INSPIRED WORD OF GOD

Jesus sends seventy-two followers (Lk. 10:1-9)

After this, the Lord appointed seventy-two others

and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and
place he was about to go. And he said to them, “The harvest is
plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray earnestly to
the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go
your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs among wolves.
Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one
on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to
this house!’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest
upon him. But if not, it will return to you. And remain in the
same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the
laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house.
Whenever you enter a town, and they receive you, eat what is
set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom
of God has come near to you.’

The Bible presents to us several concepts of mission. In the text, Luke, the Gospel
writer, tells us that Jesus sends his disciples to do something. Sending is an integral part of
the Christian idea of mission. When we go on a mission, we do so because somebody
sends us. The mission, therefore, does not belong to us. We are mere collaborators of the
one sending us. Where to go on a mission and how the mission is done depends not on
us but also on sending us. In the story you just read, he sent his disciples and gave them
instructions on how to go about the mission.

Jesus uses the analogy of the workers in the field to describe missionaries and what
they do. The workers are sent to harvest the crops and gather them in the granary. In like
manner, missionaries as workers are tasked to gather people into fellowship with God.

Seemingly, there are not many of these workers, so that Jesus tells his disciples: “A
large crop is in the fields, but there are only a few workers. Ask the Lord in charge of the
harvest to send out workers to bring the harvest in.”

The story proceeds, and we hear a piece of advice or a warning given to the
workers: “Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs among wolves.” Lambs
are never safe in a pack of wolves. The wolves will devour the lambs! In ancient times, to
be a Christian missionary meant to live a dangerous life. Many Christian missionaries
suffered martyrdom for the faith. In our times, some places are not any safer for
missionaries. We still hear people getting killed because they are Christians. To do
missionary work is not easy because there will always be opposition from others.

Then comes a puzzling instruction from the sender: “Carry no moneybag, no

knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road.” The first part of the instruction
about not taking along moneybags, or knapsacks, or sandals is related to the second
part about not wasting time. A moneybag, a knapsack, or a pair of sandals may become
a burden or a distraction to the missionary who is supposed to be concerned only with
the mission. He always has to carry and protect his money or bag or repair his sandals or
look for another pair if they get worn out. His focus is no longer the mission that is urgent
and the only important thing for the missionary. These things are the least of his concerns.
The passage tells us certain essential things about the Christian as a missionary –
and about each of us who are, by our humanity, concerned with the welfare of others.
Here they are:

The missionary is not to be cluttered up with material things; he is to travel light. It

is easy to get entangled in the things of this life. Our material possession can cloud our
vision if we are not careful. Instead of helping us to become more accessible, they can
enslave us. For example, if you are obsessed with buying a smartphone worth P50, 000.00
but you do not have the means to buy it, you will have some problems. And if you were
able to buy it at last by availing yourself of a loan, you will have to guard it with all your
might so that you won’t lose it. It is like your phone has taken control of part of your life.

The missionary concentrates on his task; he is to “greet no man on the way.” This
goes back to Elisha's instruction to Gehazi in 2 Kings 4:29. It is not an instruction to
discourtesy but means that the Christian must not turn aside or linger on the lesser things
while the tremendous or more essential things call him. Look back and think about the
times you busied yourself with the less important things and neglecting the more
important ones. Many of us are guilty when it comes to this.

The missionary must not work for what he can get out of it; he eats what is put
before him and does not move from house to house, seeking better and more
comfortable quarters. The laborer is worthy of his wage, but the faithful servant of the
faith cannot be a seeker for luxury. Sometimes we do things for the sake of convenience
and comfort. But there is a better reason for doing the good and the honorable: the
Gospel's call to be on the side of truth and goodness no matter the cost. It isn't easy, of
course, but that is the missionary call.

To have heard God's word is a great responsibility. Persons will be judged

according to what they have had the chance to know. Knowing something is a privilege.
As is usually said, it is also power. But knowing as a form of privilege and power is also a
responsibility. If we know the truth and do not speak up at the cost of letting lies reign, we
do not do our responsibility. This is a challenge for us today, especially for the younger
generation, because a good part of your world is the world of the web, where false news
can quickly multiply. To state and defend the truth when you know it is a crucial part of
the missionary and the human in you.

But what is the mission? What is the missionary sent to do? The last verse (verse 9)
tells us, “Heal their sick and say, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’” The mission
is the proclamation of God’s kingdom. There is a part of your course in CFE 101, if you still
remember, that deals with the concept of the kingdom of God. In the later part of the
present course, we will go back to that. But for this module, suffice it to say that when we
talk about the kingdom of God, we refer to that situation where God reigns in our
community or society because the values of charity, justice, and peace are lived or
practiced by people. In other words, the kingdom refers to total human well-being, which
includes the significant experience of healing from all forms of illness. In Biblical
anthropology, healing includes non-physical restoration like healing relationships,
emotional healing, and others.

