Master of Theological Studies (Liturgy) Thesis

The Maronite Voice, 2020

to rediscover the missionary dimension of faith in Jesus Christ, a faith received in baptism. This missionary dimension of faith and, indeed, of the Church itself has been the subject of reflection and theological discussions in the Church. Ad Gentes, the Decree on the Missionary Activity of the Church posits that the Church is missionary by her very nature. 1 Pope Francis goes further by saying, "I am a mission, always; you are a mission, always; every baptized man and woman is a mission. People in love never stand still: they are drawn out of themselves; they are attracted and attract others in turn; they give themselves to others and build relationships that are life-giving." 2 Thus, it is imperative for every baptized person to participate actively in the missionary activity of the Church. Every ecclesial member has a role to play in the Missionary Activity of the Church. The provisions of the Code of Canon Law identify these and further mandate some attitudes or tasks for its fulfillment. In particular, canon 791, 2° calls on priests to effectively promote endeavors for the mission, especially the Pontifical Missionary Works (Pontifical Mission Societies/PMS). For an ample understanding of the mission, this paper shall present the teachings of Ad Gentes and Redemptoris Missio on the mission and the pertinent canonical provisions on the Missionary Activity of the Church. In the light of these theological and canonical principles, the Pontifical Mission Societies, their history, their mission, and their specific contributions to the mission of the Church shall be discussed. Ad Gentes Ad Gentes expounds on the meaning of missions and missionary activity. It defines "Missions" as "undertakings by which the heralds of the Gospel, sent out by the Church and going forth into the whole world, carry out the task of preaching the Gospel and planting the Church among peoples of groups who do not yet believe in Christ." 3 From this, we derive the purposes of missionary activity: evangelization and plantatio ecclesia (planting of the Church where it is not yet established). This missionary activity is carried out in various stages: (1) beginning or planting; (2) newness or youth; (3) Church in mission. The dynamism of the Church requires constant missionary discernment. In the face of changing realities or circumstances, a Church in

What is the Church’s relation to the world? How is she to conduct herself? Since the Church “is not an accidental or voluntary union which has grown up of itself,” but the creation of God, her members do not have the right to determine for themselves what her purpose is nor the manner in which it will be accomplished. Rather, they must search out God’s will as revealed in the Scriptures. One of the biblical lines on which God’s people are presented is that of a pilgrim. This topic is typically approached from the perspective of the individual but the calling of the individual Christian to live as a pilgrim is derived from the identity of the Church corporate. The Church as a collective is a pilgrim people, journeying through the wilderness of this present world until they arrive in glory. This paper will trace the biblical pilgrim motif and consider the implications of this doctrine on both the Church and the Christian’s life in the world.

[Abstract] The church is missionary by nature because it originates in the missio trinitatis Dei. This missionary nature (broadly understood) has two important theological and practical implications. First, the author clarifies the relation of the church's missionary nature to its various core functions so that the church is not reduced to its missionary function. Second, he examines the interrelation between missionary faithfulness and ecclesial Christian existence, drawing on the Johannine and Pauline corpora, explaining that the church (and the Christian) is vivified in missional obedience and, conversely, can lose its ecclesial identity by decisively abandoning its missionary vocation.

Theological Studies, 2013

The author argues that a closer and fresh reading of the Vatican II documents with an eye to the theme of mission might suggest that it is closer to the heart of the council's original intention than a cursory and dated reading might indicate. Indeed the church's mission is more urgent today than ever, given the shift of Christianity's center of gravity to the Global South, massive migration to the Global North, and widespread secularism. Revisiting the council's documents can offer substantial help for developing a theology and practice for today's missionary church.

La Croix International, 2023

Recovering Vatican II's image of "the pilgrim People of God", a biblically rich vision to replace the idea of the Church as an "unequal hierarchical society"

Acta Missiologica, 2020

Background: This article aims at reflection on the Ad Gentes Decree on Missionary Activity of Vatican II with the benefit of more than half a century’s hindsight. First of all, it briefly reminds us about the document itself, the history of its creation, contents, and theological highlights . The second part of the article identifies some of the most significant changes and develop- ments that happened during the decades following the Council. The most recent project of “mission inter gentes”, as suggested by Jonatan Y. Tan, is introduced in the third section. And, finally, the concluding section attempts to answer the question of whether (or to what extent) the concept of mission among nations (inter gentes) is a consequence and creative continua- tion of how Vatican II understood mission to the nations (ad gentes) . Conclusion: The conclusion suggests that mission among nations (inter gentes) is closely linked to mission ad gentes because it represents a concrete way in which Christians can fulfil their missionary task . Ad Gentes remains an authoritative missionary document in the Roman Catholic Church but the need to go beyond this document is suggested based on explication of the inter-gentes missiological concept of Jonatan Y . Tan . Further detailed research of his work can be beneficial for both theoreticians and practitioners of Christian mission. One of the central outcomes of this article is that reflection on the missionary activity of the Church and its different concepts or projects may be relevant for researchers beyond the area of theology too, because they can study how it supports human freedom and social engagement, showing the strong potential of the Church to support functioning democratic society.

Nederduitse Gereformeerde Teologiese Tydskrif, 2013

At the beginning of the 21st century, many different voices have been drawing our attention to two realities that are shaping the future of Christianity: the centre of gravity for the Christian faith has shifted to the global South and to the East; and the church in Western societies has been pushed to the margins and is facing serious decline (Guder 1998, 1). Many are asking themselves, "what are the implications of these facts for the future of the church in western culture?" For many, the term "missional" has begun to capture the imagination of the church in the West. Rather than find "missional" as a new programmatic or methodological solution for the church today, something at the foundational level needs to be discerned, namely, "who we are and what we are for" (Guder 1998, 3). Discernment 2 of the church's identity and vocation is a critical task facing us today. In the previous article, the Emergent Church movement was engaged in order to summarize its important contributions toward the recovery of a missional identity and vocation of the church in the West. In this article, the Missional Church movement as observed in the North American scenario will be engaged and its contributions toward the development of a missional identity and vocation for the church in the West will be summarized.