What Is the Mission of the Church?
A Guide For Catholic
Roger Schroeder
Chapter 7
A S ingle but C
omplex Reality
The What of Mission
Professor: Fr. Anthony Mary Trần Thanh Tân,S.J.
Student: Paul Nguyễn Hồng Như Khuê,S.J.
Product Information
ASIN : 1570758107
Publisher : Orbis Books (October ISBN-13 : 978-1570758102
30, 2008) Item Weight : 7 ounces
Language : English Dimensions : 5.25 x 0.5 x 8 inches
Paperback : 159 pages Best Sellers Rank: #3,089,090 in
ISBN-10 : 9781570758102 Books (See Top 100 in Books)
• After years of practical work in overseas mission, studies of how the
mission of Jesus has been carried on through the centuries, and
teaching in the United States, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines,
Africa, and China, Roger Schroeder set out to distill the wisdom he has
gained and mix it with the wisdom of church teaching. The result is a
book to help individuals, parishes, dioceses, and national churches
grapple practically and put themselves heart and soul into the mission
of being Christ in our suffering world.
Product Information
Title: What Is the Mission of the
Church?: A Guide for Catholics Dimensions: 8.25 X 5.38 (inches)
By: Roger P. Schroeder Weight: 8 ounces
Format: Paperback ISBN: 1626982732
Number of Pages: 192 ISBN-13: 9781626982734
Vendor: Orbis Books Stock No: WW982732
Publication Date: 2018
• In this essential guide to the "who, what, where, and why" of
mission and its meaning for the local and universal Church, Roger
Schroeder offers an up-to-date and inspiring overview of mission.
In clear, accessible language, he distills the essentials of Scripture,
the lessons of history, and church teaching since Vatican II. This
edition has been thoroughly revised and expanded to reflect the
mission vision of Pope Francis.
OUTLINE
OVERVIEW
I.THESIS
II.ARGUMENTS
III.EXPLORE FURTHER
IV.SUMMARY
V.PERSONAL OPINION
What is “A
the single
mission but
of the complex
Church? reality”
(RM 41)
REDEMPTORIS MISSIO
OVERVIEW
What is the mission?
Chapter 1: The Changing Understanding Of Mission
Understanding of Mission before New Understanding of Mission:
Vatican II: Mission was about the Developed in the writings of Vatican II
Salvation of souls and the Fathers, Pope Paul VI and Pope John
Establishment of the Church. Paul II.
* Mission and Table Fellowship: A good symbol of mission is the family table and the
Eucharistic table: Mission is concerned with responding to physical and spiritual
hunger.
=> Mission of the Church: Proclaiming, serving, and witnessing to God’s reign of love,
salvation, and justice. How do we do this today?
OVERVIEW
What is the mission?
Chapter 6: Dealt With The Why, Who, And Where Of Mission
Each of the documents emphasize that
“To share the Good news we
have experienced and come “the missionary activity is a matter for
to know that Good news is all Christians – for all dioceses,
about God’s mission of love,
parishes, institutions and associations.”
the reign of God, and Jesus,
the Savior of all.” (RM 2) . . . across all frontiers of place,
race, religion.
Chapter 7: A Single But Complex Reality
We examine the what of Mission
The particular form of mission depends
Pope John Paul II called mission: greatly on the context or circumstances:
“A single but complex reality” (RM 41). Communist, Muslim countries or United
States and Canada…
=> However, even though our activity is restricted, we still fully participate in
God’s mission in our own context.
I.THESIS
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF “A SINGLE BUT
COMPLEX REALITY” OF MISSION?
HOW SHOULD CATHOLICS PARTICIPATE IN MISSION BOTH WITHIN AND BEYOND OUR
LOCAL, CULTURAL, ETHNIC, SOCIAL, AND NATIONAL BOUNDARIES?
1.
II. ARGUMENTS Witness and
proclamation
We will look at six components of the 2.