CHURCH TEACHING

The Church document “Ad Gentes” gives us more insights into the Church’s
mission and how it is to be done. In these two sections of the document, we are instructed
about living as missionaries in present society as mentioned in number 11 and 12.
11. The Church must be present in these groups through her children, who dwell among
them or are sent to them. For all Christians, wherever they live, are bound to show forth,
by the example of their lives and by the witness of the word, that new man put on at
baptism and that power of the Holy Spirit by which they have been strengthened at
Confirmation. Thus other men, observing their good works, can glorify the Father (cf. Matt.
ES:16) and perceive more fully the real meaning of human life and the universal bond of
the community of humankind.

So that they may be able to bear more fruitful witness to Christ, let them be joined to
those men by esteem and love; let them acknowledge themselves to be members of the
group of men among whom they live; let them share in cultural and social life by the
various. Undertakings and enterprises of human living; let them be familiar with their
national and religious traditions; let them gladly and reverently lay bare the seeds of the
Word which lie hidden among their fellows. At the same time, however, let them look to
the: profound changes which are taking place among nations, and let them exert
themselves to keep modern man, intent as he is on the science and technology of
today's world, from becoming a stranger to things divine; instead, let them awaken in
him a yearning for that truth and: a charity which God has revealed. Even as Christ
Himself searched the hearts of men, and led them to divine light, so also His disciples,
profoundly penetrated by the Spirit of Christ, should show the people among whom they
live, and should converse with them, that they may learn by sincere and patient dialogue
what treasures a generous God has distributed among the nations of the earth. But at
the same time, let them try to furbish these treasures, set them free, and bring them under
the dominion of God, their Savior.

12. The presence of the Christian faithful in these human groups should be inspired by
that charity with which God has loved us and with which He wills that we should love one
another (cf. 1 John 4:11). Christian charity extends to all, without distinction of race,
creed, or social condition: it looks for neither gain nor gratitude. For as God loved us with
an unselfish love, so also the faithful should in their charity care for the human person
himself, loving him with the same affection with which God sought out man. Just as Christ,
then, went about all the towns and villages, curing every kind of disease and infirmity as
a sign that the kingdom of God had come (cf. Matt. 9:35ff; Acts 10:38), so also the
Church, through her children, is one with men of every condition, especially with the poor
and the afflicted. For them, she gladly spends and is spent (cf. 2 Cor. 12:15), sharing in
their joys and sorrows, knowing of their longings and problems, suffering with them in
death's anxieties. To those in quest of peace, she wishes to answer in fraternal dialogue,
bearing them the peace and the light of the Gospel.

Let Christians labor and collaborate with others in rightly regulating the affairs of social
and economic life. With special care, let them devote themselves to the education of
children and young people employing different kinds of schools, which should be
considered not only as of the most excellent means of forming and developing Christian
youth, but also as a valuable public service, especially in the developing nations, working
toward the uplifting of human dignity, and toward better living conditions. Furthermore,
let them take part in the strivings of those who, waging war on famine, ignorance, and
disease, struggle to better their way of life and secure peace in the world. In this activity,
the faithful should be eager to offer prudent aid to public and private organizations
sponsored by governments, by various Christian communities, and even by non -
Christian religions.

However, the Church has no desire to intrude itself into the government of the earthly
city. It claims no other authority than that of ministering to men with the help of God, in a
spirit of charity and faithful service (cf. Matt. 20:26; 23:11).

Closely united with men in their life and work, Christ's disciples hope to render others
faithful witness of Christ and work for their salvation, even where they cannot announce
Christ fully. For they are not seeking mere material progress and prosperity for men, but
are promoting their dignity and brotherly union, teaching those religious and moral truths
which Christ illuminated with His light. In this way, they are gradually opening up a fuller
approach to God. Thus, they help men attain salvation by love for God and neighbor,
and the mystery of Christ begins to shine forth, in which there appears the new man,
created according to God (cf. Eph. 4:24) which the charity of God is revealed (Luzbetak,
2015).

The development in the understanding of mission in the Church can be seen in the
emphasis given to the missionary activity (Redemptoris Missio, 1990).

