Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, Lettera pastorale What is Happening to our Beautiful Land? (29 gennaio 1988). Cfr Propositio 6; Conc. Ecum. Vat. II, Cost. past. sulla Chiesa nel mondo contemporaneo Gaudium et spes, 22. Cfr Giovanni Paolo II, Esort.. ap. postsinodale Ecclesia in Asia (6 novembre 1999), 20: AAS 92 (2000), 478-482.

Just as you cannot understand Christ apart from the kingdom he came to bring, so too your personal mission is inseparable from the building of that kingdom: “Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness” ( Mt 6:33). Your identification with Christ and his will involves a commitment to build with him that kingdom of love, justice and universal peace. Christ himself wants to experience this with you, in all the efforts and sacrifices that it entails, but also in all the joy and enrichment it brings. You cannot grow in holiness without committing yourself, body and soul, to giving your best to this endeavour. San Tommaso d’Aquino, Summa contra Gentiles, I, VII; cfr Giovanni Paolo II, Lett. enc. Fides et ratio (14 settembre 1998), 43: AAS 91 (1999), 39. Cfr Benedetto XVI, Discorso ai partecipanti al Convegno Internazionale in occasione del 40º anniversario del Decreto Conciliare Ad gentes (11 marzo 2006): AAS 98 (2006), 337. Jan PawełII, Posynodalna Adhort. apost. Christifideles laici (30 grudnia 1988), 32: AAS 81 (1989), 451.Infine, rimarchiamo che l’evangelizzazione è essenzialmente connessa con la proclamazione del Vangelo a coloro che non conoscono Gesù Cristo o lo hanno sempre rifiutato. Molti di loro cercano Dio segretamente, mossi dalla nostalgia del suo volto, anche in paesi di antica tradizione cristiana. Tutti hanno il diritto di ricevere il Vangelo. I cristiani hanno il dovere di annunciarlo senza escludere nessuno, non come chi impone un nuovo obbligo, bensì come chi condivide una gioia, segnala un orizzonte bello, offre un banchetto desiderabile. La Chiesa non cresce per proselitismo ma «per attrazione». [13] In 2013, the first year of his pontificate, Pope Francis released an Apostolic Exhortation on the joy of the Gospel titled Evangelii Gaudium. In it, he encouraged the Christian faithful to “embark on a new chapter of evangelisation” marked by this joy, whilst striving to find new paths to proclaim the Gospel in today’s world. Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede, Istruzione Libertatis nuntius (6 agosto 1984), XI, 18: AAS 76 (1984), 908. Cfr III Conferenza Generale dell’Episcopato Latino-americano e dei Caraibi, Documento di Puebla (23 marzo 1979), 386-387.

V Conferenza Generale dell’Episcopato Latino-americano e dei Caraibi, Documento di Aparecida (31 maggio 2007), 548.Our feet set out on the way, with the joy of telling others about the Risen Christ. The eternal youth of a Church that is always going forth. Cfr Giovanni Paolo II, Esort. ap. postsinodale Familiaris consortio (22 novembre 1981), 34: AAS 74 (1982), 123-125. So let us set out once more, illumined by our encounter with the risen Lord and prompted by his Spirit. Let us set out again with burning hearts, with our eyes open and our feet in motion. Let us set out to make other hearts burn with the word of God, to open the eyes of others to Jesus in the Eucharist, and to invite everyone to walk together on the path of peace and salvation that God, in Christ, has bestowed upon all humanity. III Konferencja Ogólna Episkopatu Ameryki Łacińskiej i Karaibów, Dokument z Puebli (23 marca 1979), 450; por. V Konferencja Ogólna Episkopatu Ameryki Łacińskiej i Karaibów, Dokument z Aparecidy (29 czerwca 2007), 264. The Father’s plan is Christ, and ourselves in him. In the end, it is Christ who loves in us, for “holiness is nothing other than charity lived to the full”. [24] As a result, “the measure of our holiness stems from the stature that Christ achieves in us, to the extent that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we model our whole life on his”. [25] Every saint is a message which the Holy Spirit takes from the riches of Jesus Christ and gives to his people.

