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23. Although every disciple of Christ, as far in him lies, has
the duty of spreading the Faith, Christ the Lord always calls
whomever He will from among the number of His disciples, to be with
Him and to be sent by Him to preach to the nations (cf. Mark
3:13). Therefore, by the Holy Spirit, who distributes the
charismata as He wills for the common good (1 Cor. 12:11),
He inspires the missionary vocation in the hearts of individuals, and
at the same time He raises up in the Church certain institutes
which take as their own special task the duty of preaching the Gospel,
a duty belonging to the whole Church.
They are assigned with a special vocation who, being endowed with a
suitable natural temperament, and being fit as regards talent and other
qualities, have been trained to undertake mission work; or be
they autochthonous or be they foreigners: priests, Religious, or
laymen. Sent by legitimate authority, they go out in faith and
obedience to those who are far from Christ. They are set apart for
the work for which they have been taken up (cf. Acts 13:2), as
ministers of the Gospel, "that the offering up of the Gentiles may
become acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit" (Rom.
15:16).
24. Yet man must respond to God Who calls, and that in such a
way, that without taking counsel with flesh and blood (Gal.
1:16), he devotes himself wholly to the work of the Gospel.
This response, however can only be given when the Holy Spirit gives
His inspiration and His power. For he who is sent enters upon the
life and mission of Him Who "emptied Himself, taking the nature of
a slave" (Phil. 2:7). Therefore, he must be ready to stay at
his vocation for an entire lifetime, and to renounce himself and all
those whom he thus far considered as his own, and instead to "make
himself all things to all men" (1 Cor. 9:22).
Announcing the Gospel to all nations, he confidently makes known the
mystery of Christ, whose ambassador he is, so that in him he dares to
speak as he ought (cf. Eph. 6:19; Acts 4:31), not being
ashamed of the scandal of the Cross. Following in his Master's
footsteps, meek and humble of heart, he proves that His yoke is easy
and His burden light (Matt. 11:29ff.) By a truly evangelical
life, in much patience, in long - suffering, in kindness, in
unaffected love (cf. 2 Cor. 6:4ff.), he bears witness to his
Lord, if need be to the shedding of his blood. He will ask of God
the power and strength, that he may know that there is an overflowing
of joy amid much testing of tribulation and deep poverty (2 Cor.
8:2). Let him be convinced that obedience is the hallmark of the
servant of Christ, who redeemed the human race by His obedience.
The heralds of the Gospel lest they neglect the grace which is in
them, should be renewed day by day in the spirit of their mind (cf.
1 Tim. 4:14; Eph. 4:23; 2 Cor. 4:16). Their
Ordinaries and superiors should gather the missionaries together from
time to time, that they be strengthened in the hope of their calling
and may be renewed in the apostolic ministry, even in houses expressly
set up for this purpose.
25. For such an exalted task, the future missionary is to be
prepared by a special spiritual and moral training. For he must
have the spirit of initiative in beginning, as well as that of
constancy in carrying through what he has begun; he must be persevering
in difficulties, patient and strong of heart in bearing with solitude,
fatigue, and fruitless labor. He will encounter men with an open mind
and a wide heart; he will gladly take up the duties which are entrusted
to him; he will with a noble spirit adapt himself to the people's
foreign way of doing things and to changing circumstances; while in the
spirit of harmony and mutual charity, he will cooperate with his
brethren and all who dedicate themselves to the same task, so that
together with the faithful, they will be one heart and one soul (cf.
Acts 2:42; 4:32) in imitation of the apostolic
community.
These habits of mind should be earnestly exercised already in his time
of training; they should be cultivated, and should be uplifted and
nourished by the spiritual life. Imbued with a living faith and a hope
that never fails, the missionary should be a man of prayer. Let him
have an ardent spirit of power and of love and of prudence (cf. 2
Tim. 1:7). Let him learn to be self - sufficing in whatever
circumstances (Phil. 4:11); always bearing about in himself the
dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may work in those to whom
he is sent (2 Cor. 4:10ff.), out of zeal of souls, let him
gladly spend all and be spent himself for souls (cf. 2 Cor.
