Missionary Spirituality
87. Missionary activity demands a specific spirituality, which applies in particular to all those whom God has called to be missionaries.
This spirituality is expressed first of all by a life of complete docility to the Spirit. It commits us to being molded from within by the Spirit, so that we may become ever more like Christ. It is not possible to bear witness to Christ without reflecting his image, which is made alive in us by grace and the power of the Spirit. This docility then commits us to receive the gifts of fortitude and discernment, which are essential elements of missionary spirituality.
An example of this is found with the apostles during the Master’s public life. Despite their love for him and their generous response to his call, they proved to be incapable of understanding his words and reluctant to follow him along the path of suffering and humiliation. The Spirit transformed them into courageous witnesses to Christ and enlightened heralds of his word. It was the Spirit himself who guided them along the difficult and new paths of mission.
Today, as in the past, that mission is difficult and complex, and demands the courage and light of the Spirit. We often experience the dramatic situation of the first Christian community, which witnessed unbelieving and hostile forces “gathered together against the Lord and his Anointed” (Acts 4:26). Now, as then, we must pray that God will grant us boldness in preaching the Gospel; we must ponder the mysterious ways of the Spirit and allow ourselves to be led by him into all the truth (cf. Jn 16:13).
88. An essential characteristic of missionary spirituality is intimate communion with Christ. We cannot understand or carry out the mission unless we refer it to Christ as the one who was sent to evangelize. Saint Paul describes Christ’s attitude: “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2:5–8).
The mystery of the Incarnation and Redemption is thus described as a total self-emptying, which leads Christ to experience fully the human condition and to accept totally the Father’s plan. This is an emptying of self which is permeated by love and expresses love. The mission follows this same path and leads to the foot of the cross.
The missionary is required to “renounce himself and everything that up to this point he considered as his own, and to make himself everything to everyone.”172 This he does by a poverty which sets him free for the Gospel, overcoming attachment to the people and things about him, so that he may become a brother to those to whom he is sent and thus bring them Christ the Savior. This is the goal of missionary spirituality: “To the weak I became weak . . . . I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the Gospel . . .” (1 Cor 9:22–23).
It is precisely because he is “sent” that the missionary experiences the consoling presence of Christ, who is with him at every moment of life—“Do not be afraid . . . for I am with you” (Acts 18:9–10)—and who awaits him in the heart of every person.
89. Missionary spirituality is also marked by apostolic charity, the charity of Christ who came “to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad” (Jn 11:52), of the Good Shepherd who knows his sheep, who searches them out and offers his life for them (cf. Jn 10). Those who have the missionary spirit feel Christ’s burning love for souls, and love the Church as Christ did.
The missionary is urged on by “zeal for souls,” a zeal inspired by Christ’s own charity, which takes the form of concern, tenderness, compassion, openness, availability, and interest in people’s problems. Jesus’ love is very deep: he who “knew what was in man” (Jn 2:25) loved everyone by offering them redemption, and suffered when it was rejected.
The missionary is a person of charity. In order to proclaim to all his brothers and sisters that they are loved by God and are capable of loving, he must show love toward all, giving his life for his neighbor. The missionary is the “universal brother,” bearing in himself the Church’s spirit, her openness to and interest in all peoples and individuals, especially the least and poorest of his brethren. As such, he overcomes barriers and divisions of race, caste, or ideology. He is a sign of God’s love in the world—a love without exclusion or partiality.
Finally, like Christ he must love the Church: “Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her” (Eph 5:25). This love, even to the point of giving one’s life, is a focal point for him. Only profound love for the Church can sustain the missionary’s zeal. His daily pressure, as Saint Paul says, is “anxiety for all the churches” (2 Cor 11:28). For every missionary, “fidelity to Christ cannot be separated from fidelity to the Church.”173
90. The call to mission derives, of its nature, from the call to holiness. A missionary is really such only if he commits himself to the way of holiness: “Holiness must be called a fundamental presupposition and an irreplaceable condition for everyone in fulfilling the mission of salvation in the Church.”174
The universal call to holiness is closely linked to the universal call to mission. Every member of the faithful is called to holiness and to mission. This was the earnest desire of the Council, which hoped to be able “to enlighten all people with the brightness of Christ, which gleams over the face of the Church, by preaching the Gospel to every creature.”175 The Church’s missionary spirituality is a journey toward holiness.
The renewed impulse to the mission ad gentes demands holy missionaries. It is not enough to update pastoral techniques, organize and coordinate ecclesial resources, or delve more deeply into the biblical and theological foundations of faith. What is needed is the encouragement of a new “ardor for holiness” among missionaries and throughout the Christian community, especially among those who work most closely with missionaries.176
Dear brothers and sisters: let us remember the missionary enthusiasm of the first Christian communities. Despite the limited means of travel and communication in those times, the proclamation of the Gospel quickly reached the ends of the earth. And this was the religion of a man who had died on a cross, “a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles”! (1 Cor 1:23) Underlying this missionary dynamism was the holiness of the first Christians and the first communities.
