Jesus's Great Commission

The phrase "go and baptize the nations" is a shortened version of Jesus's Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20, where he instructs his disciples to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This command is central to the Catholic faith and is understood as a call to evangelization and the spread of Christianity to all people.

The Great Commission:

In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus gives his final instructions to his disciples before ascending to heaven. 

Go and make disciples:

This part emphasizes the need to actively seek out new believers and guide them in the Christian faith. 

Baptizing them:

Baptism is a sacrament in the Catholic Church, signifying a person's cleansing from sin and entry into the Christian community. 

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit:

This Trinitarian formula is used in baptism and highlights the belief in the Trinity as one God in three persons. 

Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you:

This part emphasizes the importance of continuing to teach and instruct new believers in the teachings of Jesus and the Church. 

“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 ...

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/28

 The eleven* disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.

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* When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.

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* g Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

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h Go, therefore,* and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit,

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i teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.* And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.

This commission is seen as a mandate for Catholics to evangelize, spreading the Gospel message and inviting others to become followers of Christ. 

The Commissioning of the Eleven.  https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/16?1=#49016001

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h [But] later, as the eleven were at table, he appeared to them and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they had not believed those who saw him after he had been raised.

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i He said to them, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.

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Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.

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These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages.

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They will pick up serpents [with their hands], and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

The Ascension of Jesus.

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So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God.

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But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.

 

The phrase "go and baptize the nations" is a shortened version of Jesus's Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20, where he instructs his disciples to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This command is central to the Catholic faith and is understood as a call to evangelization and the spread of Christianity to all people.