Jesus’
mandate to all Christians to proclaim the Gospel in word and deed,
Dialogue
is a mystery of unity between Christians and those oriented to the Church DP28
There
is no contradiction and opposition between dialogue & proclamation because
they are related but not interchangeable RM 55.
Etymology
of Word Mission
Heb Bible – Shalach (sent out), Gk Bib Apostello (I send), Lat Bib missus
(sent out), mittere to send
Definition
on Mission
YOU
CAT:
Mission is the essence of the Church and Jesus mandate to all Christians
proclaims the Gospel in Word and deed, so that all men can freely make decision
for Christ.”
AG
:“The
mission of the Church is to fulfilled by
that activity which makes her obeying the command of Christ and influenced by
ways and love of the Holy Spirit fully present to all men and nations , in
order that , by the example of her life and by her preaching , by the sacraments and other means of grace
, she may lead them to faith , the freedom and the peace of Christ ; that thus
there may lie open beforethem, a firm and free role to full participation in the mystery of
Christ.”
Canon
786
Mission
in terms of missionary activity probably Church so called, where by the Church
is founded amongst the peoples or groups where it has not taken root before, performs y by the Church
is founded against the peoples or groups were
it has not taken root before, performs principally by the Church semi
heralds of the Gospel , until such a time as the new churches are fullyconstituted
, that is have their own resources and sufficient means , so that they
themselves can carry on the work of evangelization.
EN.
NO. 18: Mission is bringing Goods News into all strata of humanity,
and through its influence transforming humanity from within and make it new”
The Origin and Purpose of Mission:
Origin: The Lord’s missionary
mandate and Most Holy Trinity. The ultimate purpose of mission is none other to
make men share tin the communion between the father and the Son in their Sprit
of love.
Mission in
the Old Testament
In O.T. mission is
found in a primitive and less obvious way. God in the Old Testament, is
presented as the “missionary God.” It is God who sends, for ex: Moses (Ex 3),
Isaiah (Isa 6) Jeremiah (Jer 1:4-10) and Ezek.
-
Here
God sends
-
God’s
initiative
-
God’s
decision
-
He
can call anyone
-
He
is acting on God’s behalf
-
Obedience to the will of God Full trust and
courage
-
Empowered
with God
-
It
is the work of God
-
He speaks with authority of God
Jesus commanded His disciples to go into the world and make
disciples of all nations (Mt 28:16-20; Mark 16:14-18; Luke 24: 46-48; John
20:21; Acts 1:8). This task of making disciples is the church’s work of
missions. This work is carried out by missionaries, churches, and other
Para-church organizations around the world. The purpose for the church’s mission’s
initiative is essentially two fold: to win converts and to disciple them
onto maturity. God brings people to repent and believe
and live under that reign. God
desires mature believers to rule in His Kingdom (cf. Matt 5:3-12; 24:42-47;
25:14-30; Eph 4:1-16; 1 Thess 1:12; 2 Tim 2:12; Rev 2:26-27; 3:21; 19:8; 21:7).
Jn 20:21, “As the Father sent me so
I send you”.
While all New Testament believers
are certainly sent to be witnesses, not all are called to be missionaries.
Missionaries have a special calling and usually expand their witness beyond the
general locality of their church. Their work usually involves traveling
to an unreached region to proclaim the good news, set up churches, and further
propagate the gospel. The leaders of the church along with the laity are
to support the endeavor of its missionaries. All members of the church
are to be unified and working for the Lord in all they do (Col 3:23).
Each has his own God given gift(s) which are critical for a unified, efficient
missionary effort.
Thus, the church is charged with
taking the good news of God’s grace and His kingdom to all people. It is
also charged with perpetuating itself with structure and leadership. As
believers mature, missionaries are sent, and churches are established, the mission
of God will continue looking forward to the coming kingdom.
Matthew 28:16- 20 Known
as the “Great Commission,” Matthew challenges them to reach out to the
Gentiles. This is a radical new thought to Jews. Matthew addresses two equal
and opposite errors: “go, therefore”
The followers of Jesus are the “sent people of God.” They believe that he is
the Lord of all creation and they can not remain silent. If Jesus is really
Lord, they must go and tell everyone. “make
disciples” This is very important for Matthew because “disciple” is thename
for the followers of Jesus, and not just the twelve that he originally called.