A. Emphasis of the missionary agenda at the beginning of the Church

In your experience, you might have seen some of the ideas of mission related to
the text above at work among Christian missionary individuals or groups. During the early
days of Christianity and up to the present, missionaries are sent to other places to convert
people to the Christian faith. Paul of Tarsus (also known as Saint Paul), a convert to
Christianity, became the greatest missionary of his time. He went from one place to
another within the Roman Empire, preaching about Jesus and starting new Christian
communities.

B. Emphasis of the Church’s understanding of mission after Paul

For many religious groups that started very small, like Christianity, and faced a lot
of opposition from the very beginning, there was the need to grow fast in terms of
membership. It was a necessity in ancient times, especially when size was the requirement
for continuing existence. The bigger the group, the greater was the chance for survival.
Small groups die naturally for lack of membership to make their tradition live. So it was
that at the beginning of Christianity as a community separate from Judaism, there was a
stress on missionary conversion as can be deduced from the accounts of the New
Testament, especially in the Acts of the Apostles and in the Letters of Paul.

That situation the Church found itself brought about particular ways of
understanding mission, one of which is what missiologists today describe as eccleo-
centric. This word means “Church-centered.” An ecclesio-centric view of mission puts
more emphasis on the idea that mission belongs to the Church. This idea implies the
following:

1. You have to be a member of the Church to do the mission. Since mission belongs
to the Church, doing mission is appropriately the work of Church leaders and members
and not outsiders.

2. Doing mission is equivalent to converting others to become members of the

Church. The number of converts, indicated by baptismal records, was an essential gauge
of the mission's success.

3. Such an understanding of mission sometimes resulted in insensitive attitudes

towards indigenous views and practices in mission territories that were sometimes seen
as inferior to or against the missionaries' culture's practices and way of life.

The limited ecclesio-centric view of mission has shifted to a broader one that
missiologists call theocentric, literally God-centered. A theocentric view of mission affirms
the following:

1. The source of the Church’s mission is God's work in redeeming all human beings,
including the rest of creation. God always takes the initiative to reach out to all peoples
and cultures. God calls people to him in a relationship of love. The call is honored by
human beings when their loving relationship with God shapes their relationship with
others.

2. For Christians, the embodiment of God’s mission of redemption is concretized in

the person and ministry of Jesus. When we are asked the question, “How do we do
mission?” we answer by pointing to the way Jesus lived his life.

The core spirit that shaped the life of Jesus and how he related with others is
compassion. He felt for other people. He had a passion for others such that he thought
and acted in solidarity with them, especially with the marginalized and the suffering.

3. The successful doing, or more fittingly, living the mission requires dependence
on the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In the Gospels, Jesus and the disciples always asked
for the inspiration, guidance, and strength of God’s Spirit before starting a significant
undertaking. In the rest of the New Testament books, the followers of Jesus continued
with this practice.

4. The Church participates in the mission of redemption, helping make the

kingdom of God a reality in society. As the Church does not own the mission, it always
has to discern as a community the will of God in every concrete situation. As the Gospel
says, the Church has to “read the signs of the times,” which implies that the Church must
understand the situation properly and respond accordingly.

5. In the theocentric view of mission, understanding the different cultures where

the mission is lived is necessary. Culture is an essential facet of being human. It is the
product of the human community’s struggle to create meaning. Hence, missionaries
must consider this truth and learn to appreciate the many good things in culture while
striving to help transform elements in the culture that may not be life-giving.

Read the following missionary story. Here is the guide question: What elements of
the theocentric view of mission can you see in the story?

Interview With Former Superior-General of African Missions (One of the greatest

missionary stories, 2010).

Africa has often been called the forgotten continent. With the visits of Popes John Paul II
and Benedict XVI, however, Africa is becoming better known among the faithful as the
home of one of the fastest-growing Catholic populations in the world. For the Society for
African Missions, Africa is anything but forgotten. This group has been working on the
continent for more than 150 years. To learn about these missionaries and their work in
Africa, the television program "Where God Weeps" of the Catholic Radio and Television
Network (CRTN), in cooperation with Aid to the Church in Need, spoke with Bishop Kieran
O’Reilly. Bishop O’Reilly was ordained bishop of Killaloe, Ireland, just last August; before
this appointment, he served for almost ten years as the superior-general for the Society
of African Missions.

Q: Africa has seen an explosion of Catholicism from 1.2 million faithful in 1900 to over 140
million today. To what would you attribute this explosion of faith in Africa?

