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Children’s corner

1979: Mission is not destruction of values

…Building the new humanity, permeated by the Spirit of Christ, missionary activity presents itself, at the same time, as a suitable and effective instrument to solve not a few of the evils of the contemporary world; injustice, oppression, exclusion, exploitation, loneliness…

MESSAGE OF POPE JOHN PAUL II
FOR
MISSION SUNDAY 1979

To all my Brothers and Sons and Daughters in Christ.
On inaugurating my apostolic ministry on Sunday, October 22 of last year -a date that happily coincided with World Mission Sunday in the Catholic Church -I could not omit, among the primary  intentions which stirred within my soul on that solemn occasion reference to the question, always a topical and urgent one, of the spread of the Kingdom of God among non-Christian peoples. In fact, addressing all the faithful scattered throughout the world, I recalled how, on that day, the Church prayed, meditated, and acted in order that Christ's words of life might reach all men, and be accepted by them as a message of hope, salvation and complete liberation (cf. A.A.S. LXX, 1978, P. 947).
That thought was renewed in me while I was composing the first Encyclical Letter and dealing with the subject of the mission of the Church in the service of man. Now, in view of Mission Sunday next autumn, it stirs in me even more insistently. In this connection, it seems to me opportune to take up again and develop an affirmation which I could no more than state in that Encyclical when I wrote that "mission is never destruction, but instead is a taking up and fresh building" (Redemptor Hominis, No. 12). This expression, in fact, can offer an adequate subject for our common reflection.
Mission is not a destruction of values
What and how many are the values present in man? I will mention rapidly the specific values of his nature, such as life, spirituality, freedom, sociability, the capacity of dedication and of love; the values that come from the cultural context in which he is situated such as language, and the forms of religious, ethical and artistic expression; and the values that come from his efforts and his experience in the personal sphere and in the sphere of family, work and social relations.
Now it is with this world of values, more or less authentic and unequal, that the missionary comes into touch in his work of evangelisation. With regard to them, he will have to take up an attitude of attentive and respectful reflection, taking care never to suffocate, but on the contrary to save and develop those goods that have accumulated in the course of' centuries old traditions.  It is necessary to recognise the constant study by which missionary work is, and must be, inspired in accepting these values of' the world in which it is exercised. The fundamental attitude in those who bring the joyful announcement of' the Gospel to people is to propose, and not impose, Christian Truth.
That is required, in the first place, by the dignity of' the human person, which the Church, following the example of' Christ, has always defended against all aberrant forms of coercion. Freedom, in fact, is the fundamental and indispensable premise of this dignity (Dignitatis Humanae, No.2). That is required, also, by the very nature of faith, which can spring only from free consent (cf.  Dignitatis Humanae, No. 10).
Respect for man and esteem "for what man has himself' worked out in the depths of his spirit concerning the most profound and important problems" (Redemptor Hominis, No. 12), remain fundamental principles for all correct missionary activity, understood as the prudent, timely and industrious sowing of' the Gospel and not as the uprooting of' what, being authentically human, has intrinsic and positive value.

Mission is a Taking Up of Values

The young Churches, as we read in the Decree Ad Gentes, "borrow from the customs, traditions, wisdom, teaching, arts and sciences of their people everything which could be used to praise the glory of the Creator, manifest the grace of the Saviour or contribute to the right ordering of' Christian life" (No.22). Evangelising action must aim, therefore, at emphasising and developing what is valid and wholesome in the man evangelised, as well as in the socio-cultural context to which he belongs. With a careful and discerning method of education (in the etymological sense of "drawing out"), it will bring out and mature, after purifying them of the incrustations and the sediment that have formed in the course of time, the true values of spirituality, religion and charity which as "seeds of the Word" and "signs of God's presence", open the way to the acceptance of the Gospel.
Adopting "the riches of the nations which have been given to Christ as an inheritance" (cf. Ad Gentes, No.22), and illuminating with the Master's word that sum of customs, traditions and concepts which make up the spiritual heritage of peoples, the Church will contribute in this way to building anew and universal civilisation, which, without distorting the features and the typical aspects of diverse ethnic-social contexts, will attain its own perfection by the acquisition of the highest contents of the Gospel.  Is this, perhaps, not the testimony that comes to us from so many mission countries (I am thinking, for example, of the Churches of Africa), where the power of the Gospel, accepted freely and consciously, far from eliminating, has strengthened the best trends and aspects of local cultures and has encouraged their further development?
The Council, in some beautiful words in the Constitution Gaudium et spes further recalls "The Good News of Christ continually renews the life and culture of fallen man. It combats and removes the error and evil which flow from the ever present attraction of sin. It never ceases to purify and elevate the morality of peoples. It takes the spiritual qualities and endowments of every age and nation, and with supernatural riches it causes them to blossom, as it were, from within. It fortifies, completes and restores them in Christ. In this way the Church carries out its mission and in that very act it stimulates and advances human and civil culture…" (58).

