“The Church is missionary by Nature”

 19. (a) “The Church is missionary by Nature” (AG 2). How does the Church carry out her mission in a dialogical approach with culture and religions? (b) Taking into consideration the context of mission ad gentes at Antioch community, how did the evangelization take place in the first two centuries of the Christianity? (c) God can save men in ways known to Himself. Explain this thesis from theological dimension and its consequences for proclamation of the Gospel to the adherents of other believers?

Introduction: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt. 28:19). The very commission Jesus reveals the very nature of the Church. The Chuch is the mystical body of Christ, a basic sacrament of salvation. This mission of the Church springs from a FOUNTAIN OF LOVE (the very Nature of Triune God), that is from the love of God the Father, as the principle without principle, from whom the Son is generated and made FLESH and from whom the Holy Spirit proceeds through the Son.  It brings forth the salvefic presen of Christ in the world. This commission also reveals that the salvation is open for all. So the the establisment of God’s kinfdom entrusted on tthe Chuch. So the Church is not the menifestation static nture rathe it is dynamic and missionay which will be dicussed in the folllowing description.    

The Church is Missionary by Nature:  This statement is quoted from the Second Vatican Council’s  decree on  AD GENTES (on the Mission Activity of the Church).  Since it is from the mission of the Son and the mission of the Holy Spirit that she draws her origin, in accordance with the decree of God the Father. The recevies her nature from the truine God that we find in the sacred scriptures. 

Old Testament: The scriptural foundation of Old Testament reveals the promise of God’s salvation. This salvation is universal as well as specific. “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her, he shall bruise your head” (Gen 3:15). It is known as Pro-Evangelium, pre-preparation for Gospel (the coming of the Saviour). Moreover, Gen, Chapters 1-11: it is not only ontological value but more than that it contains a theology of history and a witness to the faithfulness of God towards his creatures. He called Abraham (Gen 12:3), “I will bless you those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves.” This verse is “the conclusion of Pre-history of mankind” and also “the point where pre-history and a new beginning of salvation history interlock”. Abraham was chosen not for his own, not even for Israel’s sake, but for the peoples.   

The Prophets were tasked to chastise the sin of the people, defend the rights of the oppressed and exploited and proclaim the justice and mercy of God. Deutero-Isaiah called for greater openness and he attributed to Cyrus, the king of the Persia, characteristics of Moses (Is 45:1-7), proclaim the salvation of God “to the ends of the earth” (Is 49:6) and put these words to into the mouth of Yahweh, “To the eunuchs…I will give, in my house and within my walls, a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall never be effaced” (56:5)

Although the OT knows nothing about a missionary commission of the people of God, about a “going out” to the peoples, it belongs to the framework of salvation history in which subsequently mission will become possible. The action of God is the Old Covenant is essentially promise; what Israel experiences with God in its history are open to the final fulfillment which is realized in Christ”. Yet the OT is the foundation of the mission theology of the NT.

New Testament: It shows in a very concrete way the Fulfillment of Promise in definitive form in the “person Jesus Christ”. The “fulfillment” in Jesus the NT has a progressive development that has interlink with OT. As we look at Jesus and on his mission, we find in him “Exclusive and Inclusive” elements of salvation. The historical Jesus (event-incarnation) and the risen Christ (faith-resurrection) proved by his preaching, behavior and living that the promise of salvation is open for all. “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel” (Mt 15:24, Mk 7:27b) and “And I tell you that many will come from east and west to take the places with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of heaven” (Mt 8:11ff). Thy kingdom come is central to Jesus’ entire ministry. God’s reign is interpreted as the expression of God’s caring authority over the whole life. Jesus inaugurated this mission. Finally Jesus’ passion, death and ressurection reveals the nature of God’s Mission in Chist for His Church. The resurrection was ultimately viewed as the fulfillment of God’s promise in the person Jesus Christ. The resurrection and exaltation of Jesus are the signs of the victory of Jesus over death, evil and sin. It is the fulfillment of God’s promise and the gift of the Spirit and integrally linked to mission. It has determined the early Christian community’s self-definition-identity-mission in Jesus Christ.

