. It is not a vague feeling that “things might get better.” Christian hope is rooted in the promise of Christ and in the unshakeable conviction that God is at work, even when we cannot see God’s presence. It is the certainty that, St. Paul speaks about when writes “nothing can separate us from the love of God made visible in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:38-39).
Today’s Gospel (Luke 18:1-8) paints a striking picture of hope. The poor widow who keeps returning to the unjust judge is bold, persistent, and unyielding. Her faith drives her to keep knocking, not because the judge is good, but because justice is worth seeking.
She teaches us that faith is not about ease, but endurance. Like her, as church, we must stay faithful to the mission entrusted to us by Christ, even when the world seems indifferent or prayer seems unanswered.
Jesus ends that parable with a question that continues to challenges us: “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?” In other words, will He find among us people who still believe in God’s mercy? Will He find hearts that persevere, that pray, that bring hope where there is despair?
To be a missionary of hope is to believe that no situation is beyond God’s reach. It means standing with those who suffer – not with easy answers, but with enduring presence. It means reminding the world that violence, poverty, injustice, and despair do not have the last word.
Around the world, men and women are living this mission. Some work in war-torn countries, others among refugees, others in parishes, schools, or hospitals. Some teach, some heal, some simply accompany. But all of them are sowing the seeds of hope, and through their witness, the light of Christ continues to shine.
That is how the Church grows and thrives – when it looks outward, when it dares to go to the margins, when it refuses to settle for comfort or complacency.
Of course, the mission of Christ is not only “out there.” It begins here, in our own homes, our parish, and in our communities. Each of us is called to be a missionary of hope – to speak words of encouragement where there is doubt, to build bridges where there is division, to bring light where there is darkness.
A Church that ceases to be missionary stagnates, and a Church that stagnates dies. But a Church that believes, that hopes, that gives, and that serves – that is a Church alive with the Spirit of Christ.
World Mission Sunday is not only a reminder of what others are doing in distant lands; it is a personal invitation to each of us to rediscover our own missionary calling. We are missionaries of hope not because of what we have, but because of who we know – Jesus Christ, the One who conquered death and continues to renew the world through love.
This day invites us to take part, in a very concrete way, in the missionary work of the Church through our prayer and through our giving. Every offering made today – large or small – joins a worldwide network of solidarity and compassion. These funds go directly to support the work of the Pontifical Mission Societies, which sustains struggling mission dioceses, trains seminarians, supports catechists, and builds schools, clinics, and churches in the poorest corners of the world.
Giving is itself an act of hope. It allows us to participate personally in the Church’s global mission of mercy and evangelization.
As we celebrate this World Mission Sunday, let us ask the Lord to help us to be courageous in prayer like the widow in the Gospel, strong in faith like the hidden family in that basement, and generous in heart like the missionaries of hope, whoever they may have been, who first shared the good news with us.
May we, too, believe – and through our believing, may the light of Christ reach every corner of the world.
Batswana Catholics Diocese of Francistown Missionary Childhood Catholic Diocese Of Kroonstad Diocese of Francistown Youth & Young Adults Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference Diocese of Mthatha DIOCESE OF WITBANK YOUTH MINISTRY CATHOLIC YOUTH OF THE DIOCESE OF KLERKSDORP Catholic Diocese of Klerksdorp Bethlehem Diocese Youth Catholic Youth- Diocese of Manzini,Swaziland Catholic Institute of Education Catholic Church South Africa – Sacbc Catholic Women’s League Archdiocese of Cape Town #MissionSunday #catholic #faith #hope #love