These disciples are to make more disciples who resemble the first ones. It is
not that the twelve were perfect, because God is the one who saves. The success
of mission does not depend on the perfection of the missionary. Their job is to
build up the church. Of course, the “church” that Matthew knew was very
different from the church as we know it. But the point is that Jesus is sending
them to build the church.
“All
nations” The Greek is panta ta ethnos. But this
reference to “nations” is not to our understanding of the modern nation state
(US, Canada, China, etc.). As the Greek root suggests, it is a reference to
“ethnic” groups or cultural groups or language groups. Jesus is Lord of all;
therefore his disciples will work to see that every person can worship the Lord
in his or her own language.
“Baptize”
We are first of all called into becoming disciples. We are not matureor
complete disciples when we are baptized. Baptism is a gift of grace, not
areward for good works. It is an act of God whereby we partake in the
promisedforgiveness and the new life which comes through the work of the Holy
Spiritwithin us.
“Teach”
Jesus commands those who go to make disciples and to “teach” them. This is not
primarily intellectual information, but a change in the will that results in a
decision to follow Jesus and submit to God’s will as revealed by Jesus.
Becoming a Christian does not just understand certain prepositional truths. It is
not just words, but deeds which match those words more closely each day. This
is a teaching in which there is no room for hypocrisy, as if we are more
deserving than others. Those who are disciples will practice what Jesus taught.
God’s reign of righteousness will require a costly discipleship.
“With
you always…” Matthew does not include in his story
an account of theascension. His focus in on the always present Lord who walks
with his peoplewhom he has sent out.
Mk 16: 15-16 “And he
said to them “Go into all the world and proclaim the Good Newsto the whole creation.
The one who believes and is baptized will be saved but the one who does not
believe will be condemned”.
John 10/10 “I came that they may have
life and have it abundantly”. Mission means Giving life”
Life is also means shalom whole being,
social being, relationship with people. Mission means giving life.
Luke 4:16 – 30 =
Jesus defines his mission with his very first appearance inpublic. He reads
from the prophet Isaiah and claims that he is the fulfillment ofIsaiah’s
prophecy. Jesus does not suggest that the poor are without sin. Sinfulness
isrooted in the human heart. Both the materially rich and thematerially poor
can be spiritually poor. Salvation comes withrepentance and forgiveness. This
salvation is available even to theoutsider who is welcomed at the banquet table
which Jesus hasprepared.At the very beginning of his ministry, Jesus makes
clear his understanding of God’s universal love for all people. Jesus seeshis
particular work to be among the Jews, but on several occasionshe demonstrates
this larger vision in his interaction with Gentiles.All of this sets the stage
for the early church to launch its missionto the Gentiles.
Acts 1:8 - What
he begins in Luke he continues in Acts. So it is not surprising that Lukebegins
his “Acts of the Apostles” with the final words of instruction from Jesus.As
noted above, Jesus focused his ministry among Jews. Even Paul, the apostleto
the Gentiles, stops first in the synagogue when he comes to a new city. But
theLord’s last words were that his disciples were to move out in concentric
circles.In fact, Luke divides Acts into these geographical parts.It is clear
from this text that mission is God’s mission, (missiodei) not ours.
Onlywhen the Holy Spirit acts will the sent ones become witnesses. It is not so
much acommand as it is a promise. God does not force us into mission, but those
whoare indwelled by the Holy Spirit can not help but respond.
TheGospel and the
salvation that comes to those who repent and believe is such goodnews that
we can not help but tell others.If mission is Spirit led, and then it must
exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. Mission that grows out of pride or superiority
or arrogance has no placein Jesus’ plan. David Bosch suggests that we go in
“bold humility.”This one verse eliminates any geographical definition of
mission. God’s missionis for all people in all places. It is not simply to the
“less fortunate” however wemight be superiorly inclined to define them.
John 20:21 - Jesus
loved the sinner and recognized that all of us are sinners. He hated sin
andwanted to forgive our sin so that we could be restored to fellowship with
God. Hehad no time for a self-righteous legalism, but neither did he have any
time for aself-absorbed ignoring of God’s laws for humankind. He loved the
sinner but hewould not wink at sin because he knew that sin brings death.It is
clear from Jesus words that we are called out of the world to repentance
andforgiveness for the purpose of learning a new way of living. Part of that
new lifeis being sent into the world to announce the reign of God and invite
other torepent and believe and be restored in fellowship with God and others.