Trinitarian Aspect: This mission of the Church springs from a FOUNTAIN OF LOVE (the very Nature of Triune God), that is from the love of God the Father, as the principle without principle, from whom the Son is generated and made FLESH and from whom the Holy Spirit proceeds through the Son. God the Father reveals his SAVING PLAN through his Son and continues through the Holy Spirit.

The Eternal Father: In the Father’s plan, the Church was: a) prefigured from the beginning of the world; b)  prepared wonderfully in the history of Israel, c)   instituted finally in these last times, d)  manifested in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, e)  to be brought to completion at the end of time (LG 2; CCC 760-69).

The Incarnate Son, Jesus Christ: “Christ, the one Mediator, established and ceaselessly sustains here on earth his holy Church” (CCC 763-66). The Church originated and grew from Christ. Like the Incarnate Son, the Church is both visible and invisible, human and divine. As the Son of God “became flesh” to save us from our sins, so the spiritual community of the Church takes on visible social structure to serve its mission (LG 8; CCC 771-73).

The Holy Spirit: who dwells in the Church and in the hearts of the faithful as in a temple (1 Cor 3:16), and bears witness to their adoptive sonship (Gal 4:6). The Spirit guides the Church into the fullness of truth (Jn 16:13), gives her a unity of fellowship and service, and constantly renews and leads her to perfect union with her Spouse, Christ (CCC 767).

The Church is mystery because of its relationship to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It manifests the Blessed Trinity by both its nature and mission. First, by its origin the Church arose from the saving design of the Father, the redemptive mission of the Son and the sanctifying work of the Spirit.  Second, in structure: just as the Trinity is a community, the communion of love of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, so too the Church is a community, a communion of believers drawn together by Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. Third, the mission of the Church originates “from the mission of the Son and the mission of the Holy Spirit, in accordance with the decree of God the Father” (cf. AG 2).

Ecclesiological Aspect: It shows the image  of the Church as “Missio dei”( Kingdom of God). It is the the Apostolic Kerygma centred on Jesus Christ rather the Kingdom of God (Acts 8:12; 28:31; Eph 5:5; 2 Pet 1:11). As the church participates in the mission of Jesus Christ, it participates in God's mission in God's world through the power of the Holy Spirit. Thus, Jesus Christ is the central to the Church’s proclamation of the Kingdom. “The Kingdom of God…is before all else a person with the face and name of Jesus of Nazareth, the image of the invisible God” (RM 18).

This is the major theme of Christ’s own teaching in the Synoptic Gospels. But what exactly is this “kingdom”? The biblical images: the Kingdom of God is the Good News preached to the poor, the gift of God, our “Abba,” (Father) who is sensitive to the needs and sufferings of every human being. It is the seed quietly sown, the offer of pardon to sinners, and the banquet of table-fellowship and joyful communion with the Lord and our fellow men and women, the gift of salvation, eternal life. But it is a gift we must seek, demanding vigilance and active use of talents — a task and project as well as a gift (II 39-47).

Christ “inaugurated his Church by preaching the coming of God’s Kingdom” (cf. LG 5). His parables about the Kingdom of God employed many specific images: a treasure hidden in a field, the leaven raising the dough, the tiny mustard seed growing into a tall tree, a fish net catching the good and the bad.

Redemptoris Missio, the encyclical of John Paul II also affirmed the Vat II councils’ notion of Church’s missionary nature, “basing it in a dynamic way on the Trinitarian mission itself” (RM 1). “Missionary Nature of the Church” and “Trinitarian Foundation” these two fundamental concepts are emphasized: a) “Missionary Nature” has be to understood as missionary character which is “constitutive element” of the Church; and b) “Trinitarian Foundation” expresses divine ad-intra (loving relationship, freedom and nature: communion) and ad-extra: Trinitarian mission entrusted to be continued through the Church, being revealed through the Person Jesus Christ.

