Commentary:
We are all called to mission

Before Vatican II spirituality and theology, it was of common understanding that the task of the Catholic mission was placed upon those persons, communities, and juridical entities who are officially given the missionary mandate by virtue of their consecration or ordination. However, with the fresh wind of the Holy Spirit bringing in a new spirituality and a new theology during the Vatican II Council, the notion of a missionary vocation has been broadened to include all the faithful of the Church. And the mission 'ad gentes' was not the sole responsibility of priests and religious anymore but is the task of all baptized Catholics by virtue of their baptismal consecration. Whereas before, the emphasis in the Church was in the distinctions of each state of life or vocation, the present theology and spirituality changed this focus to a widened understanding that included the sphere of the lay faithful: marriage and family life, socio-economic life and political life. Thus, mission came to be known not only as a journey to faraway peoples of a different culture and tradition but also as a task of sanctifying the immediate environment we move around: home, school, office, private businesses, and government institutions.

We are all called to mission and it is the Holy Spirit that makes us all missionaries. Just as the Holy Spirit brought to life the Church during Pentecost so that she may bring Christ and His message to the ends of the earth, so it is the same Spirit that sends us in the same way to sanctify the environment we live, move and have our being.