DIOCESAN COMMISSION FOR PERMANENT DIACONATE Continuous Doctrinal Formation The Spirituality of AG, EV and RM KWOK CHI KEUNG (I0908) Missiology Course Paper Lecturer: Fr. Paul Leung Kon-chiu, SDB HONG KONG August 27, 2010
1. Introduction Ad Gentes (1965), Evangelii Nuntiandi (1975) and Redemptoris Missio (1990) are important Magisterium documents on missions. AG is a decree drawn up in the Second Vatican Council on the mission activity of the Church. EV is an apostolic exhortation from Pope Paul VI on evangelization promulgated on the tenth anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council. So, on the Silver Jubilee of Conciliar Decree Ad Gentes, Pope John Paul II released RM to stimulate the whole Church to rethink about the permanent validity of the Church s missionary mandate. The importance of these three documents cannot be underestimated because mission is the very essence, the raison d'être of the Church. The Church actualizes this essence in historical time until the second coming of Christ. These documents ponder on the rapidly changing situations of the global missionary scene of the last century. They cover an extensive range of issues, including but not exhausting, the theological basis, the objects, the activities, the institutions and the spirituality etc. of missionary work. In this paper, I would like to trace the shift in the emphasis of spirituality as expressed in these documents. 2. What is Spirituality? As Christians, we believe in a spiritual dimension in human existence because man is created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:27). Side by side a physical life, there is a spiritual one. In the crudest sense, spirituality is the cultivation of this spiritual life to its perfection. Let us begin with a definition of spirituality from a textbook on spiritual theology. In its widest sense, spirituality refers to any religious or ethical value that is concretized as an attitude or spirit from which one's actions flow. This concept of spirituality is not restricted to any particular religion; it applies to any person who has a belief in the divine or transcendent, and fashions a lifestyle according to one's religious convictions. 1 1 Jordan Aumann, Spiritual Theology, (London: Continuum, 2006). pg. 17 1
Such a broad, all-encompassing definition does not serve our needs. Therefore, I will proceed with a more restrictive Christian definition of spirituality. In the strict sense of the word, the only authentic spirituality is a spirituality centered in Jesus Christ and through him to the Trinity. This is true not only because created grace, the vital principle of the spiritual life, comes to us only through the mediation of Jesus Christ, but also because those who cultivate the spiritual life must consciously or unconsciously follow the teachings of Christ, regardless of their religious affiliation 2. To be more specific, Christian spirituality is therefore a participation in the mystery of Christ through the interior life of grace, actuated by faith, charity, and the other Christian virtues. The life that the individual receives through participation in Christ is the same life that animated the God-man, the life that the Incarnate Word shares with the Father and the Holy Spirit; it is, therefore, the life of God in the august mystery of the Trinity 3. Taking Aumann s definition as our starting point, Spirituality refers to a) the perfection of our interior, spiritual life, b) through the participation in the mystery of the Trinity, c) by practising faith, hope, charity and other Christian virtues. Therefore, spirituality is not something exclusively interior because it must express itself through the practice of charity. Christians are called to lead a life of holiness which radiates in our words and our actions. Our words must be edifying and our actions altruistic. Spirituality is a mystery because spiritual life belongs to the supernatural order and its theological foundation comes from God s revelation. God has revealed to us the path to Christian perfection. Aumann s definition is Christocentric. By spiritual life, he means the sharing of Christ-life. The goal is Christian perfection. You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48, RSV). 2 Ibid. 3 Ibid, pg. 18 2
To identify the essential elements of the spiritual life, the theologian must rely almost exclusively on the truths of revelation, the teaching of the Church, and the conclusions of systematic theology 4. God s revealed truths can be found in the Bible, in the sacred Tradition and the teaching office of the Magisterium. Biblical scholars and theologians can develop an elaborate system of biblical spiritual theology that fills up stacks of bookshelves. My target is a more humble one: to dig up the teaching of the Church on missionary spirituality in the three missionary documents. 3. The Spirituality as expressed in the documents a. Ad Gentes #23-24 Modern thinking questions the necessity of missions in the modern pluralist world. The motive which had driven missionaries in the past to bring other people to Christ had increasingly lost its urgency. What drove the great missionaries was the conviction that salvation is in Christ alone Meantime, in recent generations, the idea had more and more come to prevail that God can save and wants to save all men even though outside the Church Moreover, in recent times a more optimistic interpretation of the meaning of the world religions has been propounded 5. Therefore, this decree attempted to answer this challenge. It systematically laid down the Trinitarian foundation of mission (#2-9), the actual missionary work of bearing witness through charity, preaching the gospel and forming the Christian communities (#10-18), implanting and establishing the local churches (#19-22), the qualities of the missionaries and their trainings (#23-27), the work of different personnel such as the Roman Pontiff, bishops, religious institutes, episcopal conferences etc. (#28-34) and the cooperation among them (#35-41). This decree did not explicitly spell out a missionary spirituality as such. However, we may deduce from the qualities expected of the missionaries an outline of the kind of spirituality conveyed in missionary activities. Ad Gentes acknowledges that the Holy Spirit is the source of all charismata. It is the 4 Ibid, pg. 24 5 Joseph Ratzinger, Theological Highlights of Vatican II, (New York: Paulist Press, 1966), pp. 172-173. 3