Church’s carrying out mission in a dialogical approach with Culture and Religions: It is the basic kergma which accoplissed by proclaimamation and mission of the church. The fundamental source of dialogical approch lies in God which has been menifested in and through the incarnation of his son Jesus Christ. 

Incarnation: The Incarnation represents the belief that Jesus, who is the non-created second hypostasis of the triune God, took on a human body and nature and became both man and God. In the Bible its clearest teaching is in John 1:14: "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us." The identification of Jesus as the “Logos” which became incarnated.  It is the absolute primacy of Christ is that begins from above (with God’s plan), and not from below (with man’s need). It also menifests the value of human cultures that God embraced.   

Culture and Religion: The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men. The Church, therefore, exhorts her sons, that through dialogue and collaboration with the followers of other religions, carried out with prudence and love and in witness to the Christian faith and life, they recognize, preserve and promote the good things, spiritual and moral, as well as the socio-cultural values found among these men.  (NA-2). The varrious cultures are the diffrent gift of the Holy Spirit. 

Dialogical Approch: The preceedins discussion help us to understand how God made dialogue with his people through covenant which got its finality through giving his son to us who was man like us. This anticiption with the cultures was thus elevated and purified by God. It is at the same way the entrusted to Chuch as the instrument of Christ to carry out the salvifi mission of the God through doalogical appraoch. Here are some that the involves the dialogical approch to fulfil the mossion of the Church. 

The Church in the service of God’s Kingdom: We find in the Scripture that the central theme of Jesus’ proclamation was the Kingdom of God. “Thy Kingdom Come”: Jesus in his prayers instructs his the apostles and also us to pray for the coming of God’s Kingdom. He sums up his whole mission in terms of God’s Kingdom. “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God..because this is what I was sent to do” (Lk 4:43; EN 1). The kingdom is essentially open to all; it is universal; all are invited to it (RM 14). One manifests acceptance of the kingdom through conversion: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand” (Mt 3:2). It is our dutu to introduce the kingdom of God in diffrent contex and culture through our loving service. As the Father Sent Me, So Am I Sending You”: The sending of the Church to proclaim the Good News was a continuation of the sending of Jesus himself. As Jesus Christ was sent, so did he send the Apostles and us. 

The Church Sends Missionaries: As Jesus sent the Apostles, likewise, the Church sends missionaries. Proclamation and evangelization are ecclesial acts. Every evangelizer and evangelical activity is linked to the Universal Church. The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples coordinates the evangelizing tasks in practical level.

Growing in Communication: God desires that all humankind to be united in the oneness of a family, modeled on the Holy Trinity. The Church is entrusted this mission to proclaim and work tangible for establishing communion.

Witness through Life: Jesus sent his Apostles with explicit command to be his witnesses, “You will be my witnesses not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends of the Earth” (Acts 1:8). This vocation is for all Christians.

Self Evangelization: The Christian community in order to be true evangelizing community needs constantly be evangelized. The Church living in this world is always exposed to dangers. She needs to listen to the Gospel and renew the grace of conversion. Only a community that is aware of its own need to be evangelized is capable of sharing the message of salvation with others (EN 13).

The evangelization in the first two centuries of the Christianity at Antioch community: Antioch is the main city f Syria. It was at that time the third-largest city in the Roman Empire and the Christian community was a mixed community: from Jews and former pagans (Greek) alike. The people of Antioch and the Church were a model of harmony between Jews and Gentiles, a fact indirectly confirmed by Paul in Gal. 1-14. Here, for the first time, the followers of Jesus Christ were called “Christians (Acts. 11:26).” They had regular meetings at which the large congregation was “instructed” (Acts. 11:26 ).We can realize from the point of preaching, witnessing and baptizing.

Preaching: “Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that took place over Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, and they spoke the word to no one except Jews. But among them were some men of Cyprus and Cyrene who, on coming to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists  also, proclaiming the Lord Jesus” (Acts 11:19-20). Their preaching was all about Christ death and ressurection.  

