“The nations will come to its light’’ (Rev. 21:24). This is the theme chosen by Pope Benedict XVI for the celebration of World Mission Sunday 2009.

Today, we remember, pray for, and help missionaries – those who go to faraway places to spread the Word of God and to make Jesus Christ known and loved by many. We are reminded of our Christian duty to proclaim the Good News of salvation, through our own unique ways, to others. By doing these little but significant acts of goodness, we too become missionaries of the Gospel of Jesus our Lord.

In his message for this year’s World Mission Sunday, the Holy Father once again stressed the fact that the work of evangelization belongs not only to priests and religious. The Pope writes: “The Universal Church feels responsible for announcing the Gospel to whole peoples and is aware of her duty to continue Christ’s service in the world.’’ As members of the church, the lay faithful are called to fulfill their role in the work of evangelization.

The Holy Father underlined that as Jesus sent his apostles to proclaim the message of the kingdom, the church must be ready to carry out the same task that was entrusted to the apostles: “Christ calls, sanctifies, and sends his disciples to announce the Kingdom of God, so that all nations may become the people of God… The universal mission should become a fundamental constant in the life of the church. To announce the Gospel must be for us, as it was for the Apostle Paul, a primary and impelling duty.’’

As we celebrate World Mission Sunday, let us respond faithfully and vigorously to this mission of spreading the Word of God. We pray for our missionaries.

Let us assist them in their noble work of evangelization. Let us also do our part. Through our prayers and acts of love, we can bring the Gospel of Jesus to others. With God’s grace, the nations will finally come to the true light of the world who is Jesus our Lord.