Lesson 6: The Churchs Communion is for Mission

One People of God

Text in Context

Book of Isaiah God desires that the whole human race may become one People of God y Gospel of Mark the universal mission of the Church in the world: Christ command to evangelize the whole world y Letter to the Ephesians same in the Book of Isaiah; universal mission includes the whole of Gods creation: renewal of the whole creation
y

1. Churchs Communion is for Mission

y

Jesus did not only gather His disciples around Him but He sent them out together on a mission to make disciples of all nation.

Churchs Communion is for Mission

Communion prepares for mission and mission aims at strengthening communion y Communion represents both the source and fruit of mission:
y

Communion gives rise to mission Mission is accomplished in communion

y

Mission is the greatest and holiest duty of the Church

Churchs Communion is for Mission

Mission is the fundamental commitment of the whole People of God y Churchs Mission: to accomplish Gods plan for creation salvation of the whole world y Begins with the great command:
y
Go and make disciples of all nations Mt 28:19

-All are called to the universal mission of the Church

2. Evangelization: The Main and Foremost Mission of the Church in the World
The primary mission of the Church: to preach the Good News that the Kingdom of God is here; that it has already arrived in part, and its fullness is yet to come, and to bring Gods kingdom into the world y The purpose of Christs mission is the proclamation and establishment of Gods Kingdom y Evangelization the mission of announcing the Good News of Gods Kingdom
y

Evangelization: The Main and Foremost Mission of the Church in the World
y

This mission of announcing the Good News of Gods Kingdom is called Evangelization the main and foremost mission of the Church in the world; the overall activity of the Church in bringing the Good News of the Kingdom of God into the whole humanity
Evangelizing is the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity. She exists in order to evangelize (Evangelii Nuntianti, 14)

Evangelization carries out the Churchs duty to proclaim the Redeemer, Jesus Christ, the center of the universe and of history (Redemptoris Hominis) by word, deeds and witness.

Evangelization: The Main and Foremost Mission of the Church in the World
y

Vatican II stressed the primacy of proclamation of Jesus Christ in all evangelizing work.
Evangelization brings the light of the Gospel to places it has not reached, and re-enkindling it in places it may be extinguished or forgotten. Evangelization encompasses the renewal of society in all strata through the interplay of the Gospel truths and humans concrete total life. The Church is an evangelizer, but she begins by being evangelized herself.

3. The Essential Elements of Evangelization

y

These elements are related to Churchs life and mission: a. Witness of Christian living b. Gospel proclamation and teaching c. Sacraments d. Love of neighbor

The Essential Elements of Evangelization

a. Witness of Christian living the first form and most potent means of renewed evangelization
Two ways: 1) by living according to the Gospel 2) by giving testimony to our experience of Gods grace
y

The life witnessing Christian and his/her good works have great power to draw all the faithful to God (CCC, 2044)

The Essential Elements of Evangelization

b. Preaching or Gospel Proclamation the permanent priority of mission

Faith comes from what is heard and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ. Faith, then, comes from hearing. Romans 10:14 y

Preaching the verbal proclamation of a message which is always indispensable in the task of evangelization

The subject of proclamation is Christ; through Him we receive new life the Good News y The aim of proclamation is conversion.
y

The Essential Elements of Evangelization

c. Sacraments of Initiation and Catechesis

y

Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist Initiate the candidate into the faith and Christian life; the baptized are incorporated into the Christian community Catechesis education in the faith within the Christian community; aims to encourage a living, explicit and fruitful profession of faith Catechesis is a fundamental element of Christian initiation and is closely connected w/ the sacrament of initiation, especially with Baptism

The Essential Elements of Evangelization

d. Love of neighbor finds various expression in the forms of services to community y Preaching must be complimented by activities that will liberate people being evangelized from all forms of oppression that defiles human dignity and activities toward the integral human development.

The Essential Elements of Evangelization

a. b. c. d.

Witness of Christian living Gospel proclamation and teaching Sacraments Love of neighbor

These various elements show how evangelization is both in word and in deed. They showed a clear example of following Jesus, the supreme evangelizer.

4. The Goal of Evangelization

Primary goal of evangelization is initiation into the faith y Ultimate goal is the establishment of Gods Kingdom in its fullness, namely Gods rule in the hearts and minds of our people y Evangelization seeks to transform the mind and heart of each individual, making them into the likeness of Christ and to bring humanity and all creation into communion with God.
y

4. The Goal of Evangelization

The mission of the Church is focused on the Kingdom of God. The Churchs mission is designed for the transformation of the whole creation. y Kingdom of God the redemptive presence of God actualized through the power of Gods renewing, reconciling, healing and liberating spirit. It happens whenever and wherever the will of God is fulfilled
y

5. The Reasons Why We Evangelize

in obedience to Christs command y from a deep sense of gratitude to God who has blessed us in Christ y because we believe in the Lord Jesus; we receive the gift of faith y we deeply desire that people would encounter and relate with God y because the Gospel is leaven for liberation and for the transformation of society
y

6. Jesus: The Norm and Model of All Evangelization

y

The Gospel story of Jesus meeting with the Samaritan woman a model of evangelization Mission is a dialogue and to evangelize is to enter into a dialogue Jesus made use of enculturation

Mission demands the testimony of fraternal love Jesus made the woman aware become of her value and dignity Mission is a process that will lead to conversion The most enriching effect of mission is the encounter with and the following of Jesus To evangelize is to share the experience of Jesus Christ because the Gospel is leaven for liberation and for the transformation of society

Jesus Mission: A Service of Total Liberation

y

Total liberation is liberation from all forms of human miseries that dehumanize people:
Spiritual miseries come from all forms of sin causing spiritual blindness in people and enslaving the spirit Material miseries come from all forms of poverty and human oppression

The Gospel story of the multiplication of the loaves and fish shows the meaning of total liberation
Spiritual liberation should go hand in hand with material liberation Education in the faith and service for human liberation should not be separated

7. Churchs Mission: As Participation in Christs Mission

The mission of the Church is the very mission of Jesus. This is the reason for the Churchs existence: to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God.  The mission of the Church in the world is to continue Christs saving action over the whole of creation through active participation in the three-fold ministry of Christ: priestly, prophetic and kingly.


ThreeThree-fold ministry of Christ

1. Priestly Mission characterized by a life of sacrifice, offering and surrender 2. Prophetic Mission by speaking the Word of God, proclaiming the God News, denouncing evil and destroying its manifestations with boldness and love 3. Kingly Mission by serving others especially those who are most in need
y

The threefold mission of the Church shows that proclamation of the Gospel can be done in word (Prophetic), in worship and sacrament (Priestly), and in witnessing and service (Kingly). These are the different ways of proclaiming the Kingdom of God

8. The Levels of Realization of the Churchs Communion & Mission in the Local Church
-

The communities of communion and mission are realized at present on the following different levels of ecclesial realities: a. universal Church a community of local churches; the universal communion of local or individual churches b. local Church the Church in a particular place
y The universal Church shows that though there are many local churches, there is only one Body of Christ.

There are various levels of being a local Church: diocese a communion of parish communities under the bishops jurisdiction parish a communion of basic ecclesial communities and a division of the diocese; it is made up of a small Christian communities headed by a parish priest basic ecclesial communities (BECs) a division of the parish; the communion of domestic Churches, the families small ecclesial communities (SECs) refer to both the transparochial or associational communities / functional / ministerial / religious organizations and Church ministries family - the domestic Church, the Church in the home; the irreplaceable force in communion and mission