Liturgy, prayer, 6.
“single but complex reality” of and
contemplation
Reconciliation
mission:
Mission
3.
These components: Throughout the history Justice, 5.
peace, and Inculturation
of Christianity, distinct but not separate the integrity
of creation
from one another, interconnected, and all 4.
Interreligious
important for full participation in God’s and secular
dialogue
mission today.
1. WITNESS AND PROCLAMATION
There is an essential link between witness and proclamation.
Pope Paul VI: “The first means of evangelization is the witness of an authentically Christian life” (EN 41).
How authentic are those who practice what they preach?
Pope Francis: “We need to remember that all religious teaching ultimately has to be reflected in the
teacher’s way of life” (EG 42).
“if we have received the love which restores meaning to our lives, how can we fail to share that love with
others?” (EG 8).
- Pope Francis: Reminds us over and over again that this should be done in a spirit of joy.
Witness as mission occurs on different levels
Individual Christians: Mother Teresa of Calcutta, in our daily life at home,
in our neighborhood, at work, and in social situations.
On the communal level: As a Christian community, a parish, and a diocese
lives its life.
Universal and institutional church: The bishops of the United States have
spoken out on issues of economy, peace, and racism, Church-sponsored
institutions like hospitals, schools, and social-service centers witness to
Christian values…
Common witness: Common witness to Jesus by Christian churches and
denominations. Christians are called to avoid the scandal of presenting a
divided Christ marked by rivalry and distrust.
Proclamation
“The permanent priority of mission” (RM 44). A key question is how we proclaim
- Baptism (cf. Acts 2:5–41) faithful Christian witness and respect for
the “other.”
- Private conversation (cf. Acts 8:30–38)” (DP 10).
“Speak gently and respectfully” (1 Peter
- A key aspect of the church’s mission. 3:15).
- Today, respects the free choice of the listeners. begins with listening to and respecting the
“other,”
=> The Word of God (not the word of the Christian or the missionary) has the power
and grace to call people to conversion and a new life.
2. Liturgy, Prayer, and Contemplation
Liturgy, prayer, and contemplation as acts of mission. Living and mission: Activity and prayer
- Liturgy can’t be an end in itself. The worshiping Francis Xavier: Action
community needs to look beyond itself:
Thérèse of Lisieux: Prayer
=> “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord,” is
sending the congregation in mission. Regularly visiting the Blessed Sacrament in
church, payer and meditation at home or in
- The liturgy can be a means of mission for visitors, a hospital bed are all moments of aligning
including those who never were or are no longer our lives with God’s mission of love,
Christians. salvation, and justice.
=> Prayer and contemplation can draw us into seeing and encountering the world
and others more and more from God’s viewpoint.
3. Pursuit of Justice, Peace, and the Integrity of Creation
These are the mission of God: New challenge
caring for the poor and those in need
Peace is not just the absence of
to address the unjust social and violence. It requires ongoing positive
economic structures and systems and active choices.
- Pope Leo XIII’s 1891
encyclical The Condition of Labor
Integrity of Creation: Ecology
(Rerum Novarum) - The 2015 encyclical On Care of our
Common Home (LS) of Pope Francis
The devastation of war combined
with the threat of nuclear and
chemical weapons (9/11 or At Hiroshima)
4. Interreligious and Secular Dialogue
In 1984, the Vatican Secretariat for Non-Christians: “The Attitude of the Church towards
the Followers of Other Religions, Reflections and Orientations on Dialogue and Mission
insisted that “dialogue is … the norm and necessary manner of every form of
Christian mission” (no. 29).
- based on the belief that God’s grace and love is Official church documents point to four
present in all people. types of dialogue.
- Second Vatican Council never used the phrase (1) Dialogue of life
“outside the church, no salvation.” (2) Dialogue of action
=> possibility of salvation for all those of good will (3) Dialogue of religious experience
whether they believe in God or not (LG 16). (4) Dialogue of theological exchange.
