Radiating the Word of truth

Pope Benedict XVI’s message for this year’s World Mission Day, which was celebrated last Sunday, had as its theme: “Called to radiate the Word of truth”. This theme was taken from the apostolic letter written by the present Pontiff for the introduction of the Year of Faith and its sixth paragraph says: “the renewal of the Church is also achieved through the witness offered by the lives of believers; by their very existence in the world, Christians are called to radiate the word of truth that the Lord Jesus has left us.”

How can this be achieved? To begin with, the Church is essentially missionary. Unfortunately, a huge number of people never had the grace of meeting Jesus Christ. In his encyclical on the unending relevance of the missionary mandate, Redemptoris Missio, Blessed John Paul II said: “The number of those awaiting Christ is still immense… We can- not be content when we consider the millions of our brothers and sisters who, like us, have been redeemed by the blood of Christ but who live in ignorance of the love of God” (§ 86). Similarly, when announcing the Year of Faith, the current Pope affirmed: “Today, as in the past, he [Christ] sends us through the highways of the world to proclaim his Gospel to all the peoples of the earth” (§ 7). Moreover, in his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi, Pope Paul VI made it clear that the proclamation of the Gospel “is not an optional contribution for the Church. It is the duty incumbent on her by the command of the Lord Jesus, so that people can believe and be saved.

“This message is indeed necessary. It is unique. It cannot be replaced.” (§ 5).

Before this pressing need for a worldwide evangelisation ad gentes, bishops, as the principal agents of evangelisation, are morally responsible for carrying it out in every corner of the planet. Magisterial teaching portrays them as the ones who “have been consecrated not only for a particular diocese but for the salvation of the entire world”

Redemptoris Missio, 63, says: “Preachers of the faith, who bring new disciples to Christ” (see Ad Gentes, 20) and finally those who “make the mission spirit and zeal of the People of God present and as it were visible, so that the whole diocese becomes missionary” ( Ad Gentes, 38). Bishops are catalysts from whom all the evangelising activities in their respective particular Churches have emanated and have their blessing. Thus, according to this year’s World Mission Day message, bishops are to make everything possible in their competence to help “the regular adjustment of lifestyles, pastoral planning and diocesan organisation to this fundamental dimension of being Church, especially in our continuously changing world”.

Our contemporary world cries for the unconditional love of God in his Son Incarnate. That is why the Holy Father rightly notes that those who are called to evangelise should seriously “read history so as to perceive the problems, aspirations and hopes of humanity that Christ must heal, purify and fill with his presence”. His saving message is all the more actual because it goes directly into history’s very heart and can answer effectively to the human person’s profoundest quest for meaning. Keeping in mind that, as Blessed John Paul II put it, missionary “cooperation includes new forms — not only economic assistance, but also direct participation” to evangelisation ( Redemptoris Missio, 82), all the members of the Church should be aware that in order to communicate the Word of God effectively, they are to adhere themselves to it and create faith communities that are nourished by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In conclusion, the message highlighted that since “faith is a gift that is given to us to be shared… which we cannot keep to ourselves”, huge numbers of priests, men and women religious together with entire families generously leave the security of their countries and communities to go and proclaim the Name of Jesus to other Churches. Their outstanding courage and faith set for us a powerful example to imitate.

How can we share the radiating Word of truth in which we believe?