Mk: 1/15 “The time is fulfilled, and the
kingdom of God has come near, repent and believe in the Good News”
Mt 4/17: “Repent for the Kingdom of
heaven has come near”
Mk 3/14-15: “And he appointed twelve,
whom he also namedapostle, to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message,
and have anything to cast out demons”
Mt 16/19-20:
Lk 10/ 1-12
Lk 24/ 47-48
CCC
On Mission
Mission a Requirement of the
Churches’ Catholicity:
The Missionary mandate: Having been
divinely sent to the nations that she might be the universal sacrament of
salvation’, the Church, in obedience to the command of her founder and because
it id demanded by her own essential universality, strives to preach the Gospel
to all men” “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and of the son
and of the Holy Sprit, teaching them to observe that I have commanded
you; and no that I am with you always ,
until the close of the age”(849).
Missionary Motivation:
It is from God’s love for all men
that the Church in every age receives both the obligation and vigor of her
missionary dynamism, “for the love of Christ urges us on.” Indeed God desires
all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of truth”, that is God will the
salvation of every one through the knowledge of truth. Salvation is found in
the truth. Those who obey the prompting of the Sprit of truth are already on
the ay of salvation. But the Church , to whom this truth has been entrusted ,
must go out to meet their desire , so as to bring them truth , Because she
believes in God’s universal plan of salvation , the Church must be
missionary.
Missionary Paths: The Holy Sprit is the protagonist,
“The principal agent of the whole of the Church’s mission. It is he who leads
the Church on her missionary path. . ‘The mission continued and, and in the
course of history, unfolds the emission of Christ, who was sent to evangelize the poor, so the Church, urged
on by the Sprit of Christ, must walk the road Christ himself walked, a way of
poverty and obedience, of service and self sacrifice even to death, a death
from which he emerged victorious by his resurrection.” So is it that ‘the blood
of martyrs is the seed of Christians.”852
How do we understand and define mission
today? Some twentyfiveyears after the council, Pope John Paul II in a key
documenton mission described mission in this way: “Proclamation is thepermanent
priority of mission. The Church cannot elude Christ’sexplicit mandate, nor
deprive men and women of the ‘Good News’about their being loved and saved by
God” (RM 44). The popewrote about mission as “a single but complex reality, and
it developsin a variety of ways” (41).
“The witness of a
Christian life isthe first and irreplaceable form of mission” (42), and such
witnessincludes a “commitment to peace, justice, human rights andhuman
promotion” (42). Other elements of mission involve forminglocal churches
(48–50), incarnating the gospel in all cultures(52–54), dialoguing with
brothers and sisters of other religions(55–57), and promoting development by
forming consciences(58–59). Earlier, Pope Paul VI drew the definition of
mission fromthe central message and explicit purpose of Jesus to preach thegood
news of the kingdom/reign of God (EN 6) and also pointedout that mission has
many elements (17–18), must respect cultureand the context (20), and does not
always require words(21). This last idea is captured nicely by the phrase associated
with Francis of Assisi: “Preach always, and if necessary use words.”
Discipleship as an
important aspect of mission is underlined by all gospels.
The church
is called to follow Christ's example. Mission in Christ's way means Matt
28:18-20 together with such texts as Matt 27:41-42 (the temptation on the
cross) and with Matt 16:24-25, where Jesus tells his disciples: "If any
want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross
and follow me." It means that the "crusading mind" has to be
replaced by the "crucified mind".
Mathew:The content and conditions of discipleship in the
lifetime of Jesus are illustrated most clearly in the mission discourse in Matt
10:1-42. The mandate given to the disciples in this chapter includes a call for
poverty and simple lifestyle. What is demanded from Jesus is an attitude:
freedom from acquisitiveness and a trust in providence so absolutely that it
can wholly dispense with even the minimum of material resources. Poverty and
powerlessness are for Matthew an absolutely indispensable part of Christian
Mission.
