92. Today, as never before, the Church has the opportunity of bringing the Gospel, by witness and word, to all people and nations. I see the dawning of a new missionary age, which will become a radiant day bearing an abundant harvest, if all Christians, and missionaries and young churches in particular, respond with generosity and holiness to the calls and challenges of our time.
Like the apostles after Christ’s Ascension, the Church must gather in the Upper Room “together with Mary, the Mother of Jesus” (Acts 1:14), in order to pray for the Spirit and to gain strength and courage to carry out the missionary mandate. We too, like the apostles, need to be transformed and guided by the Spirit.
On the eve of the third millennium the whole Church is invited to live more intensely the mystery of Christ by gratefully cooperating in the work of salvation. The Church does this together with Mary and following the example of Mary, the Church’s Mother and model: Mary is the model of that maternal love which should inspire all who cooperate in the Church’s apostolic mission for the rebirth of humanity. Therefore, “strengthened by the presence of Christ, the Church journeys through time toward the consummation of the ages and goes to meet the Lord who comes. But on this journey . . . she proceeds along the path already trodden by the Virgin Mary.”177
To “Mary’s mediation, wholly oriented toward Christ and tending to the revelation of his salvific power,”178 I entrust the Church and, in particular, those who commit themselves to carrying out the missionary mandate in today’s world. As Christ sent forth his apostles in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, so too, renewing that same mandate, I extend to all of you my apostolic blessing, in the name of the same Most Holy Trinity. Amen.
Given in Rome, at Saint Peter’s, on December 7, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Conciliar Decree Ad Gentes, in the year 1990, the thirteenth of my pontificate.
We have reached the end of our journey. Pope John Paul II’s concluding words are both inspiring and insightful.
I see the dawning of a new missionary age, which will become a radiant day bearing an abundant harvest, if all Christians, and missionaries and young churches in particular, respond with generosity and holiness to the calls and challenges of our time.
Like the apostles after Christ’s Ascension, the Church must gather in the Upper Room “together with Mary, the Mother of Jesus” (Acts 1:14), in order to pray for the Spirit and to gain strength and courage to carry out the missionary mandate. We too, like the apostles, need to be transformed and guided by the Spirit. . . . The whole Church is invited to live more intensely the mystery of Christ by gratefully cooperating in the work of salvation. (RM 92)
These can be inspiring words that can actually move us to action. They can insert us into the action of the Spirit who is working powerfully in the Church and world today.
Earlier in his pontificate John Paul II presented a beautiful meditation on Mary’s presence in the upper room praying for the coming of the Spirit.* He reflected that the Holy Spirit had already overshadowed Mary at the Annunciation when she became the Mother of Jesus. But he also made the startling claim that Mary wasn’t just praying for the disciples to receive the Holy Spirit during the nine days of prayer between the Ascension and Pentecost, she was praying also for herself. He points out that she was about to begin a new phase of her mission, as Mother not only of Jesus but of the Church, and that she needed another outpouring of the Holy Spirit to equip her for her new role. Concerning the various sendings of the Spirit, Saint Thomas Aquinas says that God sends new outpourings of the Spirit into our lives.* This may happen when a person begins a new phase in life or receives a new mission, so that the Spirit can make these possible.
We live in challenging times. The forces that are hostile to Christ and the Church seem to be growing in power and effect. But we know from God’s word that where sin abounds, grace abounds still more (see Rom 5:20). We can expect in the growing difficulties that God will offer great graces. Like Mary we must desire an outpouring of the Holy Spirit to equip us for the challenging times that lie ahead of us, which might even bring persecution. The Holy Spirit will help us in the particular role that God has prepared for each one of us, to participate in his plan of salvation. The Spirit’s mission must now become our mission too, seeking and saving those who are lost. For that we need more of the Holy Spirit!
What single thought or insight most struck you during this journey through John Paul II’s encyclical?
What practical decisions have you made in response to what the Spirit is saying to you through this encyclical?
What do you most desire for your life and the lives of those you love in the challenging days ahead?
Lord, I am challenged. I know that you don’t ask anything of us without also giving us the grace to fulfill it. I believe that you have called me to a deeper commitment to holiness and evangelization. I believe that you will give me the grace to fulfill everything that you are asking. Thank you! I am profoundly grateful.
If you have not been going through this encyclical with a group, ask the Lord to show you how to discuss it with others. Perhaps you could invite another person or persons to go through the encyclical with you, along with the meditations, questions, prayers, and action. If you do, you will be evangelizing!