Go! You are sent!

At the end of the Eucharist, the priest or deacon dismisses the congregation with the words, “Go forth, the Mass is ended.” Other endings might be used: “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord;” “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life;” or “Go in peace.”

The members of the Church are sent out into the world. They are not merely dismissed from Mass. They are sent to accomplish the Church's mission and advance the developing perfection of God’s people and creation. It is a calling to go into the world and creatively transform it according to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

We look at our governments. Their policies or plans seem anything but following the gospel. They are concerned about power and control over other nations. That means overthrowing regimes or starting wars, if that suits their plans. In the process, many people suffer and die.

If we are authentic Christians, our concern is not merely personal salvation and getting to heaven. It is accepting the mission of creatively transforming the world. That can involve Christian suffering and even death. Perhaps we can reflect on the early martyrs and even contemporary martyrs of the Church to see how some have been called to give of their body and blood for the sake of the world. During the Eucharistic Prayer, the Body of Christ we receive is Christ’s sacrificial body emptied out for us and the world's salvation. Christ invites us to do the same as he did.

We Christians must not be naïve about our calling. Nor must it be naïve about the powers of the world. We need to educate ourselves about what is really transpiring in the world and the motivation of people in power. Then, as Disciples of Christ, we find ways to counteract the dark forces and facilitate the transformation of humanity and the earth.