Mark: The
call to discipleship is also an important aspect of Mark's gospel. "The
way of Jesus is the way of the disciples, and discipleship consists in walking
the way of Jesus. This is the meaning of akolouthein, to follow, in the
gospel of Mark". "The members of Mark's community would easily read
themselves into his portrait of the disciples on their way up to
Jerusalem"
John 20:21
“This must determine the way we think about and carry out themission; it must
be founded and modeled upon his. We are not authorized to doit in any other
way.” We are not Jesus and we can not become Jesus, but we can “have the mind
ofChrist” and we can become like him. So we need to become intimatelyacquainted
with the life of Jesus and how he exhibited the reign of God in theworld. Our
witness and our way of witness in the world must be consistent withhis.Jesus
loved the sinner and recognized that all of us are sinners. He hated sin
andwanted to forgive our sin so that we could be restored to fellowship with
God. Hehad no time for a self-righteous legalism, but neither did he have any
time for aself-absorbed ignoring of God’s laws for humankind. He loved the
sinner but hewould not wink at sin because he knew that sin brings death.It is
clear from Jesus words that we are called out of the world to repentance
andforgiveness for the purpose of learning a new way of living. Part of that
new lifeis being sent into the world to announce the reign of God and invite
other torepent and believe and be restored in fellowship with God and others.
We are
“sent” (the core
meaning of the word “mission”) so that we can be witnesses. Butit is always the
Holy Spirit that draws people to God, not our mission programs.
. Mission is a central theme
in the whole bible. We shall see that mission is not only aninterference in
someone else’s life, but a plan of God in accordance with His word. Mission is
the will ofGod!!! Without the bible there will be no Christian mission. John
Stott gives us four reasons for Christianmission:
- The bible gives us the
mandate;
- The bible gives us the
message;
- The bible gives us the
model;
- The bible gives us the
power.
Particular the first reason
is very actual and relevant in our time. Stott says our mandate is found:
• in the creation of God
(because of which all human beings are responsible to him)
• in the character of God
(as outgoing, loving, compassionate, not willing that any should perish,
desiring thatall should come to repentance)
• in the promises of God
(that all nations will be blessed through Abraham's seed and will become
theMessiah's inheritance)
• in the Christ of God (now
exalted with universal authority, to receive universal acclaim)
• in the Spirit of God (who
convicts of sin, witnesses to Christ, and impels the Church to evangelize)
• in the Church of God
(which is a multinational, missionary community, under orders to evangelize
untilChrist returns). The biblical mandate for world evangelization cannot be
escaped.
In this
track we will focus on mission in the Old Testament. Some people think that the
Old Testament tellsus nothing about mission because the focus is mainly on
Israel. But this is a misunderstanding; the theme ofmission is very clear in
Gods revelation and his promises to all people. It pronounces from the
character of God, from His aims and from what He suspects from His people.
The Place of Mission in New
Testament Theology
Mission is
the church sent into the world, to love, to serve, to preach, to teach, to
heal, to liberate. This comprehensive understanding of mission is often defined
by the threefold task of the church: witness (martyrìd), service (diakonid)
and communion (koinonid). At least four aspects of mission can be
discerned
1. Mission as
being sent out (especially John);
2. Mission as making
disciples of all nations (Matthew);
3. Mission as deliverance
and emancipatory action (Luke);
4. Mission as witness
(Acts; John).
The
passage of Acts 1:8 does not belong to the category of a missionary charge in
the strict sense of the word. But it has often been considered in this way.
Jesus' words
‘You shall
be my witnesses to the end of the earth...” have commonly been read as an
imperative. But both in Acts 1:8 and in Luke 24:48 there is an ambiguity
between promise and task. In the future tense of Acts 1:8 the main emphasis is
on promise. It is not primarily a “command.”
‘Luke's
pneumatology excludes the possibility of a missionary command', it
implies, rather, a promise that the disciples will get involved in
mission.”
Acts
1:8 reminds us that "witness (one can say: mission) will simply be 'a
matter of being.' And one does not have to be obedient in order to be, as being
precedes obeying. Our being as Christians is therefore a being as witnesses in
mission; there is no need to take a decision first to be obedient to the Great
Commission" .
To speak of
mission as a mandate or a command is certainly an important aspect of the New
Testament. However, if mission is interpreted only in that way, there is the
risk that it becomes a legalistic obedience.
Here we might learn from
Paul's hermeneutic. It is interesting to see how he interprets a saying of the Lord
in 1 Cor 9:14: "In the same way the Lord gave instruction that those who
preach the Gospel should earn their living by the Gospel" (see Matt
10:10). In the chapter as a whole Paul defends his work to support himself in
spite of his right as an apostle to be supported by the communities (1 Cor
9:1-5).
Dialogue:
Dialogue can be understood in different
ways. Firstly, at the purely human level, it means reciprocal communication,
leading to a common goal or, at a deeper level, to interpersonal communion.