Bishop O’Reilly: Well, as many of my bishop friends in Africa would say, “First of all it’s
God’s blessing, and it’s a great grace," which it is — to see the numbers coming for
baptism, adults as well as young children, to see the number of people coming for other
sacraments. But I suppose the primary reality about Africa is that, since her
independence 45 to 50 years ago, we have witnessed a massive growth of the urban
reality in Africa. With the growth of the cities, many people have been displaced from
rural areas, so they have found themselves in primarily alien cities until they can integrate
into the communities there. These communities are often associated with Churches, so
you have, as it were, people even moving from the rural areas immediately falling into
the fabric of Church life in the urban areas.

Q: And probably seeking it out because it’s one reality they know in this excellent
environment?

Bishop O’Reilly: Yes, but also in Africa, you have a powerful sense of linking between the
villages and the people who are from the villages already established in the cities — so
you link in immediately. You may be transferring geographically, but you link in with
people of your area and your background.

Q: Has missionary work changed because of urbanization?

Bishop O’Reilly: If I speak for our missionary institute, it has changed as one of our primary
works is evangelization. It’s evolving continually because of the reality of the number of
people you are dealing with. And when you ask that question about the numbers, it also
fits in with the growth of population in Africa because, especially in sub-Saharan Africa,
the population has grown enormously in the last 30 years and will continue to do so: good
health, clean water, so many factors have helped to do that. The reality of the growing
Church is very much tied in with the growth of Africa as well.

Q: It is said that 90% of the population is under 24. So this is also a challenge for the Church.
How do you look to serving the youth now?

Bishop O’Reilly: It’s a huge challenge. One of the things that strikes me as I traveled to
the big cities like Kinshasa, Lagos, Abidjan, Nairobi, any of the cities all over Africa, is the
significant number of young people that are present — especially the secondary school-
going population — and then subsequently the number of people who would have
qualified for university but are without work. You see a tremendous movement every day.
You only have to go to Lagos to see the number of people and the challenge even for
the government to provide the essential services for a multiplying population. The
infrastructure required is enormous, so for us as a Church, when we set out, one of the
main things we did was establish schools. We built the church, and the next thing you
had was a school next door — or as often happens in the early missions — the church
was the school. But now, with the number of children looking for schools, the Church is
no longer capable of doing it alone, and often the state doesn’t have the resources. So
we have to contribute, especially since education is the hope continually.

Q: What is the answer?

Bishop O’Reilly: The answer is not to lose hope. The answer is to be committed. The answer
is to continue to work with the local Church, to work with local groups, to seek the
excellent help of Aid to the Church in Need and groups like that, generous people
overseas. People might say: “Oh, we are tired of giving.” No, you are never tired of giving;
it’s for the children, it’s for their future, it’s for hope. You don’t ever get tired of that. The
challenge is enormous because the population continues to grow.

Q: In the year 2050, they say that three African countries will rank among the top 10 of
the largest Catholic countries in the world: Uganda, Congo, and Nigeria. Is the future of
Catholicism the Church in Africa?

Bishop O’Reilly: That is a difficult question. I would say in response that a large part of the
future of Catholicism is in Africa but not all of it, and as a consequence of that, I believe
there has to be much more awareness of the African reality within our Church. It is not
very far away from this city of Rome. It is just across the Mediterranean, but sometimes it
can be very distant. So it is the demographic reality — that this is the way it is going to be.
So, at all levels within the Church, there has to be a real awareness of that and proactive
planning toward that reality.

Q: What is the strength of the African faith?

Bishop O’Reilly: I suppose the strength of the African faith comes from the people
themselves, from how they relate to the existence of God, to the reality of Jesus Christ in
their lives, and to how Christianity can tap into a rich context within their cultures of
helping one another. There is a great sense of: “What is ours belongs to all of us." There is
a great sense of being able to share while, perhaps, in another culture, we are more self-
centered. This is best seen at the table. You always have food, and it doesn’t matter; we
put on more rice. There will be food for everyone. No one goes hungry. There is that sense,
if you like, of the heart of Christian hospitality and openness that is there. It is very inspiring
when you go to different parts of Africa. It is always there.

Q: What is the weakness of the Catholic faith in Africa?

Bishop O’Reilly: A weakness, I suppose, is that it hasn’t been able to address some of the
realities around it as quickly as possible.

Q: For example?

Bishop O’Reilly: One of the significant areas that will always be a challenge is the whole
issue of corruption — corruption in society, which is a terrible disease really and does
terrible damage to the fabric of everything. Good people, well qualified, can’t get jobs
because they don’t pay the bribe. The whole infrastructure of power can be so centered
on corrupt practices and payment. The Church is trying, but it is complicated because it
is so rooted in many cultures now. It must be said that it is often due to the leadership and
outsiders who have come and taken advantage of whatever purpose, maybe to extract
resources. To get the best deal, they don’t hesitate to pay, and then if there are no
checks and balances inside the country, the whole thing collapses.

