Introduction: At first glance, the setting was not a very spiritual one. I was sitting across the desk from the CEO of a very large corporation whose suite was perched on the top floor of HIS shiny, glass office park. "Now tell me again, Father, what is the objective of our meeting". Three times during our one-hour session he asked me that same question. "That's right, thank you, Father, I just want to make sure we cover everything." In the world of commerce, executives are trained to work by objectives, to forge a plan, and to get others to carry it out. 

Two thousand years ago another CEO met with his followers and laid out quite clearly his objectives. "Go make disciples of all men". In this meditation we will delve into what we could call our apostolic vocation as Christians. What did Christ mean when he gave the great commission? Who was he talking to? Is this really an essential element of being a Christian? How well am I fulfilling this objective in my own life? What practical steps does God want me to take to answer this universal call to spread the Good News? 

Gospel Passage: Mt 28:16-20 

So the eleven disciples went into Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had instructed them to go. And they saw him and worshiped him; but some were not sure. Jesus came and spoke to them. "All power," he said, "is given to me in heaven and upon earth. Go, therefore, and make all nations my disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to keep all the commandments I have given you. And, look you, I am with you throughout all days until the end of the world." 

1. Christ sends us with the power of Himself 

Before Christ asks anything of the disciples, he equips them, he assures them that "All power" has been given to him and that it is with this power that they are sent forth. Sometimes the prevailing cultural milieu seems all-powerful, overbearing. How can we do anything to make a difference? It is easier to "bunker up", to draw the lines between the "world" and us. But this is not the attitude of Christ. When he told the disciples that he had been given all power in heaven and upon earth they believed it. He had just conquered death and had risen from the tomb. They saw him endure the greatest of trials and return victorious. Because they believed that Christ had overcome death, they also believed that he had overcome the cause of death, sin, and this is the message that they were to preach. It was a message of Good News, a product that sells itself, when communicated properly. What Christ is asking of us today is just as simple? if we only believe in the power of the resurrection. 

Conversation with Christ: Lord, I believe in you. I believe in you, but I hesitate to say this because I know how weak my faith is. I say that I believe in you and then, like the disciples who quivered before the great commission, I too doubt and waver when you give me opportunities to witness to my faith. But, Lord, I thank you for reminding me of the power of the resurrection. It is because of this power that I feel powerful. It is because I am sent in your name that I fear no evil. 

2. The Great Suggestion? 

A person's last words on earth are not easily forgotten. And when they happen to be a request, they can hardly be ignored, for they represent what that person valued most in the most important moment of his existence. "Tell the kids that I love them". "Tell Dad that I am sorry". "Take care of Mom for me". 

Jesus spent three years teaching the disciples day in and day out. He then proved his love with the greatest of expressions of human loyalty and nobility; he gave his life for his friends. According to the Gospel of St. Matthew, the last words of Christ were much more than a suggestion, they were a commandment, "Go make disciples of all men". 

It must have been a staggering thing for eleven humble Galileans to be sent to the conquest of the world. Even as they heard it, their hearts must have failed them. But, no sooner was the command given, than the promise followed. They were sent out--as we are--on the greatest task in history, but with them there was the greatest presence in the world. 

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, please forgive me for the times that I have passed over your commandments as if they were suggestions. Forgive me for building up a fortress around myself, buying into the line that religion is a "personal" thing. Lord, please forgive me for the sin of omission, that is, for the things that I should have done, and did not do. 

Jesus, I commit myself to taking your call on my life more seriously. I know that you want to use me, that you have allowed your plan of salvation to depend in part on my response. At the same time I know that I can't do this on my own. I need the power of your Spirit. Just as the disciples waited in Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit, I will wait upon your grace. But my waiting will not be passive. It will be active. I will not give into what St. Paul called the "prudence of the flesh", that prudence that always gives us a more or less convincing reason why not to give ourselves fully. 

Questionnaire: To help you to examine your life in the light of the inspirations God just gave you in these moments you shared with him. 

1. When is the last time that I talked to someone about his relationship with God and with the Church? 

2. Do my friends know that I am a practicing Catholic? If not, why not? 

3. Do I spend at least as much time "making disciples of all men" - Christ's command to me - as I do on my favorite pastime or sport? 

4. Am I working with others on a particular apostolate or evangelization project?