This passage I just read in Matthew is known as “The Great Commission”. Yet what is the Commission?
When I think of the word “commission” I think of how I get paid. I am a mortgage banker of over 30 years and, unlike most people who are paid hourly or salary at their jobs, I am 100% commission. What does that mean? I am paid a percentage on every mortgage I close—or in its simplest meaning, if I do not perform, then I receive no pay, yet if I do perform and perform well, the sky is the limit to my income. Now some of you may think this is a crazy way to get paid and it could be very risky, but I am also sure you all have heard, with high risk can come great rewards.
Now another definition of “Commission” is an instruction, command, or duty given to a person or group of people. Commission also is a group of people officially charged with a particular function. So God, in the gospel of Matthew we just heard, is commissioning His disciples, through Jesus, to perform a particular duty—mission.
This central thought, to be held by all believers, was faith in God as a Trinity of persons. This passage of scripture that we are dealing with in Matthew’s Gospel comes at the very end of his portrait of Jesus. In a real sense this is a climactic point in the Gospel. This Great Commission is given to the disciples by the Risen Lord who had just come through the great sacrifice on the cross at Calvary and who now is victorious over death. It is Jesus giving a final command to His disciples before he ascended into heaven.
According to Matthew, the most important words that Jesus wants to leave his disciples with is the necessity of being baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. This baptism of Jesus ensures the truth of the very last sentence of Matthew’s Gospel that reads: “And know that I am with you always, until the end of the ages.” These words of Jesus are very comforting and reassuring to His disciples, because prior to this, as we find them in the upper room, they still had doubts and fears. Now they are strengthened through the Holy Spirit and commissioned by the Lord. They are to go and fulfill their mission of His work of redemption and salvation to all.
As a Christian community everything we do begins with the sign of the Cross and the accompanying words: “In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” We began today’s celebration of the Eucharist with these words and at the end of our celebration we will be blessed and sent forth in the same words. These words are for us our identity as Christians. We are a community of faith centered on a common belief that God is a communion of divine persons united in perfect love.
We are the disciples of today. Let me say that again—We are the disciples of today. Jesus is calling us to make disciples of all nations. We, as Catholics, are commissioned to tell everyone that we serve one God, triune: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and we are to share His Good News, the gift of salvation. We are all called to be ambassadors of the Holy Trinity, to bring the love of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit to others. We are called to be agents of reconciliation, to bring healing to broken relationships, and to build bridges between people.
We can fulfill the Great Commission in our everyday lives by living our faith and being a witness to those around us. We can share the gospel through our words and actions, and by loving others as Jesus loves us. We can also take comfort and assurance in Jesus’ incredible promise, that He is always with us.
Yet even though Jesus is always with us, do we have room for Him in our hearts? Can He find space in our thinking? Can he find a place in our loving? Or is there no room because we have other interests, other ambitions, other preoccupations, and so He is crowded out? Jesus wants to find space in our mind and heart, but we must make sure that space is available. Let us empty ourselves and have ample room for Christ in our hearts and lives so we may be able to carry out His Great Commission.
So how do we all fulfill the Great Commission commanded by Christ of us today. The answer is simple, let us all go work for God.
Mark Twain once said— 'Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.'
So today, apply for a job with God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. No resume or prior experience needed, no application will be denied regardless of what good or bad you have done in the past.
Your pay will not be hourly nor salary, but 100% commission, knowing though that there is no risk with God, just incredible reward. You can make your own hours, and if need be, work from home. You may, and it is highly recommended, hire as many people as you can to help you in your new commission (especially the hiring of family members is highly recommended). All training will be done by God; He is the Emmanuel, the “God-with-us”, and He will always be by your side. You will never be left alone on the job.
Please also remember God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit has an incredible Retirement plan. He offers no 401K or IRA, but for all who do His commission work, they will receive eternal life in paradise with Him.
So I challenge all of you today as you leave church, work for God and be on a mission for Him. Go out and make disciples of all Hamilton, Mercer County, and yes, of all nations through the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
May God bless you all today and always!
Amen
Good morning:
Today, as you have heard, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. So, today the Church celebrates one of our most important mysteries. Like all mysteries in our faith, it is acknowledged that we cannot fully understand the concept of a Trinity. We know it means that God is three persons in one God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We know that we are a monotheistic faith—that is, we believe there is only one God whom we worship. We acknowledge that the three persons each have essential roles that they play.
The Father is the head, and creator. The Son is the Father’s only Son who took on human form about 2000 years ago, was born on earth via Mary, and was our Savior/Redeemer. In His earthly life, he modeled for us a perfect love and called us to imitate it. We are to love one another. He showed us the depth of that love as he took on punishment for our sins and died to redeem us.
The Holy Spirit comes to each of us particularly in Baptism and Confirmation. Just as the Holy Spirit enlightened the apostles to start and spread the Church by spreading the Good News, and baptizing in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, that same Spirit comes to us to help us on our way in life’s trials and decisions. The Holy Spirit helps us understand our Faith and how we should act in life. Remember the gifts of the Holy Spirit given us in Confirmation: wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, piety, fortitude, and fear of the Lord.
So, we can see how each Person of the Trinity has a special role. We can also state how the three persons act together. The Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it like this.
“Baptism gives us the grace of new birth in God the Father, through his Son, in the Holy Spirit. For those who bear God's Spirit are led to the Word, that is to the Son, and the Son presents them to the Father, and the Father confers incorruptibility on them. It is impossible to see God's Son without the Spirit, and no one can approach the Father without the Son, for the knowledge of the Father is the Son, and the knowledge of God's Son is obtained through the Holy Spirit.[1]
Sounds simple right? Well, we could just remember the time when one of the disciples said to Jesus, “show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” And Jesus replied that to see him was to see the Father. And we could also remember that Jesus promised His disciples that He would send the Advocate to open their minds. This was the promise fulfilled at Pentecost. Finally, we must remember that this is a mystery—something that we will never fully understand this side of heaven.
Our readings today each focus on one of the Persons of the Trinity. In our first reading from Deuteronomy, Moses speaks to the people about the wonders the Father has done for them and calls on them to see the Father as the God and that they must keep His Commandments.
In the second reading from Romans, Paul points out how those led by the Spirit of God (that is the Holy Spirit) are made adopted sons of God.
Finally, our Gospel shows Jesus, the Son of God, worshipped, claiming all power in Heaven and on Earth, and ordering the apostles to baptize disciples in all nations in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
So, what do we gain from this mystery? How can we use this information about God? This mystery paints for us the deep love God has for us. First, He created us. Then, even though we and our ancestors had disobeyed Him, the Father sent the Son, so that we might know the Father more clearly. Then the Son sent the Advocate to stay with us and help us day to day live as adopted children of God. It is up to us to heed the warnings of the advocate and to follow the teachings of the Church Jesus founded to lead us to life everlasting with Him. God, Father, Son, and Spirit had shown His love for us. It is up to us to respond well and in kind to that love and follow the Lord’s commandments and His Church’s teachings. And that is something to think about this week. God Bless.