Like the original 'twelve', every baptised Christian - precisely by virtue of his baptism - is called not only to 'be with' Christ but also to be sent by Him to accomplish a mission - His mission. When we profess our belief in an 'apostolic' Church we do not mean only that our Church has the apostles at its origins but also that the Church is - of its very nature - apostolic, that the whole Church is sent. The Church is essentially missionary and every member is an apostle. This is a point which cannot be overstressed.

The 'good news' of salvation - which the second reading describes so magnificently - is not intended by God to be guarded jealously. It is for all men -indeed, for the whole of creation. The Church is certainly the community of all those who have accepted the Gospel, but it cannot rest until the whole of creation has been gathered together in Christ. To unite all things in Christ (Eph. 1:10) is not merely a spectacle to be contemplated from afar. It is also the channel of the 'good news' to the rest of creation.