M28 Meditation: Verse 20

St. Francis of Assisi Mission Statement: Matthew 28: 16-20

(16) The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. (17) When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. (18) Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (19) Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

The 20th verse of Matthew 28 underscores the importance of teaching and formation. It is important to note that the disciples spent a great deal of time, day after day, for the better part of three years with Jesus, learning from him and watching him. The very word “disciple” means someone who is a “learner.” To grow deeper in our relationship with Christ and to fulfill the call to disciple and teach others, we must know our faith. We cannot let fear or lukewarmness stop us from learning or sharing our faith. Jesus’ commandment was not only meant for the 11 disciples. Don’t make the mistake of thinking it doesn’t apply to you.It does. In a homily from World Youth Day, Pope Francis states,

Jesus did not say: “go, if you would like to, if you have the time”, but he said: “Go and make disciples of all nations.” Sharing the experience of faith, bearing witness to the faith, proclaiming the Gospel: this is a command that the Lord entrusts to the whole Church, and that includes you; but it is a command that is born not from a desire for domination, from the desire for power, but from the force of love, from the fact that Jesus first came into our midst and did not give us just a part of himself, but he gave us the whole of himself, he gave his life in order to save us and to show us the love and mercy of God.

This week, join as we meditate upon the question, how am I called to fulfill the Great Commission?