‘Go and make disciples of all nations’

    Do I really need to be a missionary? A few weeks ago, I was blessed with the opportunity to make a pilgrimage to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for World Youth Day 2013. The theme, as decided by Pope Benedict, was “Go and make disciples of all nations.”
    I heard the theme repeated over and over again during my time in Brazil. I stood swathed among a sea of millions of Catholics; yet, Pope Francis was saying that each person is called to be a missionary. I was called to be a missionary, not only by the pope but by God.
    However, at the time I did not realize this as acutely as I should have, but there was little time to think, for we had to move through the dense crowds to find a spot to rest.
    The crowds were so thick that we linked hands so we would not be separated while we navigated our way through the crowd.  As we moved, I noticed that a young boy had found his hand into one of my friend’s pockets. He was clearly trying to pickpocket, something Rio is infamous for, my friend’s digital camera. My friend caught him, as did I, and we turned to him. My friend admonished the boy not to steal from him.
    I was furious – how dare he try to steal at an event where millions of pilgrims had gathered for God’s glory. The boy backed off immediately, and I was speechless. As we walked away, my eyes met his, and for a moment, I saw such deep sorrow in his bloodshot eyes. It was not the sorrow of a foiled thief but of one without hope. As I turned away, I immediately felt such sympathy for the young boy. His hopelessness shook me from my prideful judgments of him. My anger gave way to compassion.
    This was clearly a boy caught in the hopelessness of the times, and when I turned to look at him again, he was gone. It took an 8-year-old Brazilian boy to make me realize what God’s call truly meant. I saw Christ under the guise of a suffering 8-year-old Brazilian boy. I was moved to act out of love.
    That is what it means to be a missionary – to go out and love. This love is not limited to friends and family, but it is to be shared with the world.
    Mother Teresa said, “The fruit of faith is love, the fruit of love is service, and the fruit of service is peace.”
    At World Youth Day, my faith was enhanced, and now I have returned to my home and I am sent out to love and serve in little ways: helping a friend clean, spend time with someone lonely or even shelter someone from the rain. These little acts are how we all can express our love of God concretely. And it is those little acts that will aid us all in our journey to Christ.
    Matthew Tusa is a 2011 graduate of Jesuit High School and is currently a junior at Spring Hill College.