‘Go and Invite Everyone to the Banquet’ (Matthew 22:9)
In his 2024 World Mission Sunday message, which celebrates missionaries and their work, Pope Francis reflects on the Gospel parable of the Wedding Banquet, where the king tells his servants “Go therefore to the thoroughfares and invite to the marriage feast as many as you find.”
The invitation to the banquet is linked to the Eucharistic table, where believers share the Body and Blood of Christ, anticipating the final banquet.
The Holy Father writes:
Here it should be remembered that breaking our material bread with the hungry in the name of Christ is already a work of Christian mission. How much more so is the breaking of the Eucharistic bread, which is Christ himself, a work of mission par excellence, since the Eucharist is the source and summit of the life and mission of the Church.
As Pope Benedict XVI pointed out: “We cannot keep to ourselves the love we celebrate in the Sacrament [of the Eucharist]. By its very nature, it asks to be communicated to everyone. What the world needs is the love of God, to encounter Christ and believe in him. For this reason the Eucharist is not only the source and summit of the life of the Church; it is also the source and summit of her mission: ‘An authentically Eucharistic Church is a missionary Church'” (Sacramentum Caritatis, 84).
Read the Pope’s entire message.
— United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Bishop Knestout’s message to our diocese on World Mission Sunday:
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As we gather in communion on World Mission Sunday, the weekend of October 19-20, 2024, I extend to you a heartfelt invitation from Pope Francis, inspired by the Gospel: “Go and invite everyone to the banquet (cf. Mt 22:9).” This call to mission resonates deeply with our faith’s core, urging us to share God’s love with the world.
Over a century ago, our own Catholic community in the United States was nurtured through the generosity of the worldwide Church that contributed to what is today this second collection. Now, we are called to extend that same generosity to our brothers and sisters in over 1,150 mission territories across Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Pacific Islands, and the Middle East.
The collection on World Mission Sunday for the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, Black and Indian Missions, and the Home Mission Collection directly supports seminaries, future religious sisters, catechists, Catholic schools that provide essential education, and healthcare centers that provide essential care. The collection also helps local African American and Native American Diocesan Communities throughout the United States spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. The Home Mission program provides financial support to missionary activities that strengthen the Catholic Church in the United States and in its territories and former territories, embodying the love of Christ.
As members of the Catholic Church, which is universal by its very nature, we are invited to participate actively in this mission. Our contributions and prayers on World Mission Sunday support the Church’s vital work of evangelization, inviting all to experience the joy and hope found in Christ.
I urge you, dear friends, to respond generously to this call. Let us unite in prayer for the success of the Church’s missionary activities and for the missionaries who dedicate their lives to spreading the Gospel. Your generosity is a powerful witness to the love and compassion at the heart of our faith.
May this World Mission Sunday deepen our commitment to the Church’s universal mission. Together, let us rejoice in the opportunity to share God’s love with the world, inviting everyone to the banquet of the Lord.
With every blessing,
Most Rev. Barry C. Knestout
Bishop of Richmond
Lee el mensaje del obispo Knestout en español.