Mission Statements: Sunday Reflection

This morning’s Gospel reading is Matthew 15:21–28:

At that time, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her. Jesus’ disciples came and asked him, “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.” He said in reply, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But the woman came and did Jesus homage, saying, “Lord, help me.” He said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” Then Jesus said to her in reply, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And the woman’s daughter was healed from that hour.

In the 1990s, the term "mission statement" became quite fashionable in corporate America. Not only did the overall company have to develop a mission statement and have all of its employees know it, each unit within a company also had to have its own mission statement and post it on walls, include it in training materials, and so on. I recall one episode in which a debate broke out when I used the word "utmost" in a proposed mission statement, one which ironically heralded our "utmost" focus on the customer. 

Mission statements endure to this day in all sorts of organizations. And despite all of the Dilbert-esque qualities of corporate-speak, these serve a real purpose. Clearly defined missions that are well-communicated really do keep people focused on the core tasks of an organization, regardless of what purpose the organization exists to serve. In any organization of practically any size, it becomes very easy to get distracted by tangential issues and internal conflicts that sap the effectiveness of the group to deliver on its core purpose. 

This applies to the Church as well, and perhaps even more so as a two-millennium-old organization that reaches around the world. We can get lost in all of the complexities of sustaining the Church, focusing on internal issues, logistics, and order to the point where we lose sight of its core mission. 

And what is our core mission? Jesus Christ delivered the mission statement for His Church as He ascended to the Father (Matthew 28:18-20), emphasis mine:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

There hasn't been a clearer mission statement written before or since. Moses brought the Law from Mount Sinai, but Jesus gave us its purpose, which is to bring all nations and people to the Lord through the Law and the Gospels. 

Today's readings remind us of that purpose, even in today's Gospel, where Jesus tells the woman that He must minister to "the lost sheep of Israel" first to found His church. The Lord called the Israelites to become a nation of priests and prophets for this purpose. By the time of Isaiah's prophecy, the Israelites had long failed to focus on this mission, choosing instead to serve themselves and their own ambition. The Lord has sent prophet after prophet with "mission statements," as it were, warning them of disaster for the nation if it does not return to the Lord's mission. 

In our first reading, the prophet Isaiah testifies to the Lord's scope of justice, which will encompass all those who come to Him regardless of their origin:

The foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, ministering to him, loving the name of the LORD, and becoming his servants— all who keep the sabbath free from profanation and hold to my covenant, them I will bring to my holy mountain and make joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be acceptable on my altar, for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. 

At this point, the nation has split into two kingdoms, both of which claim the mantle of divine authority and ownership of the true temple. The Lord had sent Hosea to the Northern Kingdom shortly before He sent Isaiah to Judea, ordering Hosea to marry a prostitute as an example of Israel's fidelity to His Word. The Northern Kingdom would fall to Assyria shortly after and dissipate forever. An entire series of prophets followed Isaiah to warn Judea, which refused to return to its mission and served itself instead. Judea fell to Babylon, was restored, and then fell again a few centuries later when their mission focus turned out to be short-lived.

An organization that loses its sense of mission will lose its way, and eventually lose itself. The entire arc of salvation shows that on an organizational basis and on a personal basis as well. What is our mission and purpose? To love the Lord, love each other as His children, and bring all of the lost sheep back to Him. 

Paul reflects on the personal mission in his letter to the Romans, explaining his outreach to the Gentiles and the path through the Church to come to the Lord, and even the disobedience of His chosen people may have a purpose for salvation:

I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I glory in my ministry in order to make my race jealous and thus save some of them. For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?

For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable. Just as you once disobeyed God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now disobeyed in order that, by virtue of the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. For God delivered all to disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all.

With that in mind, let's return to today's Gospel and Jesus' reaction to the woman's plea. He does not answer her initially, but neither does He respond directly to the disciples' request to banish her. Jesus tells them that He was only sent to "the lost sheep of Israel," but for what purpose? Jesus wants to build His church firmly within the nation chosen to be priests and prophets for the salvation of all those who choose it among the nations. 

So Jesus chooses to engage the woman to test her faith and purpose. His response to the woman might have crushed someone of weak or non-existent faith, but instead the woman persists and submits herself to Jesus' will and His structure of the organization to come. She does not come seeking pre-eminence or priority, but professes that the smallest measure of mercy from the Lord will be sufficient no matter her place within the world. That is the true measure of her faith, and it is also the model of the mission to come. 

Jesus came to build His Church on the foundation of the chosen people, but that was not the end in itself. The Church is just the mechanism by which the Gospel will come to the nations, and its members are the people who will offer it freely to make of them disciples of salvation. That is our true mission statement, the purpose to which all of our efforts must be oriented even as we deal with the complexities and logistics of our lives while serving Him. The Gospel teaches us many truths, all of which must be served, but they must be served in furtherance of the mission of salvation.

 Otherwise, we're just arguing over "utmost."

Previous reflections on these readings:

• Who let the dogs in? Sunday reflection (2023)
• Whose team are you on, anyway? Sunday reflection (2017)
• Sunday reflection: Matthew 15:21–28 (2014)

The front page image is The Eye of God in a glass window at the Basilica de Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. From my personal collection.

“Sunday Reflection” is a regular feature that looks at the specific readings used in today’s Mass in Catholic parishes around the world. The reflection represents only my own point of view, intended to help prepare myself for the Lord’s day and perhaps spark a meaningful discussion. Previous Sunday Reflections can be found here.  

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