The Legacy of Pope John Paul II:
The Mission of the Redeemer (Redemptoris Missio)
Part II

Directing humanity to the Mystery of Christ
Pope John Paul II viewed with great hope the vast harvest awaiting the Church at the threshold of the Third Millennium of Christianity. In the Introduction to his encyclical Redemptoris Missio our late beloved Holy Father observed: “The number of those who do not know Christ and do not belong to the Church is constantly on the increase. Indeed, since the end of the [Second Vatican] Council it has almost doubled. When we consider this immense portion of humanity which is loved by the Father and for whom he sent his Son, the urgency of the Church’s mission is obvious. On the other hand, our own times offer the Church new opportunities in this field: we have witnessed the collapse of oppressive ideologies and political systems; the opening of frontiers and the formation of a more united world due to an increase in communications; the affirmation among peoples of gospel values which Jesus made incarnate in his own life (peace, justice, brotherhood, concern for the needy); and a kind of soulless economic and technical development which only stimulates the search for the truth about God, about man and about the meaning of life itself. God is opening before the Church the horizons of a humanity more fully prepared for the sowing of the Gospel” (no. 3).

This hopeful, yet realistic, view of the world characterized Pope John Paul II’s dialogue with the human race. At every moment, through every means available to him, Pope John Paul II directed the gaze of humanity to the Mystery of Christ, the revelation of the love of God. Our late Holy Father also understood that the task of making visible and tangible the face of Jesus begins within the interior life of each member of the Church. The Vatican II Decree on Missionary Activity, Ad Gentes, taught: “Since the whole Church is missionary, and the work of evangelization the fundamental task of the people of God, this sacred Synod invites all to undertake a profound interior renewal so that being vitally conscious of their responsibility for the spread of the Gospel they might play their part in missionary work among the nations. As members of the living Christ, incorporated into him and made like him by baptism, confirmation and the Eucharist, all the faithful have an obligation to collaborate in the expansion and spread of his Body, so that they might bring it to fulness as soon as possible (cf. Eph 4:13)” (nos. 35-36).

From his first resounding words of encouragement to the faithful “Be not afraid!” through the invitation at the transition into the Third Millennium “Put out into the deep,” Pope John Paul II showed the members of the Church the significance of missionary endeavors, the work of evangelization. Redemptoris Missio, like a bridge between both invitations, illustrated the recurring emphasis of the Pontificate of John Paul II: “No believer in Christ, no institution of the Church can avoid this supreme duty: to proclaim Christ to all peoples” (no. 3).

The relevance of Missionary Activity
One of the disturbing developments of the latter part of the 20th century is relativism, which suggests that “one religion is as good as another.” Pope John Paul II confronted, as does Pope Benedict XVI, the misconceptions of relativism. In Redemptoris Missio, Pope John Paul II listed some questions posed by people experiencing the confusion of relativism: “Is missionary activity among non-Christians still relevant? Has it not been replaced by inter-religious dialogue? Is not human development an adequate goal of the Church’s mission? Does not respect for conscience and for freedom exclude all efforts at conversion? Is it not possible to attain salvation in any religion? Why then should there be missionary activity?” (no. 4)

In response, Pope John Paul II recalled the beginnings of the Church, as reflected in the New Testament, which offer “a clear affirmation that Christ is the one Savior of all, the only one able to reveal God and lead to God” (no. 5). The convincing preaching of Peter, the valiant missionary endeavors of Paul, and the Gospels themselves which all lead us to understand that “Christ is the one mediator between God and humankind... No one, therefore, can enter into communion with God except through Christ, by the working of the Holy Spirit. Christ’s one, universal mediation, far from being an obstacle on the journey toward God, is the way established by God himself” (no. 5). Appropriately, Pope John Paul II added the simple yet poignant proclamation of Saint Paul: “God’s plan is to ‘unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth’ (Eph 1:10)” (no. 6).

The Pontiff continued, “The urgency of missionary activity derives from the radical newness of life brought by Christ and lived by his followers” (no. 7). Pope John Paul II, who recognized the ailments of contemporary humanity, knew that the Church offers to humanity the remedy by directing man from a merely “horizontal dimension,” which attempts to eliminate the spiritual dimension in the name of freedom of conscience. Acknowledging the teachings of Vatican II on religious freedom, Pope John Paul II noted: “Proclaiming Christ and bearing witness to him, when done in a way that respects consciences, does not violate freedom. Faith demands a free adherence on the part of man, but at the same time faith must also be offered to him, because the ‘multitudes have the right to know the riches of the mystery of Christ — riches in which we believe that the whole of humanity can find, in unsuspected fullness, everything that it is gropingly searching for concerning God, man and his destiny, life and death, and truth ... This is why the Church keeps her missionary spirit alive, and even wishes to intensify it in the moment of history in which we are living’” (no. 8).

The Kingdom of God
Large portions of the Gospels are dedicated to the Public Ministry of Jesus. It is within the Public Ministry that Jesus announces and explains the profound reality of the kingdom of God. “From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Mt 4:17). The revelation of the kingdom of God is heard in the preaching of Christ, particularly in his memorable parables, in the miracles which transformed the lives of many, and his merciful outreach to sinners.

“The kingdom of God,” wrote Pope John Paul II, “is meant for all humankind, and all people are called to become members of it” (no. 14). Explaining that the kingdom’s nature is one of communion among all human beings — with one another and with God, Pope John Paul II added: “The kingdom is the concern of everyone: individuals, society and the world. Working for the kingdom means acknowledging and promoting God’s activity, which is present in human history and transforms it. Building the kingdom means working for liberation from evil in all its forms. In a word, the kingdom of God is the manifestation and the realization of God’s plan of salvation in all its fullness” (no. 15).

The Church, through the task of evangelization, continues to make known the realities of the kingdom of God. Through preaching, the call to conversion, by spreading throughout the world gospel values, and by the establishment of communities and new particular churches, the universal Church shows that it remains at the service of the kingdom (cf. no. 20). The missionary activity of the Church is directed to all of these, as well as to the relief of suffering, to bringing hope to those in difficulty, to bring light to those in darkness. We will continue our reflections on the Church’s missionary efforts. But, let us conclude for now with this reminder of our need to pray for the Church’s mission: “We must ask for the kingdom, welcome it and make it grow within us; but we must also work together so that it will be welcomed and will grow among all people, until the time when Christ ‘delivers the kingdom to God the Father’ and ‘God will be everything to everyone’” (cf. 1 Cor 15: 24, 28) (no. 20).
August 18, 2005