The Received MISSIONARY ZEAL: Setting the World on Fire

It is commonly accepted that the fearless mystic of the 14^th century, St. Catherine of Siena famously said, “Be who God meant you to be, and you will set the world on fire.” This advice comes to encapsulate yet another essential element of our Christian walk of faith: passionate evangelization, also known as, apostolic/missionary zeal. Stemming from Christ’s own Great commission, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you,”[1] it is key to the life of every follower of Jesus to make every possible effort to teach, witness, share and announce the Gospel of the Lord, in season and out of season. This apostolic endeavour is not to be confined to the expertise of a chosen few, though throughout the centuries of the life of the Church there have emerged numerous men and women who dedicated the entirety of their life to doing so, and often in harsh, perilous, and distant lands.

In an address to the members of the Pontifical Mission Societies on 22 May 2025, Pope Leo XIV emphasized the promotion of authentic and compelling apostolic zeal, understood as an essential aspect of Church renewal. These insights are likewise valid for all those who bear the name of Christian:

“You are called to cultivate and further promote within your members the vision of the Church as the communion of believers, enlivened by the Holy Spirit, who enables us to enter into the perfect communion and harmony of the blessed Trinity. Indeed, it is in the Trinity that all things find their unity. This dimension of our Christian life and mission is close to my heart, and is reflected in the words of Saint Augustine that I chose for my episcopal service and now for my papal ministry: In Illo uno unum. Christ is our Saviour and in him we are one, a family of God, beyond the rich variety of our languages, cultures and experiences. The appreciation of our communion as members of the Body of Christ naturally opens us to the universal dimension of the Church’s mission of evangelization, and inspires us to transcend the confines of our individual parishes, dioceses and nations, in order to share with every nation and people the surpassing richness of the knowledge of Jesus Christ (cf. Phil 3:8).”

The Upper Room also marked the community of disciples of Jesus in a way that highlighted their apostolic and missionary character. As protagonist of the great evangelizing work of the Church, the Holy Spirit moulded the Church, fashioned her into a reality that is centred on Christ. With her gaze intent on him, she is spurred forth in the world to share the greatest message from a loving and caring Saviour. It is part of the Church’s very own DNA to be thrust forward, to be reaching out, to be mission-minded, to be concerned about all people; embracing the new way of the Gospel, she is to witness to all that God has accomplished in Christ for our benefit. If the Church — if we — does not stay focused on her mission, she will not fulfill her Spouse’s will: “But when Christian life loses sight of the horizon of evangelization, the horizon of proclamation, it grows sick: it closes in on itself, it becomes self-referential, it becomes atrophied. Without apostolic zeal, faith withers. Mission, on the other hand, is the oxygen of Christian life: it invigorates and purifies it. Let us embark, then, on a process of rediscovering the evangelizing passion, starting with the Scriptures and the Church’s teaching, to draw apostolic zeal from its sources.”[2]

The Upper Room experience of the early Church was the nucleus of a divinely commanded, Christocentric, Spirit-led family effort to bring the good news to all people. The context was that of a pagan empire, and the resources were few — but the apostolic zeal and excitement were bountiful. Today too we are living in a post-Christendom, post-modern age. We understand deeply that the Church’s role in evangelizing people is not reserved to a select few, “the professionals”. Every baptized faithful member of Christ’s Body has that same mission. Missionary and apostolic zeal is a sine qua non for truly living the adventure of the Christian faith. How much healing and love, truth and compassion, mercy and renewal does our fragile and sickly world need! In the heart of every faithful there needs to be born a sense of the urgency of bringing Christ’s Gospel to all, to each man and woman. Their poverty and lack of resources did not dissuade or discourage the early Christians from sharing their greatest treasure: Jesus. They were animated by abundant hope, joy, and enthusiasm in building the Kingdom: “For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth.’”[3]

Anecdotal Illustration

Between 24-26 May 2014, Pope Francis embarked upon a significant apostolic journey: a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land on the occasion of the 50^th Anniversary of the Meeting between Pope St. Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras in Jerusalem. On the last day of the pilgrimage, the Supreme Pontiff celebrated Holy Mass in the Upper Room. Here below is an extract of his homily which is rich in faith and devotion and challenging in our calling for greater zeal and witnessing in the Church’s mission. Perhaps we can consider especially this passage when we are before the Lord in silent adoration and meditation.