Witnessing: “When he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast devotion” (Acts 11:22). Prophets and teachers were active and the gifts of the Spirit were evident (Acts. 11:27; 15:32). They were very active in winessing. It was from this community that Paul and Barnabas these two apostles were sent to carry the case against the Judaizers at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts. 15:1-29). Both attested to the marvelous work of God among the Gentiles (Acts. 15:12).

Baptizing: “For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were brought to the Lord” (Acts 11:24). Thus it is found that many people were baptized which ultimately  manifests her Church’s spiritual fecundity in giving birth to new Churches which is true for universal and local churches. 

God can save men in ways known to Himself: Salavtion of men is not deopend on human being because it is the act of God which is unknow to men. St. Paul said that “for what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 2:11).

The Explaination of the Thesis from Theological Dimension: It brings the clear view on the theology of mission. There are many sgnificant events in the scripture that help us to understand this thesis. It becomes very clear from the life of the apostles. After the crucifixion of Jesus, they were afraid and hid themselves in a room. at the very moment when tey received Holy Spirit,  they were so strenghtene that nothin can resist them from preaching the Kingdom of God. The apostles aWe can see  St. Paul as example.  who was anti Christ became most vibrant disciple of Jesus who preached the good news both to the jews and the gentiles. Paul did not by himself that he will be the follower of Christ. It is moment when he saw Christ meaning by that when he receives grace as the power of the Holy became new man, the great instrument of Christ.  Paul declared cofidently that “but he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power* is made perfect in weakness.’ So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor.12:9-10). The same is true to us. we might be weak but the work of the God is not know to us. It is only known to God.

Its consequences for Proclamation of the Gospel to the Adherents of other Believers: “For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,“I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles, so that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.”  When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and praised the word of the Lord; and as many as had been destined for eternal life became believers. Thus the word of the Lord spread throughout the region” (Acts 13:47-48). It becomes very clear to us that Church is gudied by the Holy Spirit who inspiers us all to carry the mission beyond the realigious boundary. So the proclaimation of the kingdom of God is the chief concern of the church from the begining till end of the time for salvation is universal and open for all. Paul asserts that God’s universal salvific will revealed to all and His specific will revealed through His Son is same. His intent was that now, through the Church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms” (Eph 3:9-10). Christian revelation is rooted in revelation of Triune God and human experience. Son of God who has two natures: Divine and human, revealed the salvific plan of God. The entire human race shares in the one image and likeness of God and the same destiny that is determined by God. In this human destiny lie God’s glory and the salvation of all humanity. This project continues through the Spirit and through the Church. In the death-resurrection of Jesus, humanity’s love for and obedience to God find their highest expression and fulfillment. All humanity can share in the total self-emptying of Jesus and attains self-realization by sharing in the death-resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through his total self-emptying (kenosis), Jesus stroke at the root of all forms of evil; through his resurrection he attained to perfect communion of life and glory with the Father. Some of the insights of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam regarding humanity and its redemption or salvation (surrender, moksha, nirvana, mukti) are very profound and appealing; so too are the means toward achieving it because they imply some radical form of self-emptying and submission to God. Christians may discover them as some way of participating in Kenois of Jesus Christ, as expressed and practiced in other cultural and religious contexts. They can enrich one’s own understanding of redemption and even hasten its attainment by using the added means provided by other religions.

Conclusion: The whole Church is of its  its nature missionary and the work of evangelisation is to be considered a fundamental duty of the people of God, all Christ's faithful must be conscious of the responsibility to play their part in missionary activity. From the time of Christ, we are given the great commission of Christ -“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt. 28:19). It deals with the missionary mandate to evangelize. It is not our mission but God’s mission in this world, in the Church and the entire cosmos which is entrusted to us. As Christian, it is our duty to prcalim the that mission from church to the entire world, from faith in Christ to believers of other faiths by word and deed the coming of the kingdom of God in Jesus Christ.  This task is achieved by means of the church's participation in God's mission of reconciling people to God, to themselves, to each other, and to the world, and gathering them into the church through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit with a view to the transformation of the world as a sign of the coming of the kingdom in Jesus Christ.