Missionaries of Hope Among All Peoples

2025 Mission Mass for Schools

Have you ever tried to start a campfire?

You gather some twigs, dry leaves, and maybe some newspaper. You strike a match, and at first there’s just a little spark. But then —  if you attend to it with care — it grows, warms everyone nearby, and gives light in the darkness.

That’s what Jesus wants to do with you. He wants to set your heart on fire — a fire of hope, love, and courage. As our opening hymn sang, “Hearts on fire, with the love of Jesus.”

Today, in this Mission Mass, we remember that God’s dream is bigger than any one of us. It stretches from Hobart to Zambia — from your schools to the streets of Lusaka — from your home to every corner of the world.

In this morning’s first reading, the prophet Isaiah told us what kind of life God wants from us:

“Share your bread with the hungry. Bring the homeless poor into your house. Then your light shall break forth like the dawn.”

Isaiah’s words are powerful, aren’t they?
He says: Do something.

If someone is hungry — feed them.
If someone is lonely — welcome them.
If someone is hurting — stand beside them.

That’s what Catholic Mission does — and that’s what you can do. Every small act of kindness, every time you stand up for someone who’s being left out or laughed at — you become a light in the darkness.

That’s what being a Missionary of Hope means. It’s not only about those who sacrifice so much to go to another country; it’s about having a heart that says: Here I am, Lord — send me.

A couple of years ago, I was asked by the Archbishop of Melbourne to lead a pilgrimage of young people who were not much older than you to the mountain of that Jesus climbed and gave the Beatitudes that you have just heard.

Those young people were really moved to be in the place where Jesus told the secrets to true happiness:

“Blessed are the merciful,
Blessed are the peacemakers,
Blessed are the poor in spirit.”

Notice he didn’t say, “Blessed are the rich, the popular, and the powerful.”
No — he basically said, “Blessed are the ones who care.”

That’s what makes a hero in God’s eyes — not fame, not trophies, but love.
When you help a classmate, when you stand up for what’s right, when you forgive instead of getting even  — you are living the Beatitudes.

That’s why later we will sing:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
The world changes when care and love triumph.

As the gifts of bread and wine are brought to the altar, we shall sing the prayer of St Francis of Assisi:

“Make me a channel of your peace.”

These words bring Mission home to Hobart.

Imagine if every one of us here — every student, every teacher — became a channel of peace.
What if every time someone spread gossip, we spread kindness instead.
What about if every time someone felt lonely or left out, we offered a welcome.
How about if every time we saw unfairness, we spoke up.

That’s the kind of Church, the kind of Christian community Jesus dreams of:
young missionaries at MacKillop, St Virgil’s, Corpus Christi, etc. whose hearts are on fire—
building bridges, not walls;
bringing peace, not fear;
and who shine hope into every dark place.

Each year across Australia, there are these School Missionary Masses. So let it not just be an event that the Missions office has to organise and your teachers have to arrange.

Rather, let this Mission Mass be the start of a new fire.

Let your hearts burn bright this week.
Look around your school — see who needs a smile, a friend, a hand?
Look within your family — who needs a little kindness or patience?
Look beyond — to our fellow Catholic Christians in Zambia, remember that when you support them, you’re sharing Christ’s love across the world.

You might be 11, 13, or 15 — but your heart is big enough for God’s mission. You see, when your heart catches fire with love — you can light up the world.

So today, as you go back to our schools, remember the words we’ll sing again at the end:

“We are the voice of Jesus,
We are his heart and hands.
We are his body in our land.”

Be that voice.
Be those hands.
Young people of the church set the world alight — as missionaries of hope with hearts on fire for Jesus.