Mission is Fresh Building 
Evangelising action, aiming as it does at transforming every human creature "from within", introduces into consciences a ferment of renewal, capable of "affecting and as it were upsetting. through the power of the Gospel, mankind's criteria of judgement, determining values, points of interest, lines of thought, sources of inspiration and models of life, which are in contrast with the Word of God and the plan of salvation" (Evangelii Nuntiandi, No. 19). Under the influence of this inner urge, the individual is led to become increasingly aware of his reality as a "Christian", that is, of the dignity that is specifically his as a human being, created in the image and likeness of God ennobled in his very nature by the event of the Incarnation of the Word and destined to a higher ideal of life.
We find here the foundations of that "Christian humanism", in which natural values are united with those of Revelation -the grace of divine adoptive filiation, of brotherhood with Christ, of the sanctifying action of the Spirit. The birth of the "new creature" then becomes possible , rich both in human and in divine values. Here we have the "new man", raised to a transcendent dimension from which he draws the indispensable help to dominate his passions and to practice the most difficult virtues, such as forgiveness and love of neighbour now his brother.
Brought up in the School of the Gospel, the "new man" feels the obligation to become a supporter of  justice, charity and peace in the socio-political context to which he belongs, and he becomes an architect or, at least, a collaborator in that "new civilisation" which has its magna charta in the Sermon on the Mount. It is clear, therefore, how the renewal promoted by the work of evangelisation, though essentially spiritual, goes straight to the heart of the serious and haunting problem of economic and social injustice and inequities which torment such a large part of mankind and can also contribute to its solution. Evangelisation and human development, in a word, though remaining clearly distinct (cf. Evangelii Nuntiandi, No. 35), are linked indissolubly, and this link significantly finds its bond in the highest Christian virtue, charity. "Where the Gospel arrives, charity arrives", my Predecessor Paul VI stated in the Message for Mission Sunday in 1970. And in fact missionaries have never failed in this fundamental commitment, always endeavouring to integrate their specific service "pro causa salutis" with a resolute and constructive action for development. A splendid proof of this is the flowering, in all mission countries, of schools, hospitals and institutes, flanked by a whole series of initiatives in the technical, welfare and cultural fields. These are the fruit of hard personal sacrifices on the part of the missionaries themselves, as well as of the hidden renunciations of so many of their brothers who reside elsewhere.
Building the new humanity, permeated by the Spirit of Christ, missionary activity presents itself, at the same time, as a suitable and effective instrument to solve not a few of the evils of the contemporary world; injustice, oppression, exclusion, exploitation, loneliness. It is -as everyone can see -an immense and exalting work, to which each Christian is called to make his own contribution.  
Cooperation and the Pontifical Mission Aid Societies 
Actually, the spread of the proclamation of salvation, far from being a prerogative of missionaries, is a serious duty incumbent on the whole People of God, as the Council authoritatively recalled: "As members of the living Christ, ...all the faithful have an obligation to collaborate in the expansion and spread of his Body" (Ad Gentes, No. 36). I cannot but dwell, therefore, on this duty in conclusion of these words of mine.
Those who, having received the gift of faith, enjoy the teachings of Christ and participate in the Sacraments of his Church, precisely by virtue of the commandment of love and -I would say -by the solidarity of charity, cannot disregard the millions of brothers, to whom the Good News has not yet been brought. They must take part in missionary activity, in the first place with prayer and with the offering of their own sufferings. This is the most effective way of collaborating since, precisely through Calvary and the Cross, Christ carried out his work of redemption. They must, furthermore support it with generous concrete aid, because there are immense and innumerable needs in the mission lands. Such aid, collected through the Pontifical Mission Aid Societies -the central and official organ of the Holy See for missionary animation and cooperation -will subsequently be distributed, according to justice and opportuneness  among the young Churches. "It is right", the Council tells us, "that these Societies should be given first place" because they are a means by which Catholics are imbued from infancy with a truly universal and missionary out look-. .." (Ad Gentes, No. 38) It is these Societies which ensure efficient coordination in the global view of expectations and requests. It is from them that there starts branching out the vast network of missionary charity. But their reason for existing is not reduced only to an organisational function.  Actually, they are called to play a part of active mediation and inter-ecclesial communication, stimulating frequent and brotherly contact among the various local Churches, among those of ancient tradition and those of recent foundation. And this is a far higher function, because it directly reflects and promotes the circulation of charity.
Expressing in advance deep gratitude to those who accept this message with open hearts, I invoke the fullness of heavenly favours on my revered Brothers in the episcopate on their diocesan communities and above all on individual missionaries men and women.  and their Institutes, while I impart the Apostolic Blessing to all as a token of grateful affection.
From the Vatican. June 14, the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Year 1979, the First of the Pontificate.
Johannes Paulus PP. II

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