Secondly, dialogue can be taken as an attitude of respect and friendship, which
permeates or should permeate all those activities constituting the evangelizing
mission of the Church. This can appropriately be called “the spirit of dialogue”.
Thirdly, in the context of religious plurality, dialogue means “all positive
and constructive interreligious relations with individuals and communities of
other faiths which are directed at mutual understanding and enrichment”, in
obedience to truth and respect for freedom. It includes both witness and the
exploration of respective religious convictions. It is in this third sense that
the present document uses the term dialogue for one of the integral elements of
the Church's evangelizing mission.
Both
RM and DP Speak with conviction of the need for interreligious dialogue
understood as method and means of mutual knowledge
andenrichment. So understood, dialogue is not in opposition to the mission ad gentes;
indeed it has a special link with that mission and is one of its expressions(RM
55)The Pope is convinced that dialogue does not originate form tactical
considerations or self interest but is an activity with its own dignity,
requirements and guiding principles. It
emerges out of deep respect for everything that has been brought about in
human beings by the Sprit who blows where he wills. Through
dialogue , the Church seeks to uncover the seeds of the Word a ray of the truth
which enlightens all men …… found in individuals an din the religious
traditions of human kind (56). Dialogue should be conducted and
implemented with
the conviction that the Church is the ordinary means of salvation and she alone
possess the fullness of the means of salvation (55). Dialogue is thus viewed as culminating in the
person and mission
of Jesus Christ. In and through history God progressively manifests himself to
and communicates with human kind.
God
himself is in continuousdialogue with human kind,offering his love andsalvation
to us. In faithfulness to the divine initiative, the Church too must enter into
a dialogue of salvation with all men and women. This dialogue finds its place
within the Church’s salvificmission Inter religious dialogue does not merely
aim at mutual understanding and friendly relations. It reaches the level of the
Sprit, hwere exchange and sharing becomes witness to one’s beliefs and a common
exploration of each one’s religious conviction. Sinceredialogue implies on the
one hand mutual acceptance of differences, or even of contradictions,on the
other hand respect for the free decision of persons taken according to the
dictates of their conscience (DP 41)
Dialogue
began as a literary method or as a method of searching for truth. In the past,
dialogue often meant discussion or controversy to establish one’s own position
as the true one. In modern psychology fantasy and inter –personal dialogue are
means foe solving personal problems. In business, politics and in all fields of
life dialogue is today seen as the only reasonable, human and efficient way to
solve problems and achieve all round growth. Dialogue is the only human and
divine way of living and acting; since we are the very images of the Holy
Trinity whose life is nothing but a dialogue.In a pluralistic world, in a world
characterized by Mannes and complementary, dialogue will ever remain a process
and a goal. Dialogue is like love or,
as the Hindu devotees say of bhakti, the means in our attainment of the supreme
goal and the end itself because the ultimate destiny is nothing but an unending
dialogue in the very heart of God. Hence dialogue can never disappear from this
world. Plurality will remain and so will dialogue that springs from love and
truth and that takes men and women into grater love and grater harmony.Dialogue
by its nature an “announcing”, a ‘proclamation”, a “witnessing”, a giving
reason r the reason for our hope.’ From our Christianangle, every Christian
dialogue partner is invited and invites the other to be further converted to
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the only God we know and love.
Dialogue
reveals the courage of a new humanism, since it demands trust in humankind; it
never sets one against another, and its aim is to eliminate the distances and
smooth out the rough edges to give growth to the awareness that all are
creatures of the one God, brothers and sisters, therefore, of the one, same
humanity .
Two
typed of Dialogue:
-
Sprit of Dialogue
-
Dialogue is the part of
mission
The
Aims of Dialogue: -
-
It is a method and means of
mutual knowledge
-
Enrichment DP Article 55
-
God is present in many ways
not only to be individuals about also to entire people through these spiritual
riches which the religions are the main and essential expressions. (DPArticles
55.)
Theological
Foundation of Dialogue
First comes the fact that the whole
of humankind forms one family, due to the common origin of all men and women,
created by God in his own image. Correspondingly, all are called to a common
destiny, the fullness of life in God. Moreover, there is but one plan of
salvation for humankind, with its centre in Jesus Christ, who in his
incarnation “has united himself in a certain manner to every person” (RH 13;
GS 22.2).Finally, there needs to be mentioned the active presence of the
Holy Spirit in the religious life of the members of the other religious
traditions. From all this the Pope concludes to a “mystery of unity" which
was manifested clearly at Assisi, in spite of the differences between religious
professions (DP 28).
