My Passion, My Mission

SHREVEPORT, LA. – Matthew 28:19-20 says, “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 I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 

This is not just the mission statement of an ecclesiastical institution, but a statement given by God individually and personally to all those who profess to be His followers.

There is a big difference between the mission of any institution and my mission. When we read the word “me”, the determining possessive form of the first-person singular comes to our mind, which indicates that the name it accompanies belongs, is related and associated. This perspective can seem somewhat selfish or self-centered.

However, there is quite a difference between selfishness and belonging—selfishness is the attitude of someone who shows excessive love for themselves, someone who only cares about their own interests and what benefits them, without paying attention to the needs of others. In contrast, belonging describes something that is owned by someone, that is to say that it has an owner.

Is the great commission my mission? Have I taken the words of Jesus so personal that they belong to me? Do I live my mission every day?

Once Jesus gives the order to “Go”, the responsibility for compliance becomes my mission. Therefore, the invitation to make disciples is made in a spirit of belonging—to my family, my friends, my neighbors and my co-workers. They all need to hear the precious news that in Christ we are saved by His sacrifice on the cross, in addition to the precious and imminent promise that Christ returns to earth.

God gave the mission to His disciples, and today to you and me. It continues to be God’s mission; He is the owner and creator of this solemn invitation to work and reach those who live without hope in days as critical as these. 

He promises, “And behold, I am with you every day, until the end of the world.” It is at this moment when the words of Jesus become a daily reality in the life of the disciple. 

Let us live with a deep sense of commitment to the words of Jesus when He said: therefore, go and make other disciples, let us live baptizing and teaching knowing that the Almighty and His divine Spirit accompany us every day until the last day, according to what He promised. Let us live like we are truly experiencing “my mission.”

By José Antonio Pagán, Ministerial, Evangelism and Multicultural Ministries Director