Q: A quick change of pace: We have been talking now about the growth of Catholicism,
but we also have seen a growth in Islam. One out of every three Africans considers himself
Muslim. What challenges does this pose for the Catholic Church in Africa?

Bishop O’Reilly: The most crucial challenge it poses is working with our brothers and sisters.
They live in the compound next door. Our church is built next to a mosque. They work in
the same fields. They travel on the same buses. So, one of the essential things is mutual
respect; that must be developed, and that has to come with an understanding on our
part, and on their part of the values we hold and, of course, when that happens, you
begin to discover that our values are shared — that there is a standard search for the
right kind of things.

The risk always is — and has been in Africa with these two great religions that you
mentioned — is extremist elements within them who will take advantage of particular
purposes like political, social, or economic to try and destabilize a region, a government,
or a ministry. But, one of the essential things in the last 30 years is the amount of
rapprochement and how we are working with each other at different levels in the
government. I know in Nigeria, with the recent riots in Bauchi, the head of the Catholic
Church and the imam immediately come together to resolve and speak about what has
happened. So there is undoubtedly a great deal of movement to better understand and
respect each other’s positions and the regard for their ways and ways of living and
working together.

Q: Even Pope Benedict has been voicing very strongly this question of dialogue with Islam
as the solution to many of the conflicts that seem to be raging?

Bishop O’Reilly: It is. Unfortunately, many of them are "instrumentalized," as they say in
Italian, to the advantage of some politician or some person. Then the excellent work
that’s done on the ground is undone very quickly, and you’ve got to rebuild again. As
we are trying to build a just society and the values of Islam in that regard are the same
as ours, we work together for that.

Q: Both Christianity and Islam have incorporated many traditional African beliefs. Are we
talking about syncretism here? There is also a revival of African traditional beliefs. How do
you see this question?

Bishop O’Reilly: It is an exciting one, and there is a revival and — it is possible to link with
Brazil and the different cults that developed there. It is also linked, I think, with the mass
media. There is a considerable market for plays and stories in which witchcraft plays a
big part of the story. That is widely distributed in Africa now. I can see them all over the
place. So it’s a big challenge. In many ways, it can come from a situation where there is
great poverty and unemployment. Even the very best people, because of their children,
will search in any direction. They will go anywhere if their child is not well. Who wouldn’t?

So the answer has to be, in fact, again education, a proper understanding of what the
Catholic Church is doing. We are aware of — a careful instructing of our ministers,
religious and lay — in the aspects of this. This situation should not bring us back into a time
of fear or a time where these forces held an inordinate sway over people's lives. This
shouldn’t be the case. There is always that risk in societies where poverty, misery,
unemployment is dominant.

Q: In the document of Pope John Paul II, “Ecclesiae in Africa," he wrote that the hour of
Africa has come. Would you say that this is the case?

Bishop O’Reilly: Yes, on some levels. I mean, within the Church, it has undoubtedly come
because of the statistics you have quoted and the reality of how those statistics are going
to grow over the next 10, 20, 30 years. Africa, unfortunately with the economic world the
way it is, is becoming more and more bypassed and being used to a greater extent only
for its resources, as we can see by the great powers that are doing that. But with regards
to the Church, I would say its moment has come, and I think Pope John Paul II realized
that in the future, this is going to be a continent that will be central — not, perhaps, the
dominant, but central to the life of the Church in its mission.

Q: How will this change the universal Church?

Bishop O’Reilly: For the better, I hope because, I suppose the richness of all our Churches
wherever we come from is the richness of somebody like Paul who can take a quasi-
Jewish Greek background, bring it to Rome, and put the Gospel in there. So, if we can
inculturate the Gospel fully into Africa, Africa will give back a richness that we cannot
imagine to the universal Church. And if we can see the face of Christ as it is manifested
in their cultures, then we will have a richness that the Spirit wants us to have.

Q: What has Africa given you?

Bishop O’Reilly: It has given me that sheer sense of the spirit being present in the
communities. It is the communities that I have found the most inspiring and the most
humbling, how people will serve each other the way they do without counting the cost.
They will give so generously of themselves and to serve the Church. They are amazing.
They love the Church.

MISSIONARY RESPONSE

1. Mission can be understood either as Ecclesio-centric or Theocentric. With this

distinction in mind, suggest a possible and feasible program/activity/endeavor
within your religious domain that you think is geared towards promoting the idea of
Mission as Theocentric. Do this in reference to the parish you are a part of or to a
particular church you belong to.