Father Albertus Herwanta, O. Carm
The Christian community exists as the fruit of obedience to Jesus' command. In Acts 1:7 and Matthew 28:19, the risen Lord instructs his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations. This was not a suggestion but a direct order. The Church was born not from human enthusiasm alone but from the deliberate, faithful response of those who heard Christ's voice and chose to obey. Without that initial act of surrender, there would be no gospel proclamation, no mission, and no community of Christians as we know it today.
We owe deep gratitude to those who first listened and obeyed. The apostles and early disciples left their homes, faced persecution, and travelled unknown roads to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. They did not wait until conditions were perfect. They did not negotiate with the command. They simply went because the Lord had spoken. Their obedience, often costly and misunderstood, laid the foundation for everything that followed. We stand on their shoulders.
If they had not obeyed, there would be no Catholic Church, as we see and experience now. This is not an exaggeration but a simple historical and spiritual truth. The Church is not primarily an institution built by human strategy. It is the living result of men and women who said "yes" to God's mission. Every Eucharist, every baptism, every act of charity in the Church's name traces back to that original moment of trust. Obedience is not an optional virtue for a few heroes—it is the very soil in which the Church grows.
We must remember that the Church's success is not merely human achievement. It is the work of the Holy Spirit and the fruit of obedience from all of Jesus' disciples.
The fact that the Church has carried its mission so well and so successfully should encourage all Christians to continue this work now and in the future. Certainly, there are socio-cultural challenges: indifference, hostility, secularism, and internal divisions. These can obstruct the mission. But the history of the Church proves that obstacles do not stop obedience. The same Spirit who guided Paul guides us today. What has already been reached is not a reason to rest, but a reason to press forward with confidence.
We must remember that the Church's success is not merely human achievement. It is the work of the Holy Spirit and the fruit of obedience from all of Jesus' disciples. No amount of talent or human ability can replace a surrendered heart. The Spirit empowers, but He does not force. He waits for our willing response. When we obey—even in small, hidden ways—the Spirit multiplies that obedience beyond what we can see. The mission advances not through power or spectacle but through faithful steps following the Lord.
As we reflect on it, we need to learn from the Fathers of the Church. They understood mission not as one activity among many but as the very expression of love for Christ. As Augustine, John Chrysostom, and Gregory the Great wrote, to know the gospel is to share it. Obedience and mission cannot be separated. Their writings call us back to the same simple, radical trust: listen to the Master, do what He says, and leave the results to Him. That is the fruit of obedience—and it remains ripe for harvest today. Are we ready to obey and carry our Lord's mission here and now? (*)