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In order to be faithful to the divine command, "teach all
nations" (Matt. 28:19-20), the Catholic Church must work
with all urgency and concern "that the word of God be spread abroad
and glorified" (2 Thess. 3:1). Hence the Church earnestly
begs of its children that, "first of all, supplications, prayers,
petitions, acts of thanksgiving be made for all men.... For this
is good and agreeable in the sight of God our Savior, who wills that
all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim.
2:1-4). In the formation of their consciences, the Christian
faithful ought carefully to attend to the sacred and certain doctrine of
the Church.[35] For the Church is, by the will of Christ, the
teacher of the truth. It is her duty to give utterance to, and
authoritatively to teach, that truth which is Christ Himself, and
also to declare and confirm by her authority those principles of the
moral order which have their origins in human nature itself.
Furthermore, let Christians walk in wisdom in the face of those
outside, "in the Holy Spirit, in unaffected love, in the word of
truth" (2 Cor. 6:6-7), and let them be about their task of
spreading the light of life with all confidence[36] and apostolic
courage, even to the shedding of their blood.
The disciple is bound by a grave obligation toward Christ, his
Master, ever more fully to understand the truth received from Him,
faithfully to proclaim it, and vigorously to defend it, never-be it
understood-having recourse to means that are incompatible with the
spirit of the Gospel. At the same time, the charity of Christ urges
him to love and have prudence and patience in his dealings with those
who are in error or in ignorance with regard to the faith.[37] All
is to be taken into account-the Christian duty to Christ, the
life-giving word which must be proclaimed, the rights of the human
person, and the measure of grace granted by God through Christ to men
who are invited freely to accept and profess the faith.
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