The fruits of the Spirit of God in
the personal life of individuals, whether Christian or otherwise, are easily
discernible (Gal 5:22-23). To identify in other religious traditions
elements of grace capable of sustaining the positive response of their members
to God's invitation is much more difficult. It requires a discernment for which
criteria have to be established. Sincere individuals marked by the Spirit of
God have certainly put their imprint on the elaboration and the development of
their respective religious traditions. It does not follow, however, that
everything in them is good. (DP 30)
To say that the other religious
traditions include elements of grace does not imply that everything in them is
the result of grace. For sin has been at work in the world, and so religious
traditions, notwithstanding their positive values, reflect the limitations of
the human spirit, sometimes inclined to choose evil. An open and positive
approach to other religious traditions cannot overlook the contradictions which
may exist between them and Christian revelation. It must, where necessary,
recognize that there is incompatibility between some fundamental elements of
the Christian religion and some aspects of such traditions. (DP 31)
The Church has been willed by God and instituted by Christ
to be, in the fullness of time, the sign and instrument of the divine plan of
salvation (LG 1), the centre of which is the mystery of Christ. She is
the “universal sacrament of salvation” (LG 48), and is “necessary for
salvation”(LG 14). The Lord Jesus himself inaugurated her mission “by
preaching the good news, that is, the coming of God's Kingdom”
The relationship between the Church
and the Kingdom is mysterious and complex. As Vatican II teaches, “principally
the Kingdom is revealed in the person of Christ himself.” Thus “the Kingdom is
inseparable from the Church, because both are inseparable from the person and
work of Jesus himself... It is therefore not possible to separate the Church
from the Kingdom as if the first belonged exclusively to the imperfect realm of
history, while the second would be the perfect eschatological fulfillment of the
divine plan of salvation”(34)
To the Church, as the sacrament in
which the Kingdom of God is present “in mystery”, are related or oriented (ordinantur)
(LG 16) the members of other religious traditions who, inasmuch as they
respond to God's calling as perceived by their conscience, are saved in Jesus
Christ and thus already share in some way in the reality which is signified by
the Kingdom. The Church's mission is to foster “the Kingdom of our Lord and his
Christ” (Rev 11:15), at whose service she is placed (35).
The Church on earth is always on
pilgrimage. Although she is holy by divine institution her members are not
perfect; they bear the mark of their human limitations. Consequently, her
transparency as sacrament of salvation is blurred. This is the reason why the
church herself, ‘insofar as she is an institution of men here on earth,” and
not only her members, is constantly in need of renewal and reform (36)
Against this background it becomes
easier to see why and in what sense interreligious dialogue is an integral
element of the Church's evangelizing mission. The foundation of the Church's
commitment to dialogue is not merely anthropological but primarily theological.
God, in an age-long dialogue, has offered and continues to offer salvation to
humankind. In faithfulness to the divine initiative, the Church too must enter
into a dialogue of salvation with all men and women. (38)
In the Apostolic
Exhortation Novo MillennioIneunte, the Pope stresses the Importance of
openness in the dialogue with the followers of other religions. He isconvinced
that dialogue is a more meaningful method for creating the climate of
harmonyand peace to treat challenging situations of today's world, conflicted
by war, and culturaland religious pluralism(66)He says:In the climate of
increased cultural and religious pluralism which is expected to markthe society
of the new millennium, it is obvious that this dialogue will be especially
Important in establishing a sure basis for peace and warding off the dread
spectre ofthose wars of religion which have so often bloodied human history.
The name of theone God must become increasingly what it is: a name of peace and
a summons topeace. (67)
Proclamation
“Proclamation or announcing in
contrast is the communication of the Gospel message, the mystery of salvation
realized by God for all in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Sprit. It is
an invitation to our commitment of faith, in Jesus Christ and entry through
baptism in the community of believers which is the Church”.Proclamation
is the permanent priority of mission.
-
The Church
cannot elude Christ's explicit mandate, nor deprive men and women of the “Good
News” about their being loved and saved by God.
-
Evangelization will always contain-as the foundation,
center and at the same time the summit of its dynamism-a clear proclamation
that, in Jesus Christ...salvation is offered to all people, as a gift of God's
grace and mercy.