- learn, respect, and remain true to our own Christian - ...literature, film, music, and technology.
faith.
=> In dialogue with interreligious and secular partners, we listen to
how God is already stirring in the hearts and traditions of the “other,”
5. Inculturation
Before Second Vatican Council The evolution of incultural
Missionary: In 1659: The Sacred Congregation for the
Condemning the way of life of the local people. Propagation of the Faith in 1659 reminded
- Even other cultures the work of the devil. missionaries that it was not their task to
- Tabula Rasa (blank slate) - norm for a long time: “bring any pressure to bear on the peoples,
Tabula rasa is the epistemological thesis to change their manners, customs, and
that individuals are born without built in uses, unless they are evidently contrary to
mental content and that their knowledge
religion and sound morals”
comes from experience and perception.
5. Inculturation
The Second Vatican Council recovered this positive attitude toward culture.
- Christ by his incarnation committed himself to
the particular social and cultural circumstances” There is no single Christian culture... fell
(AG 10).
into the error of self-righteousness and
- Christians “should be familiar with their the resulting blind condemnation of
national and religious traditions
other peoples and their cultures.
- Inculturation as an essential aspect of mission:
The seeds and the weeds in the parables of Jesus.
There is no garden was only seeds and
the garden of the other was only weeds.
- The seeds - word of God
- The weeds - evil
=> The seeds of God’s word are to be acknowledged, nurtured, and
expressed in our own words
6. Reconciliation
This is sometimes related to efforts of justice and peace.
Practically, our vocation to be reconcilers is
mediated
Challenge: Increasing violence, terrorist
threats, globalization, family breakdown, 1. Personal level: In family, or violence and abuse
displacement and migration, human situation 2. People whose culture has been denigrated or
of being alienated from God by sin... denied: Such as Native Americans in the United
States…
calling for a new response. 3. Third level is political reconciliation…Nelson
Mandela
The Church needs to join others 4. Fourth, there is a need for reconciliation within the
in an appropriate way as the church with those who often are marginalized:
“hands and feet” of God. Such as women, divorced Catholics…
=> “Churches should be trusting enough in the reconciling grace of God to admit
their own failings and find ways of working toward reconciliation” (Schreiter, 1998).
IV. SUMMARY
1. Integrating the Single but Complex Reality of Mission
- the six components: distinguish, intersect and interrelated.
2. One or the other component of mission will be more relevant and urgent.
Ex: witness often becomes the primary means of mission in communist and Muslim
Ex: witness often becomes the primary means of mission in communist and Muslim
nations…
3. Theological foundation for the form and what of mission described in this chapter.
- The loving Trinity, the reign of God, and Christ the Savior
IV. SUMMARY
4. Invatation
- cross-cultural missionaries in crossing boundaries, called into mission in their neighborhoods,
families, schools, and work places….
In formal interreligious and secular dialogue, missionaries… depth training
Ordinary Christian: engaged in the equally important dialogue of life and action with
Ordinary Christian: engaged in the equally important dialogue of life and action with
those of another or no religious belief among whom they work, study, or play.
5. These specific aspects of mission, like mission itself, are not defined geographically.
Ex: Concern for justice and peace is not limited to Latin America and the Middle East.
What does mission mean for us on a
practical and daily basis?
The Spirituality of Mission: We need to develop a
spirituality of humility and openness to do mission
with an attitude and approach of humble listening
BUT like the prophets of old we also need to challenge
others to be faithful to God and remind them of the
injustices in our treatment of others. We can call this a
SPIRITUALITY of PROPHETIC DIALOGUE.
V. PERSONAL OPINION
- The presentation of the author is very clear
and coherent: through 6 aspects that help to
understand clearly the role of the Church and
individually in carrying the mission of
proclaiming the Good News. Especially, it is
very helpful for missionaries.
"The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few (Mt 9, 37).
