Mission
is no longer seen as church-extension, but as an on-going dialogue with the
poor, the religions and the cultures of the world, building the Kingdom of God
and the Church as its symbol and servant.
Donald
J. Bosch, Transforming Mission (1991).
Missiology:
Meaning and Significance
From its
etymological meaning we understand that the term was originally used to refer
to a study of the Church’s mission ad
gentes. Though the concept to go to the nations of the world to proclaim
the good news is as old as Christianity, the term ‘mission’ as such is of later
origin, 16 C. CE, so is the subject. As the meaning of the term ‘mission’ evolves
with the development of the self-understanding of the Church in the world, so
does the reach of the subject within theology. In the contemporary theology,
mission means participating in the divine salvific acts (creation, redemption
and sanctification) through our work in the given situation. Missiology as a result, becomes a field that enumerates
ways the Church has to incarnate the Gospel to its people adapting it to the
culture of the times and places. The subject therefore goes hand in glove with
systematic theology and humanities in general – all that helps us understand
the context of the proclamation and creatively respond to Christ’s mandate to
proclaim the good news to the nations with the development of the understanding
of faith.
Theological Foundations
Until Vatican II, the Church
understood herself as one who holds the sole responsibility to proclaim the
good news to the world and build the kingdom of God (exclusive Ecclesiology).
Hence Missiology was solely ecclesio-centric. But only in the wake of the
twentieth century, with the articulation of mission ‘as an activity of God
himself’ as Missio Dei by Karl Barth
(1886-1968) and later further elaborated in International Missionary Conference
in Willingen (Germany 1952), the church began to rethink her understanding of
missions.
This novel understanding took deep roots
in catholic theology so much so it drew the inspiration to note that mission as
a participation of the church in the salvic plan of the holy trinity (Trinity).
We began to understand our God as a missionary God, who saves the world through
Christ (Christology) in the ever animating presence of the Holy Spirit (Pneumatology).
The Church began to rethink herself as not as the authour of the missionary
work but as only an instrument in the mission of God through Christ in Holy
spirit. Hence the mission from being ecclesio-centric, turned out to be
god-centered with the Vatican II. Missiology then evolved into a subject that
could translate the new understanding of mission as mission dei in the missionary activities of the church as an
instrument of God. Let us now analyse the later documents that further present
the implications this understanding.
Vatican II: Seeds of New Understanding of Mission
Ad Gentes, Lumen Gentium, and Gaudium et Spes
Taken together these two documents
were pioneering the new wave on the Catholic conception of mission. We can
summarize the new elements in three points. First, they rightly stress that the
Church mission’s is essentially a participation in the mission of Christ and it
is an obligation that comes with our baptism (AG 2). Second, they insist that the
mission can be understood in many ways. The traditional style is one among the
many. More often we are called to preach by our lives. It insists that, I quote
‘mission, then, is not about going places, but serving people-down the street
or across oceans, in other cultures or one’s own.’ Third, In them we can read
in a implied manner that God in most mysterious ways is actually alive in other
cultures and religions (LG 16 and GS 26). Hence the understanding of church’s
mission as imparting the good news to people in hurry to save them from
condemnation shifted to a work that is done in fidelity to the commission
received from Jesus Christ her groom/the head. Hence there is an extensive
discussion on Inculturation – the method and necessity (AG 11 and 22).
Further Clarficiations: Evangelii Nuntiandi (1975), Dialogue and Proclamation (1984)
Redemptoris Missio (1990) and Ecclesia in Asia
The new broader
inclusive understanding of the mission sought further clarifications in the
later encyclical EN by Paul VI. The
document arose in a time, when there were questions on the self identity of the
church as a missionary. It seemed futile to be earnest about the preaching the
good news when there is salvation outside the Church. EN but clarified that the newer understanding of God’s salvific
plan and his spirit active in all religions and cultures that promote human
well being, does in no way affect the Church’s evangelizing mission. But, the
whole concept took a new understanding that the whole mission is collaborative
effort always in an intrapersonal, interpersonal and transpersonal dialogue.
Mission was no more understood as an urge to expand the church but to realize
the kingdom of God on earth through life example and participation in the histories
of the people (EN 15,16, 20, 22, 41, 37). The new thrust towards dialogue in
our proclamation keeping in mind the pluri-religious global context, gets
verbalized in the document DP. Church
understood that she does not evangelize in a void, instead in a historical
situation guided and directed by God through Christ in Holy Spirit. Hence the imperative to dialogue made church
to integrate dialogue and proclamation. But this seemed to pose great danger to
the supremacy of the mediation of Christ, thus there evolved a document
stressing the necessity of the mediation of Christ, RM (RM 5). Later in EA
the point is restressed despite the multi-religious situations of the Asian
Context. Though the progress of the official church as regards a broader
understanding of the concept mission almost stays put here, the theologians and
regional Bishop’s federation have gone a head rethinking the mission interms
other than proclamation of Chirst directly or stressing the superiority of
revelation in Christ compared to other religions of the world.
New Directions from Contemporary Theology
Asian bishops
federation, World Council of Churches and contemporary theologians especially
those from multi-religious context and third world situations have further
broadened the our understanding of mission for the world today. It is now more
understood as an imperative from god, not an option, to establish his kingdom
on earth i.e. a just and compassionate society where everyone enjoys capability
to lead a life they have reason to value. Hence the mission is now understood
more interms of dialogue inside and outside. The former focusing on the inner
transformation of the Church as a symbol and servant of God’s kingdom and the
latter focusing on the transformation of the society that it may be enjoy ‘life
in fullness’ (Jn. 10.10) that is offered by Jesus in the Gospels.
Bibliography
Amaladoss, Michael.
The Mission Institutes in the New
Millennium. (Text from the authour)
Bevans, Stephen.
Church Teaching on Mission: Ad Gentes,
Evangelii Nuntiandi, Redemptoris Missio and Dialogue and Proclamation.
(Text from the authour)
Correya,
Cassius. Missiology. Class Notes. DBTC, Kavarapettai – Chennai:
2014.
Kaunkal, Jacob. Church and Mission in Asian in the Light of
Ecclesia in Asia. (Text from the authour)