-
All forms of missionary activity are directed to this
proclamation, which reveals and gives access to the mystery hidden for ages and
made known in Christ (Eph 3:3-9; Col 1:25-29), the mystery which lies at the
heart of the Church's mission and life, as the hinge on which all
evangelization turns.
-
In the complex reality of mission, initial proclamation
has a central and irreplaceable role, since it introduces man “into the mystery
of the love of God, who invites him to enter into a personal relationship with
himself in Christ” and opens the way to conversion.
-
Faith is born of preaching, and every ecclesial
community draws its origin and life from the personal response of each believer
to that preaching. Just as the whole economy of salvation has its center in
Christ, so too all missionary activity is directed to the proclamation of his
mystery.
- The subject of proclamation is
Christ who was crucified, died and is risen: through him is accomplished our
full and authentic liberation from evil, sin and death; through him God bestows
“new life” that is divine and eternal. This is the “Good News” which changes
man and his history, and which all peoples have a right to hear.
- The missionary's enthusiasm in proclaiming Christ comes from the
conviction that he is responding to that expectation, and so he does not become
discouraged or cease his witness even when he is called to manifest his faith
in an environment that is hostile or indifferent.
-
He knows that the Spirit of the Father
is speaking through him (Mt 10:17-20; Lk 12:11-12) and he can say with the
apostles: “We are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit” (Acts
5:32). He knows that he is not proclaiming a human truth, but the "word of
God,” which has an intrinsic and mysterious power of its own (Rom 1:16)
Dialogue and proclamation both
are elements of the evangelizing mission of the Church. But both are not on the
same level. They are inter related, but not inter changeable. In inter
religious dialogue a Christian wishes to make Jesus Christ better known and
loved. And the proclamation of Jesus Christ is to be carried out in the Gospel
sprit of Dialogue. Both dialogue and proclamation imply certain sensitivity to
the social, cultural, religious and political aspects ob the situation, and to
the signs of the times through which the Spritof God is speaking, teaching and
guiding. Dialogue has also a prophetic role: in bearing witness to Gospel
values, it raises questions for all religions.
Though
dialogue and proclamation are interrelated, still RM and DP repeatedly say:
Dialogue does not constitute the whole mission of the Church; it cannot replace
proclamation but remains oriented towards proclamation in so far as the dynamic
process of the Church’s evangelizing mission reaches in its climax and its
fullness ……Christians in dialogue have the duty of responding to partners
regarding …. Thefaith.When this is called for, of giving an account of the hope
that is within them (1 Pe3/15).DP82. Both dialogue and proclamation are based
on genuine love. Our deep love for the lord Jesus motivates us to share with
others the faith we possess.
Dialogue
and proclamation cannot be really understood and appreciated without deeper
understanding of the relationship between the different religious communities.
A monologue is a communication which refuses to listen, or at least is
indifferent to the others, their problems, experience, depths and heights. Both
dialogue and proclamation are communication, not mere verbal communication but
also the communication of one’s own self. In inter religious dialogue and
proclamation what is revealed is the world of the Transcendent, the transcendent
enters into communication with us, the way we respond to the Supreme Being. So
both dialogue and
proclamation are inter cultural, inter religious, and inter worldly view
“announcing” (proclamation) necessarily includes all the characteristics of
dialogue as we understand it today. If proclamation is not dialogical it
degenerates into a meaningless monologue where no response id expected.
Dialogue not the denial of proclamation but its affirmation in a genuine
Christian sense. Proclamation i.e.,
witnessing, to Jesus Christ and to the love and truth of the Father that Jesus
revels, is better understood today as the way God proclaims hiselfivsalvation
history and Jesus proclaims the father to his hearers. W e cannot so separate
dialogue and proclamation as though dialogue necessarily leads to proclamation.
Both can only exist together. Both are rooted in love and in truth. Our modern self understanding , which is
itself a gift of God , and a reflection on yhrrealities of our faith force us
to move forward from a ‘monological” proclamation of the “Good News” to a more enlightened “
dialogical proclamation” of Jesus and his kingdom and to “a witnessing
dialogue” in all our contacts with
different persons and groups. Both call
for total openness. They demand from us the readiness to move out of our own
selfish narrowness. They demand the aptitude not to project one ’s self, views,
attitudes and feelings on others.
