Proposition 49

You may be familiar with the word “proposition,” considering the recent controversy in the political sphere over “Proposition 8” in California.  Well, this proposition is one of a whole bunch of recommendations the bishops attending the recent Synod in Rome have made to Pope Benedict.  They will likely be pastorally digested by the Pope and based on this he will write an Apostolic Exhortation to the whole Church on the theme of “The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church.”  

So far lots of excellent propositions have come forth.  The 49th is particularly applicable to ChristLife and our evangelizing mission...  In the face of what the Pope calls “the dictatorship of relativism” (present within and outside of the Church), the mission of proclaiming Jesus as the Way for all peoples is often neglected or implicitly dismissed. The teaching Church (magisterium) guided by the Holy Spirit continues in fidelity to Jesus’ command and calls all to a renewed proclamation of the Gospel to all:

Proposition 49: Mission "ad gentes"

The Word of God is a good for all men, which the Church must not keep to herself but share with joy and generosity with all peoples and cultures, so that they also can find in Jesus Christ the Way, the Truth and the Life (cf. John 14:6).

Looking at the example of St. Paul, of the Apostles and of so many missionaries that, in the course of history, took the Gospel to peoples, this Synod reaffirms the urgency of the mission "ad gentes" [to all nations] also in our time -- a proclamation that must be explicit, made not only within our churches but everywhere and must be accompanied by a coherent testimony of life, which makes the content evident and reinforces it.

Bishops, priests, deacons, persons of consecrated life and laymen must also be close to persons who do not participate in the liturgy and do not frequent our communities. The Church must go out to all with the strength of the Spirit (cf. 2 Corinthians 2:5) and continue to defend prophetically the right and liberty of persons to listen to the Word of God, seeking the most effective means to proclaim it, not excluding the risk of persecution.

Whoa!  Yeah, read it again, very good!  What strikes you about this Proposition?

The italics above are the parts that strike me:  the urgency of mission is reaffirmed, explicit proclamation of Jesus is called for based on our own testimonies not just doctrine or apologetics, clergy and laity alike are called to have friendships with non-Christians to bring them Jesus, and we need the power of the Spirit.

And, interestingly, if I may point out, the person who put this document together for the bishops got the Scripture verse wrong above :)  Funny, that the document is all about knowing the Word of God.  :)  The proper reference here is first Corinthians 2:5.  This is a powerful Scripture that is better in the context of the preceding few verses:

“For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
And I was with you in weakness and much fear and trembling;
And my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom,
But in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
That your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God”
1 Corinthians 2:2-5