driving force behind all missionary activities (AG 23). It gives the missionaries inspiration and power to devote themselves wholly, for an entire lifetime, to the work of the Gospel. The missionaries must be strong in faith, meek and humble of heart. They lead an evangelical life in patience, in long-suffering, in kindness, in unaffected love and in obedience (EN 24). All these qualities can be traced to the teachings of the great missionary apostle --- St. Paul. In sum, although Ad Gentes did not systematically spell out a spirituality of mission, most of the concepts of missionary spirituality have already appeared in their embryonic form. It is a Pneumatocentric spirituality expressed in a life of patience and obedience. These concepts would be further elaborated in other post-conciliar documents. b. Evangelii Nuntiandi #74-79 Pope Paul VI intended this apostolic exhortation to be a meditation on evangelization (EN 5, 40, 76). He emphasizes evangelization rather than sending missionaries to various non-christian regions on the globe. For the Church, evangelizing means bringing the Good News into all the strata of humanity, and through its influence transforming humanity from within and making it new (EN 18). The focus is not merely the implanting of more churches all over the world. It is the more ambitious vision of the transformation of humanity as a whole. Therefore, in EN, he introduced a few new elements into the concept of mission ad gentes. First of all, he urged an evangelization of cultures, i.e. inculturation of the Gospel (EN 19-20). Secondly, Pope Paul VI emphasized the proclamation of the Gospel message as a means of development and liberation (EN 29-39). Lastly, he approved of the idea of communautes de base, the basic Christian communities, to carry out this evangelization (EN 58). Still, EN is a meditation. Therefore, it expresses a certain kind of spirituality which is made up of 4
the interior attitudes which must animate those who work for evangelization (EN 74). To begin with, Pope Paul VI inherits the teaching of AG and recognizes the role which the Holy Spirit plays in all evangelization activities. Evangelization will never be possible without the action of the Holy Spirit (EN 75). Techniques of evangelization are good, but even the most advanced ones could not replace the gentle action of the Spirit. The most perfect preparation of the evangelizer has no effect without the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit the most convincing dialectic has no power over the heart of man. Without Him the most highly developed schemas resting on a sociological or psychological basis are quickly seen to be quite valueless (EN 75). The Pope urges all evangelizers to pray to the Holy Spirit with faith and fervour and let themselves be prudently guided by Him as the decisive inspirer of their plans, their initiatives and their evangelizing activity (EN 75). Therefore, this spirituality is, similar to that in AG, Pneumatocentric rather than being Christocentric or Trinitarian. Secondly, since the present century thirsts for authenticity, evangelizers should seek truth and honesty in their life and the witness of life is the most effective manner of preaching. We say to all of them: our evangelizing zeal must spring from true holiness of life, and, as the Second Vatican Council suggests, preaching must in its turn make the preacher grow in holiness, which is nourished by prayer and above all by love for the Eucharist The world calls for and expects from us simplicity of life, the spirit of prayer, charity towards all, especially towards the lowly and the poor, obedience and humility, detachment and self-sacrifice (EN 76). The emphasis is for the evangelizers to lead a life of holiness practised through prayers, sacraments, simplicity, charity to the poor, obedience, humility, detachment and self-sacrifice etc. Thirdly, Pope Paul VI was devoted to ecumenism. Doctrinal disputes and mutual condemnation among Christians are obstacles to evangelization. Therefore, evangelizers must be filled with the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of Truth and Love, to seek 5
Christian unity (EN 77). Fourthly, evangelizers are seekers of the truth which they have been entrusted to pass on to the others. They should seek it even at the price of personal renunciation and suffering (EN 78). Lastly, evangelizers are expected to love those whom they are evangelizing. But out of all aspects of love, Pope Paul VI narrows this love down to the devotion to proclaim Jesus Christ who is the truth; and on the respect of the religious and spiritual situation of those being evangelized (EN 79). In short, the spirituality expounded in EN is Pneumatocentric. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth. Therefore, on top of a life of holiness and perfection through charity as exhorted by most schools of spirituality, EN emphasizes more on the seeking of the truth as the goal of spiritual perfection 6. The laity does not share much. c. Redemptoris Missio #87-91 Redemptoris Missio devotes a whole chapter on spirituality. John Paul II saw the need of a spirituality specific to missionary. Missionary activity demands a specific spirituality, which applies in particular to all those whom God has called to be missionaries (RM 87). First of all, though the wording suggests that this missionary spirituality applies to missionaries only, in fact it applies to all the members of the Church because throughout RM, the whole Church, bishops as well as the laity, is called to take up this mission ad gentes. Secondly, this spirituality should be expressed as a life led by the Holy Spirit. We open ourselves to welcome the Holy Spirit to mold us to become more like Christ. The Holy Spirit will give us the gifts of fortitude and discernment, which are essential elements of 6 In AG, the word truth appears 12 times out of 16715 words (0.072%). RM is comparable: 27 times out of 32921 words (0.082%). However, in EN, truth appears 42 times out of 19867 words (0.211%), three times more than AG! All countings have been done with the English translations of the documents. 6