The image of “feet setting out” reminds us once more of the perennial validity of the missio ad gentes, the mission entrusted to the Church by the risen Lord to evangelize all individuals and peoples, even to the ends of the earth. Today more than ever, our human family, wounded by so many situations of injustice, so many divisions and wars, is in need of the Good News of peace and salvation in Christ. I take this opportunity to reiterate that “everyone has the right to receive the Gospel. Christians have the duty to announce it without excluding anyone, not as one who imposes a new obligation, but as one who shares a joy, signals a beautiful horizon, offers a desirable banquet” (Evangelii Gaudium, 14). Missionary conversion remains the principal goal that we must set for ourselves as individuals and as a community, because “missionary outreach is paradigmatic for all the Church’s activity” (ibid., 15). To be holy does not require being a bishop, a priest or a religious. We are frequently tempted to think that holiness is only for those who can withdraw from ordinary affairs to spend much time in prayer. That is not the case. We are all called to be holy by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves. Are you called to the consecrated life? Be holy by living out your commitment with joy. Are you married? Be holy by loving and caring for your husband or wife, as Christ does for the Church. Do you work for a living? Be holy by labouring with integrity and skill in the service of your brothers and sisters. Are you a parent or grandparent? Be holy by patiently teaching the little ones how to follow Jesus. Are you in a position of authority? Be holy by working for the common good and renouncing personal gain. [14]John Henry Newman, Letter of 26 January 1833,in: The Letters and Diaries of John Henry Newman, vol. III, Oxford 1979, p. 204. Then, “as they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them” (v. 15). As when he first called the disciples, so now, amid their bewilderment, the Lord takes the initiative; he approaches them and walks alongside them. So too, in his great mercy, he never tires of being with us, despite all our failings, doubts, weaknesses, and the dismay and pessimism that make us become “foolish and slow of heart” (v. 25), men and women of little faith.

It is not healthy to love silence while fleeing interaction with others, to want peace and quiet while avoiding activity, to seek prayer while disdaining service. Everything can be accepted and integrated into our life in this world, and become a part of our path to holiness. We are called to be contemplatives even in the midst of action, and to grow in holiness by responsibly and generously carrying out our proper mission. Jan PawełII, Posynodalna Adhort. apost. Ecclesia in Asia (6 listopada 1999), 19: AAS 92 (2000), 478. Giovanni Paolo II, Esort. ap. postsinodale Pastores dabo vobis(25 marzo 1992), 26: AAS 84 (1992), 698. Commissione Teologica Internazionale, Il cristianesimo e le religioni (1996), 72: Ench. Vat. 15, n. 1061.II Assemblea speciale per l’Europa del Sinodo dei Vescovi, Messaggio finale, 1: L’Osservatore Romano (23 ottobre 1999), 5. As the Apostle Paul confirms, the love of Christ captivates and impels us (cf. 2 Cor 5:14). This love is two-fold: the love of Christ for us, which calls forth, inspires and arouses our love for him. A love that makes the Church, in constantly setting out anew, ever young. For all her members are entrusted with the mission of proclaiming the Gospel of Christ, in the conviction that “he died for all, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised again” (v. 15). All of us can contribute to this missionary movement: with our prayers and activities, with material offerings and the offering of our sufferings, and with our personal witness. The Pontifical Mission Societies are the privileged means of fostering this missionary cooperation on both the spiritual and material levels. For this reason, the collection taken on World Mission Sunday is devoted to the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith. Benedettto XVI, Esort. ap. postsinodale Ecclesia in Medio Oriente (14 settembre 2012), 26: AAS 104 (2012), 762. V Konferencja Ogólna Episkopatu Ameryki Łacińskiej i Karaibów, Dokument z Aparecidy (29 czerwca 2007) 380.