“Here, where Jesus shared the Last Supper with the apostles; where, after his resurrection, he appeared in their midst; where the Holy Spirit descended with power upon Mary and the disciples, here the Church was born, and she was born to go forth. From here she set out, with the broken bread in her hands, the wounds of Christ before her eyes, and the Spirit of love in her heart.

In the Upper Room, the risen Jesus, sent by the Father, bestowed upon the apostles his own Spirit and with his power he sent them forth to renew the face of the earth (cf. Ps 104:30).

To go forth, to set out, does not mean to forget. The Church, in her going forth, preserves the memory of what took place here; the Spirit, the Paraclete, reminds her of every word and every action, and reveals their true meaning.

The Upper Room speaks to us of service, of Jesus giving the disciples an example by washing their feet. Washing one another’s feet signifies welcoming, accepting, loving and serving one another. It means serving the poor, the sick and the outcast, those whom I find difficult, those who annoy me.

The Upper Room reminds us, through the Eucharist, of sacrifice. In every Eucharistic celebration Jesus offers himself for us to the Father, so that we too can be united with him, offering to God our lives, our work, our joys and our sorrows… offering everything as a spiritual sacrifice.

The Upper Room also reminds us of friendship. “No longer do I call you servants — Jesus said to the Twelve — but I have called you friends” (Jn 15:15). The Lord makes us his friends, he reveals God’s will to us and he gives us his very self. This is the most beautiful part of being a Christian and, especially, of being a priest: becoming a friend of the Lord Jesus, and discovering in our hearts that he is our friend.

The Upper Room reminds us of the Teacher’s farewell and his promise to return to his friends: “When I go… I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (Jn 14:3). Jesus does not leave us, nor does he ever abandon us; he precedes us to the house of the Father, where he desires to bring us as well.

The Upper Room, however, also reminds us of pettiness, of curiosity — “Who is the traitor?” — and of betrayal. We ourselves, and not just others, can reawaken those attitudes whenever we look at our brother or sister with contempt, whenever we judge them, whenever by our sins we betray Jesus.

The Upper Room reminds us of sharing, fraternity, harmony and peace among ourselves. How much love and goodness has flowed from the Upper Room! How much charity has gone forth from here, like a river from its source, beginning as a stream and then expanding and becoming a great torrent. All the saints drew from this source; and hence the great river of the Church’s holiness continues to flow: from the Heart of Christ, from the Eucharist and from the Holy Spirit.

Lastly, the Upper Room reminds us of the birth of the new family, the Church, our holy Mother the hierarchical Church established by the risen Jesus; a family that has a Mother, the Virgin Mary. Christian families belong to this great family, and in it they find the light and strength to press on and be renewed, amid the challenges and difficulties of life. All God’s children, of every people and language, are invited and called to be part of this great family, as brothers and sisters and sons and daughters of the one Father in heaven.

These horizons are opened up by the Upper Room, the horizons of the Risen Lord and his Church.”

Questions to Ponder

To what extent do I consider myself a disciple intent on making other disciples? How comfortable am I in inviting people into our ongoing journey of faith? Am I disposed to reach out to family and friends, neighbours and foes to speak to them simply about loving Jesus and following him in every sphere of life within the context of a community of other disciples? Do I feel compelled to help others grow in grace, obedience, and Gospel purpose? What do I think of the Pope’s affirmation that “mission is the oxygen of Christian life”? Am I supportive of those men and women who have forsaken all things and embraced the call to go to far away lands to bring to others the treasure of the Gospel? When we grow in our knowledge of Jesus, the desire to make him known emerges. Do I have genuine zeal for souls, to win as many people as possible for the Lord? Am I concerned that many go through life without ever knowing who Jesus is and what he accomplished out of love for us? To have the heart of a missionary means putting Jesus first in every part of our lives: how am I doing with this foundational attitude? Am I willing to put the needs of others before my own and share Jesus’ love and hope with them, even to the point of my own self-sacrifice? Can I name a time when I was able to surrender my will and my plans, my agenda and my dreams to the Lord when he asks me to do so?

[1] Matthew 28: 16-20

[2] Pope Francis, General Audience, 11 January 2023

[3] Acts 13:47