DP
79 says:both
are authentically elements of mission. Both are legitimate and necessary for
mission. They are intimately related but not interchangeable. Both related one
mission of the Church.
Article
78 Sometimes due to circumstances dialogue becomes
the only way dialogue has a prophetic role. Prophetic role means, I have to be changed.
Withoutconversion, dialogue has no meaning.
Articles:
80when Church allows having Dialogue among
themselves among Hindus and Muslimsbecause Church is sacrament of community
among people.
Article 82: Dialogue andproclamation
are the ways in carrying out one mission of the Church. But dialogue cannot
replace proclamation.It is oriented towards proclamation.Dialogue remains
oriented towards proclamation in a dynamic process of church’s mission which
reaches in climax in proclamation.
Redemptoris Missio emphasis on proclamation. Dialogue
and Proclamation emphasis on dialogue. Dialogue should mot be
undervalued. RM Ecclesio Centric. DP Christo Centric. Dialogue possesses its on
validity. RM permanent priority is proclamation. RM proclamation is important
because logical, ideal, theological important central and irreplaceable role.
Dialogue remains oriented towards proclamation in a dynamic process of Churches
mission which reveals in climax in proclamation. Dialogue proclaims Jesus is
the only Savior.
Proclamation is the
expression of the Church's awareness of being in mission. Dialogue is the
expression of its awareness of God's presence and action outside its
boundaries. Proclamation is the affirmation of and witness to God's action in
oneself and in the Church. Dialogue is the openness and attention to the
mystery of God's action in the other believer. We cannot speak of one without
the other. Thus, interreligious dialogue is a form of sharing, of giving and
receiving. It is not a one-way process. It must really be a dialogue, not a
monologue.
Interreligious dialogue and
proclamation, though not on the same level, are both authentic elements of the
Church's evangelizing mission. Both are legitimate and necessary. They are intimately
related, but not interchangeable. The two activities remain distinct, but . . .
one and Dialogue and proclamation are not identical but related. At any time or
place within the course of our living in dialogue, moments for proclamation of
the Gospel may be given. For Christians, proclamation is the sharing of the
Good news about God’s action in history through Jesus Christ. Proclamation is
made in other ways besides dialogue, but should always be made in the spirit of
dialogue. On the other hand, dialogue may include proclamation, since it must
always be undertaken in the spirit of those who have good news to share.
Dialogue with Our Brothers and
Sisters of Other Religions
55. Inter-religious dialogue is a part of the
Church's evangelizing mission. Understood as a method and means of mutual
knowledge and enrichment, dialogue is not in opposition to the mission ad
gentes; indeed, it has special links with that mission and is one of its
expressions. This mission, in fact, is addressed to those who do not know
Christ and his Gospel, and who belong for the most part to other religions. In
Christ, God calls all peoples to himself and he wishes to share with them the
fullness of his revelation and love. He does not fail to make himself present
in many ways, not only to individuals but also to entire peoples through their
spiritual riches, of which their religions are the main and essential
expression, even when they contain "gaps, insufficiencies and
errors."98 All of this has been given ample emphasis by
the Council and the subsequent Magisterium, without detracting in any way from
the fact that salvation comes from Christ and that dialogue does not
dispense from evangelization.99
In the light of the economy of salvation, the
Church sees no conflict between proclaiming Christ and engaging in
interreligious dialogue. Instead, she feels the need to link the two in the
context of her mission ad gentes. These two elements must maintain both
their intimate connection and their distinctiveness; therefore they should not
be confused, manipulated or regarded as identical, as though they were
interchangeable.
I recently wrote to the
bishops of Asia: "Although the Church gladly acknowledges whatever is true
and holy in the religious traditions of Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam as a
reflection of that truth which enlightens all people, this does not lessen her
duty and resolve to proclaim without fail Jesus Christ who is 'the way, and the
truth and the life.'...The fact that the followers of other religions can
receive God's grace and be saved by Christ apart from the ordinary means which
he has established does not thereby cancel the call to faith and baptism which
God wills for all people."100 Indeed Christ himself "while expressly
insisting on the need for faith and baptism, at the same time confirmed the
need for the Church, into which people enter through Baptism as through a
door." 101 Dialogue should be conducted and implemented
with the conviction that the Church is the ordinary means of salvation
and that she alone possesses the fullness of the means of salvation.102
Precious Blood Missionaries
