Chapter One: The Church’s Missionary Transformation
Fr Tom Rouse
In the opening chapter of Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis has a wonderful way of exploring what it means to be Church. He begins with the missionary mandate of Jesus, ‘Go out to the whole world…’ (Mt 28:19-20), and concludes with what Jesus says to us about the poor sitting at the very doors of our Church, ‘Give them something to eat’! (Mk 6:37)
This exploration began long before Francis became Pope. It is based on personal experiences and reflections upon what it means to belong to a Church that is undergoing constant renewal and growth because of its primary call to mission. This is an age-old theme of theological reflection. But Francis uses new and contemporary language in bringing to life the importance of this theme. He speaks, for example, about the need to abandon our ‘comfort zones’ and reach out to the ‘peripheries’ of the Church and society (20).
His reflections are like an elaborate mural painted over the walls of our Church with plenty of empty spaces where we are invited to colour in our own experiences and reflections. There is even a suggestion box for those who want to send any comments of advice to Francis about how he could better carry out his responsibilities so as to bring about the renewal of the papacy! (32). This mural is interspersed with pointed comments, like the one that warns priests not to turn the confessional into a torture chamber! (44).
After an introduction, Francis explains what is the nature and tasks of mission. The connection between ‘communion and mission’ (23) gives expression to the two sides of the one call – to live and to walk with Jesus. Hence, renewal takes place through an increase of fidelity to our call to mission. We undergo conversion as we carry out our pastoral commitments.
In the mould of ancient and modern prophets, Francis goes on to reveal his dream (27). He dreams of a Church that undergoes continual change as a result of taking the Gospel into the world. Through the experience of reaching beyond herself, the Church witnesses the continual transformation of her customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, and her languages and structures.
In looking at the structures of the Church, Francis asserts the parish need not be dismissed as simply an outdated institution (28). The parish structure has a flexibility by which it can assume new and different shapes, related to diverse times and circumstances, and depending on the openness and creativity of its pastor and the community.
In speaking about the message we proclaim as evangelisers, Francis advises us not to distort or undermine the Gospel. We need to maintain a sense of proportion by ensuring that various dimensions and themes of our Christian message are given equal attention. In this way, we will avoid the danger of speaking ‘more about law than about grace, more about the Church than about Christ, more about the Pope than about God’s word’ (38).< /p>
In the concluding section to this chapter, Francis talks about the Church as ‘a mother with an open heart’. As such, she must always have her doors wide open. Here we come back to his dream of ‘a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out in the streets rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security… .’ (49).
Let us take hold of the dream of what it means to be Church. Following the advice of Pope Francis, let us be bold and imaginative yet aware of our limitations, let us be confident yet critical, let us open our doors and be open to where the Spirit will lead us, to the poor and the downtrodden and to continual transformation.
Fr Tom Rouse lives and works at the Columban Mission, Lower Hutt.