missionary spirituality (RM 87). Thirdly, intimate communion with Christ is a characteristic of this spirituality. Christ was sent by the Father to redeem the world. Similarly, missionaries in communion with Christ should follow him to lead a life of poverty and self-emptying to save the world with Christ. But Christ does not only reside in the hearts of the missionaries. He awaits them in the heart of every person (RM 88). Missionaries will meet Christ and find consolation in whom they evangelize. Fourthly, missionary spirituality is marked by apostolic charity, the burning love of Christ for all the souls of humanity and for the Church. The missionary is a person of charity. In order to proclaim to all his brothers and sisters that they are loved by God and are capable of loving, he must show love toward all, giving his life for his neighbor (RM 89). This love for souls is concretely expressed in the form of concern, tenderness, compassion, openness, availability and interest in people s problems. Missionaries must love the Church. Only a profound love for the Church can sustain their missionary zeal. To sum up, Pope John Paul II equates the call to mission with the call to holiness. Every member of the faithful is called to holiness and to mission. The Church's missionary spirituality is a journey toward holiness (RM 90). In other words, the perfection of Christian spiritual life is actualized in a missionary life. It begins from the Father and returns to the Father. In the process, we become more Christ like with the dynamics supplied by the Holy Spirit. This spirituality is, therefore, Christocentric as well as Trinitarian. In concrete situations, this spirituality is expressed in a life of charity, a life of Beatitudes, a life of holiness. To borrow a phrase from Ignatian Spirituality, the missionary must be a contemplative in action (RM 91). 7
4. Conclusion When the Council Fathers drew up decree Ad Gentes in 1965, they paid more attention to the qualities expected of the missionaries than to their spirituality because their concern was to revitalize the missionary mandate of the Catholic Church in the modern world. Twenty five years later, Pope John Paul II would make the call to holiness identical to the call to mission for all the members of the Church, including the laity. Pope John Paul seeks to renew the church by mission. Missionary commitment, in his view, promotes the renewal of pastoral ministries and also helps the spiritual renewal of the church as a whole 7. While the Council Fathers were dimly aware of the dynamic role played by the Holy Spirit in the spiritual life of the missionaries sent to distant lands to implant local churches, the late Pope John Paul II strongly urged each member of the Church to be self-emptying like Christ to evangelize in whatever sectors of the social and cultural world that were distant from Christ. If they themselves are Christ-like, they will be able to share Christ with the others. It is a spirituality built up from accepting Jesus invitation. Moreover, it is self-emptying in the sense that this spiritual person does not expect the outcome of his renunciation to be positive. After a quarter of a century, this missionary spirituality has been deepened, has become more mature and appropriate to take up the challenges of evangelization in the pluralistically religious Asia where inter-religious dialogues will place Christian evangelizers and other religious masters on an equal footing. Those who are sent on mission must incarnate the values of the Beatitudes The life of testimony is spirituality. In our situation a spiritual person presents himself with a deep sense of detachment and of renunciation, characteristic of Asian spirituality In this situation the missionary, as a man of contemplation and prayer, becomes a guru, or master of prayer, who leads the people of God 8 7 Marcello Zago, Commentary on Redemptoris Missio, Redemption and Dialogue, edited by William R. Burrows, (New York: Orbis Books, 1993), pg. 87. 8 Giuseppe Buono, Missiology --- Theology and Praxis, (Limuru: Paulines Publications, 2002), pg. 201. 1
Bibliography Aumann, Jordan, Spiritual Theology, London: Continuum, 2006. Buono, Giuseppe, Missiology --- Theology and Praxis, translated by Marco Bagnarol IMC, Limuru: Paulines Publications, 2002. Pope John Paul II, Redemptoris Missio, On the permanent validity of the Church s missionary mandate, Papal Encyclical, 1990. Retrieved from the Holy See on April 14, 2010 at http://www.vatican.va/edocs/eng0219/_index.htm Pope Paul VI, Ad Gentes, Decree on the Mission Activity of the Church, Vatican Council II, 1965. Retrieved from the Holy See on April 15, 2010 at http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_ decree_19651207_ad-gentes_en.html Pope Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi, Apostolic Exhortation, 1975. Retrieved from the Holy See on April 15, 2010 at http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_p-vi_ exh_19751208_evangelii-nuntiandi_en.html Ratzinger, Joseph, Theological Highlights of Vatican II, translated by Henry Traub, Gerard C. Thormann, Werner Barzel, New York: Paulist Press, 1966. Zago, Marcello, Commentary on Redemptoris Missio, Redemption and Dialogue, edited by William R. Burrows, New York: Orbis Books, 1993. 1