Making Disciples

Magis pilgrims
World Youth Day, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

~ Matthew 28:16-20

This Gospel reading provided the theme for this year's World Youth Day, and was read at the closing Mass with Pope Francis, a gathering that drew three million people to the famous beach and boulevard of Copacabana on Rio's southeast coast. With a dramatic backdrop of rolling Atlantic surf and towering hills, Pope Francis offered an eloquent, succinct, and engaging homily that spoke of Christ's call to today's youth: a mission of discipleship and proclamation that is confidently entrusted to us.

Praying anew over those words, and the memories and experiences shared with a group of 30 students from Jesuit universities in 6 countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Brasil, France, United States, Uruguay) during the week leading up to World Youth Day, I found myself repeatedly drawn to the disciples' doubt, and to Jesus' instructions. Our small group engaged in several days of interreligious dialogue with the major non-Christian faiths found in Rio: Islam, Judaism, Umbanda, and Candomble (the latter two are indigenous/Afro-Brasilian religions). On various occasions, students sought me out to share their misgivings: Why is my faith so lukewarm compared to the vibrant worship we beheld? I'm troubled by a conversation I had with a person who converted from Catholicism to Islam. I'm confused about the value of learning from other religions when my faith is a deeply personal and private matter. Yet they also lived out Jesus' call to observe and exemplify his teachings on love, hospitality, and non-judgment: This leader of the Umbanda community is just like my grandmother who serves on our parish council back home. I'm slowly realizing that I have an important role in keeping my local church vibrant and welcoming. I can't wait to tell my Jewish friend how excited I was to sing psalms in Hebrew for the first time.

Our multinational, multilingual, interreligious dialogue group
Jardín Botánico, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

The closing words of Matthew's Gospel, and the words with which Pope Francis sent us all home to continue our pilgrimages of faith, now motivate me to encourage our group– and all of the other pilgrims with whom new friendships arose– to continue the blessing and privilege of encounter, dialogue, and proclamation that we all relished during three weeks in Brasil. We all have stories to tell, people to meet, and graces to convey to our own corners of the Catholic Church and the nations that we inhabit. I'm eager to see how this adventure continues.