|
35. Since the whole Church is missionary, and the work of
evangelization is a basic duty of the People of God, this sacred
synod invites all to a deep interior renewal; so that, having a vivid
awareness of their own responsibility for spreading the Gospel, they
may do their share in missionary work among the nations.
36. As members of the living Christ, incorporated into Him and
made like unto Him through baptism and through confirmation and the
Eucharist, all the faithful are duty - bound to cooperate in the
expansion and spreading out of His Body, to bring it to fullness as
soon as may be (Eph. 4:13).
Therefore, all sons of the Church should have a lively awareness of
their responsibility to the world; they should foster in themselves a
truly catholic spirit; they should spend their forces in the work of
evangelization. And yet, let everyone know that their first and most
important obligation for the spread of the Faith is this: to lead a
profoundly Christian life. For their fervor in the service of God
and their charity toward others will cause a new spiritual wind to blow
for the whole Church, which will then appear as a sign lifted up among
the nations (cf. Is. 11:12), "the light of the world"
(Matt. 5:14) and "the salt of the earth" (Matt.
5:13). This testimony of a good life will more easily have its
effect if it is given in unison with other Christian communities,
according to the norms of the Decree on Ecumenism, 12. From
this renewed spirit, prayer and works of penance will be spontaneously
offered to God that He may fructify the missionaries' work with His
grace; and then there will be missionary vocations, and the material
subsidies which the missions need will be forthcoming.
But in order that each and every one of the Christian faithful may he
fully acquainted with the present condition of the Church in the
world, and may hear the voice of the multitudes who cry "Help us!"
(cf. Acts 16:9), modern means of social communication should be
used to furnish such mission information that the faithful may feel this
mission work to be their very own, and may open their hearts to such
vast and profound human needs, and may come to their assistance.
It is also necessary to coordinate the information, and to cooperate
with national and international agencies.
37. But since the People of God lives in communities, especially
in dioceses and parishes, and becomes somehow visible in them, it is
also up to these to witness Christ before the nations.
The grace of renewal cannot grow in communities unless each of these
extends the range of its charity to the ends of the earth, and devotes
the same care to those afar off as it does to those who are its own
members.
Thus the whole community prays, works together, and exercises its
activity among the nations through those of its sons whom God has
chosen for this most excellent task.
It will be very useful, provided the universal scope of mission work
is not thereby neglected, to keep in contact with missionaries who are
from one's own community, or with some parish or diocese in the
missions, so that the communion between the communities may be made
visible, and serve for their mutual edification.
38. All bishops, as members of the body of bishops succeeding to
the College of Apostles, are consecrated not just for some one
diocese, but or the salvation of the entire world. The mandate of
Christ to preach the Gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15)
primarily and immediately concerns them, with Peter and under Peter.
Whence there arises that communion and cooperation of churches which is
so necessary today for carrying on the work of evangelization. In
virtue of this communion, the individual churches bear the burden of
care for them all, and make their necessities known to one another,
and exchange mutual communications regarding their affairs, since the
extension of the Body of Christ is the duty of the whole College of
Bishops.
In his own diocese, with which he constitutes one unit the bishop,
stimulating, promoting and directing the work for the missions, makes
the mission spirit and zeal of the People of God present and as it
were visible, so that the whole diocese becomes missionary.
It will be the bishop's task to raise up from among his own people,
especially the sick and those oppressed by hardship, some souls to
offer prayers and penance to God with a wide - open heart for the
evangelization of the world. The bishop will also gladly encourage
youths and clerics who have vocations to mission institutes, accepting
it with a grateful spirit if God should call some of them to be
employed in the missionary activity of the Church. The bishop will
exhort and help the diocesan congregations to play a role of their own
in the missions; he will promote the works of mission institutes among
his own faithful, but most especially the papal mission works. For it
is only right to give these works pride of place, since they are the
means of imbuing Catholics from their very infancy with a real
universal and missionary outlook; and they are also the means of making
an effective collection of funds to subsidize all missions, each
according to its needs.
But since the need for workers in the vineyard of the Lord is growing
from day to day, and diocesan priests have expressed the wish to play
an ever greater part in the evangelization of the world, this sacred
synod desires that the bishops considering the very serious dearth of
priests which is hindering the evangelization of many areas, should
send some of their better priests, who offer themselves for mission
work and have received a suitable preparation, to those dioceses which
are lacking in clergy, where at least for a time they will exercise
their missionary ministry in a spirit of service.
But in order that the missionary activity of the bishops may be
exercised more effectively for the good of the whole Church, it would
be expedient for the episcopal conferences to take charge of those
affairs which concern the orderly cooperation of their own region.
In their own conference, the bishops should deliberate about
dedicating to the evangelization of the nations some priests from among
the diocesan clergy; they should decide what definite offering each
diocese should be obliged to set aside annually for the work of the
missions, in proportion to its own budget; they should consider
how to direct and control the ways and means by which the missions
receive direct help; they should deal with assisting and if need be,
founding, missionary institutes and seminaries for diocesan mission
clergy, and the promoting of closer relations between such institutes
and the dioceses.
It also pertains to the episcopal conferences to found and promote
works for the brotherly reception and due pastoral care of those who
immigrate from mission lands for the sake of studying or finding work.