91. I therefore address myself to the recently baptized members of the young communities and young churches. Today, you are the hope of this two-thousand-year-old Church of ours: being young in faith, you must be like the first Christians and radiate enthusiasm and courage, in generous devotion to God and neighbor. In a word, you must set yourselves on the path of holiness. Only thus can you be a sign of God in the world and re-live in your own countries the missionary epic of the early Church. You will also be a leaven of missionary spirit for the older churches.
For their part, missionaries should reflect on the duty of holiness required of them by the gift of their vocation, renew themselves in spirit day by day, and strive to update their doctrinal and pastoral formation. The missionary must be a “contemplative in action.” He finds answers to problems in the light of God’s word and in personal and community prayer. My contact with representatives of the non-Christian spiritual traditions, particularly those of Asia, has confirmed me in the view that the future of mission depends to a great extent on contemplation. Unless the missionary is a contemplative he cannot proclaim Christ in a credible way. He is a witness to the experience of God, and must be able to say with the apostles: “that which we have looked upon . . . concerning the word of life . . . we proclaim also to you” (1 Jn 1:1–3).
The missionary is a person of the Beatitudes. Before sending out the Twelve to evangelize, Jesus, in his “missionary discourse” (cf. Mt 10), teaches them the paths of mission: poverty, meekness, acceptance of suffering and persecution, the desire for justice and peace, charity—in other words, the Beatitudes, lived out in the apostolic life (cf. Mt 5:1–12). By living the Beatitudes, the missionary experiences and shows concretely that the kingdom of God has already come, and that he has accepted it. The characteristic of every authentic missionary life is the inner joy that comes from faith. In a world tormented and oppressed by so many problems, a world tempted to pessimism, the one who proclaims the “Good News” must be a person who has found true hope in Christ.
In this beautiful final chapter, John Paul II issues a stirring call. He tells us to expect in our own lives the contemplative and charismatic graces of the Holy Spirit that were so important for the spread of the early Church and so essential also for a renewal of fervor for evangelization today.
Both Paul VI and John Paul II consider the Acts of the Apostles as a paradigm, not only of ancient history or the beginnings of the Church, but one relevant for us today. Just as Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, so too is the Holy Spirit. The Pope is asking us to expect great things from the Holy Spirit and to allow him to operate freely in and through us for the salvation of souls.
On the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples and Mary, showering them with contemplative and charismatic graces. The contemplative graces include a deep insight into and experience of the awesome plan of God in the person of Jesus. The charismatic graces include a great desire to proclaim Christ to others and gifts of courage, boldness, and willingness to suffer for the Gospel. Gifts of speech and works of power enable us to continue the ministry of Jesus in healing and freeing people from the influence of evil spirits.
John Paul II says that we must be open to the Holy Spirit so that we might be similar to the disciples as they were after Pentecost, rather than before it. We must be filled with boldness and fervor, rather than fear and doubt. The Pope also makes the remarkable statement that the missionary of the future must be a contemplative in action who truly experiences God and speaks of him as someone who is known.
The call to holiness and its essential link with the call to evangelization is stated clearly:
The universal call to holiness is closely linked to the universal call to mission. Every member of the faithful is called to holiness and to mission.
And then the Pope challenges us all:
It is not enough to update pastoral techniques, organize and coordinate ecclesial resources, or delve more deeply into the biblical and theological foundations of faith. What is needed is the encouragement of a new “ardor for holiness” among missionaries and throughout the Christian community. . . . Dear brothers and sisters: let us remember the missionary enthusiasm of the first Christian communities. . . . The future of mission depends to a great extent on contemplation. Unless the missionary is a contemplative he cannot proclaim Christ in a credible way. He is a witness to the experience of God, and must be able to say with the apostles: “that which we have looked upon . . . concerning the word of life . . . we proclaim also to you” (1 Jn 1:1–3) (RM 90–91).
The Pope is calling for something very different from what we might consider “ordinary” Catholic life. He is calling not only for attendance at Mass on Sunday, but also a love for Christ that is the focus of our whole life, and a great desire for the salvation for souls. How does this strike us? Does this make us feel uncomfortable? Why? Ask the Holy Spirit to help us understand the resistances we see in our souls to this call to holiness and mission.
What practical steps can we take to open ourselves to the power of the Holy Spirit?
Do we find the word “contemplative” daunting? Do we associate it only with cloistered monasteries and not at all with lay life? If so, consider that the idea of being “contemplative” means that the Christian life is supposed to include an experiential knowledge of God. It is something we can ask for and desire. Teresa of Avila says that if we lack desire for God we should ask him for it and he will give it to us!
Dear Lord, reading this encyclical has been a challenging journey. Help me not to shy away from its challenge but embrace it. I trust that you will help me to understand and give myself more fully to you, and to take concrete steps to help others to come to you as well.
If you’ve been journaling, writing down your reflections in your prayer times, read over your journal in a prayerful, thoughtful way. If you haven’t been journaling, read over the discussion questions, prayers, and actions. Consider again what you can do to respond to the call to holiness and the call to evangelization that is so essential for our own salvation and the salvation of others. And give thanks to God for the great wisdom and inspiration of this encyclical! Saint John Paul II, pray for us!