12:15ff.), so that "by the daily practice of his duty he may
grow in the love of God and neighbor." Thus obedient to the
will of the Father together with Christ, he will continue His
mission under the hierarchical authority of the Church.
26. Those who are sent to different nations in order to be good
ministers of Christ, should he nourished with the "words of faith and
with good doctrine" (1 Tim. 4:6), which they should draw
principally from the Sacred Scriptures, studying the mystery of
Christ, whose heralds and witnesses they will be.
Therefore, all missionaries - priests, Brothers, Sisters, and
lay folk - each according to their own state, should be prepared and
trained, lest they be found unequal to the demands of their future
work. From the very beginning, their doctrinal training should
be so planned that it takes in both the universality of the Church and
the diversity of the world's nations. This holds for all of their
studies by which they are prepared for the exercise of the ministry, as
also for the other studies which it would be useful for them to learn,
that they may have a general knowledge of the peoples, cultures, and
religions; not only a knowledge that looks to the past, but one that
considers the present time. For anyone who is going to encounter
another people should have a great esteem for their patrimony and their
language and their customs. It is very necessary for the future
missionary to devote himself to missiological studies: that is, to
know the teachings and norms of the Church concerning missionary
activity, to know along what roads the heralds of the Gospel have run
in the course of the centuries, and also what is the present condition
of the missions, and what methods are considered more effective at the
present time.
But even though this entire training program is imbued with pastoral
solicitude, a special and organized apostolic training ought to be
given, by means of both teaching and practical exercises.
Brothers and Sisters, in great numbers, should be well instructed
and prepared in the catechetical art, that they may collaborate still
better in the apostolate.
Even those who take part in missionary activity only for a time have to
be given a training which is suited to their condition.
All these different kinds of formation should be completed in the lands
to which they are sent, so that the missionaries may have a more
thorough knowledge of the history, social structures, and customs of
the people; that they may have an insight into their moral order and
their religious precepts, and into the secret notions which, according
to their sacred tradition, they have formed concerning God, the world
and man. Let the missionaries learn the languages to such a
degree that they can use them in a fluent and polished manner, and so
find more easy access to the minds and the hearts of men.
Furthermore, they should be properly introduced into special pastoral
problems.
Some should be more thoroughly prepared in missiological institutes or
in other faculties or universities, so that they may be able to
discharge special duties more effectively and be a help, by
their learning, to other missionaries in carrying on the mission work,
which especially in our time presents so many difficulties and
opportunities. It is moreover highly desirable that the regional
episcopal conferences should have available an abundance of such
experts, and that they should make fruitful use of their knowledge and
experience in the necessities of their office. Nor should there be
wanting some who are perfectly skilled in the use of practical
instruments and the means of social communication, the importance of
which should be highly appreciated by all.
27. All these things, though necessary for everyone who is sent to
the nations, can scarcely be attained to in reality by individual
missionaries. Since even mission work itself, as experience teaches,
cannot be accomplished by lone individuals, a common calling has
gathered these individuals together into institutes, in which, with
united efforts, they are properly trained and might carry out this work
in the name of the Church and under the direction of the hierarchy.
For many centuries, these institutes have borne the burden of the day
and the heat, devoting themselves to missionary labor either entirely
or in part. Often vast territories were committed to them by the Holy
See for evangelization, and there they gathered together a new people
for God, a local church clinging to their own shepherds. With their
zeal and experience, they will serve, by fraternal cooperation either
in the care of souls or in rendering special services for the common
good, those churches which were founded at the cost of their sweat and
even of their blood.
Sometimes, throughout the entire extent of some region, they will
take certain tasks upon themselves; e.g., the evangelization of
groups of peoples who perhaps for special reasons have not yet accepted
the Gospel message, or who have thus far resisted it.
If need be, let them be on hand to help and train, out of their own
experience, those who will devote themselves to missionary activity for
a time.
For these reasons, and since there are still many nations to be led to
Christ, the institutes remain extremely necessary.
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