For through them, far - away peoples are sometimes made near; and an
excellent opportunity is offered to communities which have long been
Christian to converse with nations which have not yet heard the
Gospel, and to show them in their own dutiful love and aid, the
genuine face of Christ.
39. Priests personally represent Christ, and are collaborators of
the order of bishops in that threefold sacred task which by its very
nature belongs to the mission of the Church. Therefore, they
should fully understand that their life is also consecrated to the
service of the missions. Now because by means of their own ministry -
which consists principally in the Eucharist which perfects the Church
- they are in communion with Christ the Head and are leading others
to this communion, they cannot help but feel how much is yet wanting to
the fullness of that Body, and how much therefore must be done that it
may grow from day to day. They shall therefore plan their pastoral
care in such a way that it will serve to spread the Gospel among non -
Christians.
In their pastoral activities, priests should stir up and preserve amid
the faithful a zeal for the evangelization of the world, by instructing
them in sermons and in Christian doctrine courses about the Church's
task of announcing Christ to all nations; by enlightening Christian
families about the necessity and the honor of fostering missionary
vocations among their own sons and daughters, by promoting mission
fervor in young people from the schools and Catholic associations so
that among them there may arise future heralds of the Gospel. Let
priests teach the faithful to pray for the missions, and let them not
be ashamed to ask alms of them for this purpose, becoming like beggars
for Christ and for the salvation of souls.
Professors in seminaries and universities will teach young people the
true state of the world and of the Church, so that the necessity of a
more intense evangelization of non - Christians will become clear to
them and will nurture their zeal. In teaching the dogmatic,
biblical, moral, and historical branches, they should focus attention
on the missionary elements therein contained, so that in this way a
missionary, awareness may be formed in future priests.
40. Religious institutes of the contemplative and of the active life
have so far played, and still do play, the main role in the
evangelization of the world. This sacred synod gladly acknowledges
their merits and thanks God for all that they have expended for the
glory of God and the service of souls while exhorting them to go on
untiringly in the work which they have begun, since they know that the
virtue of charity, which by reason of their vocation they are bound to
practice with greater perfection, obliges and impels them to a truly
catholic spirit and work.
Institutes of the contemplative life, by their prayers, sufferings,
and works of penance have a very great importance in the conversion of
souls, because it is God who sends workers into His harvest when He
is asked to do so (cf. Matt. 9:38) God who opens the minds of
non - Christians to hear the Gospel (cf. Acts 16:14), and
God who fructifies the word of salvation in their hearts (cf. 1
C,or. 3:7). In fact, these institutes are asked to found
houses in mission areas, as not a few of them have already done, so
that there, living out their lives in a way accommodated to the truly
religious traditions of the people, they can bear excellent witness
among non - Christians to the majesty and love of God, as well as to
our union in Christ.
Institutes of the active life, whether they pursue a strictly mission
ideal or not, should ask themselves sincerely in the presence of God,
whether they would not be able to extend their activity for the
expansion of the Kingdom of God among the nations; whether they could
possibly leave certain ministries to others so that they themselves
could expend their forces for the missions, whether they could possibly
undertake activity in the missions, adapting their constitutions if
necessary, but according to the spirit of their founder; whether their
members are involved as totally as possible in the mission effort; and
whether their type of life is a witness to the Gospel accommodated to
the character and condition of the people.
Now since, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, secular
institutes are daily increasing in the Church, their activity, under
the authority of the bishop, could be fruitful in the missions in many
ways as a sign of complete dedication to the evangelization of the
world.
41. Laymen cooperate in the Church's work of evangelization; as
witnesses and at the same time as living instruments, they share in her
saving mission; especially if they have been called by God and
have been accepted by the bishop for this work.
In those lands which are already Christian, laymen cooperate in the
work of evangelization by nurturing in themselves and in others a
knowledge and love of the missions; by stimulating vocations in their
own family, in Catholic associations, and in the schools; by
offering subsidies of every kind, that they may offer to others that
gift of Faith which they have received gratis.
But in mission lands, let laymen, whether foreigners or
autochthonous, teach in schools, administer temporal goods cooperate
in parish and diocesan activities, and organize and promote various
forms of the lay apostolate, in order that the faithful of the young
churches may be able to take part as soon as possible in the life of the
Church.
Lastly, let laymen gladly offer socio - economic cooperation to
peoples on the way of development. This cooperation is all the more to
be praised, the more it concerns itself with founding institutes which
touch on the basic structures of social life, or which are oriented to
the training of those who bear the responsibility for the government.
Worthy of special praise are those laymen who, in universities or in
scientific institutes, promote by their historical and scientific
religious research the knowledge of peoples and of religions; thus
helping the heralds of the Gospel, and preparing for the dialogue with
non - Chistians.
They should cooperate in a brotherly spirit with other Christians,
with non - Christians, and with members of international
organizations, aways having before their eyes the fact that "the
building up of the earthly city should have its foundation in the
Lord, and should be directed towards Him."
To be equal to all these tasks, laymen need the necessary technical
and spiritual preparation, which should be given in institutes destined
for this; so that their lives may be a witness for Christ among non -
Christians, according to the words of the Apostle: "Do not be a
stumbling - block to Jews and Greeks and to the Church of God,
even as I myself in all things please all men, not seeking what is
profitable to myself but to the many, that they may be saved." (1
Cor. 10:32-33).
|
|