# chhotebhai –
For the likes of Tom Cruise, James Bond, Superman, Batwoman or our own desi Shaktiman, there is no such thing as impossible. These superheroes can attain or achieve anything. The word “impossible is also not to be found in God’s lexicon. “What is impossible for man is possible for God” (Lk 18:27).
What about us lesser mortals? Do we wallow in self-pity, bemoaning our inability to bring about change? Oh yes, the word “impossible” is very much in the lexicon of the Evil One that surely and steadily convinces us of our own weaknesses and ineptitude – the silence of the lambs that go to the slaughter; because they can’t do anything about it.
We are in the month of October and Mission Sunday beckons. What do we do? We buy some “Mission Sunday” calendars and put some money in the envelopes that are distributed in the parish. Mission accomplished! We are good Christians. We can now return to our mundane lives of earning our living, cooking, cleaning, pursuing our careers et al.
What is this mission that we are talking about? I recall an elite convent school principal lamenting, “People only come to me for admissions”. What she left unsaid is that this was the image that she had portrayed. If one sees a “Bata” signboard one goes in to buy shoes. If one sees “Tata” it may be a vehicle showroom. What we portray is what we attract to ourselves. In marketing terms this is called “branding”. If the Catholic Church in India has been branded for “admissions”, it has only itself to blame. We have lost track of our original mission.
The mission of the Twelve is beautifully portrayed in Mathew (10:1-16). Suffice it to say that we have failed miserably in this mission, in both style and substance. The biggest mistake has been in our approach. Jesus had said; no gold, no haversack, spare clothing, footwear or staff. We were told to go as sheep among wolves; cunning as snakes and innocent as doves. Unfortunately, today we go with power and pelf, foreign money (till recently) and big institutions. Rather than attracting genuine seekers of truth, we are repelling them. To this we may add our westernised, latinised, syrianised forms of liturgy and lifestyle.
Let us also objectively look at contemporary Church teachings on our mission. I shall quote extensively from Pope Paul VI’s encyclical “Evangelii Nuntiandi” (EN) promulgated in 1975, ten years after Vatican II (1962-65) and the “Decree on the Missionary Activity of the Church” – Ad Genetes (AG).
But before that, two little anecdotes. A missionary was sailing to convert the “pagans” in a far off land. At sea a ship with about 1000 on board was sinking. The zealous missionary took his crucifix out of his bag, blessed the drowning persons and said, “I baptise you in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit”! That night he made this entry in his mission log book, “Sent 1000 precious souls to heaven”. This may sound ludicrous today, but this was the earlier motivating force for evangelization and baptism – to save souls from going to hell.
However, the “Dogmatic Constitution of the Church” now unequivocally states that even those who have not yet come to an explicit knowledge of God, can be saved by grace (cf LG 16). This turns missiology on its head. If agnostics, atheists and the unbaptised can be saved, then why bother about evangelisation at all? Why preach the Gospel, with its attendant risks? The answer is blowing in the wind. Or rather, in this second anecdote.
A rustic had heard about the Taj Mahal, the monument of love in Agra, so he decided to visit it. When he came to know of the cruel circumstances under which it was built, it left a bitter taste in his mouth. He then recalled that Agra was also famous for its petha (candied ash gourd).
Apprehensive of another let down, he tentatively tasted a little. It was delicious, melting in the mouth. His thoughts flew to his son back home in the village. He needed to share this new found sweetness with him. 40 years ago I had coined this Hindi slogan, “Baap khaya petha, yaad aaya beta” (The father tasted the sweetness. His thoughts flew to his son). It was a natural progression of loving, caring and sharing.
This is what evangelisation is all about, sharing with our human family the joyous experience of God’s love. This is not a mandate, it is a compulsion. It brooks no argument, sharing this amrit (life giving nectar) with others. Nevertheless I am sharing some relevant quotes from both EN and AG. Readers are free to draw their own conclusions:
- Evangelisation is a service rendered to all humanity (EN 1)
- It is only in the Christian message that we can find the answers to man’s questions and commitment to human solidarity (EN 3)
- The presentation of the gospel is not an optional contribution for the church, it is its incumbent duty (EN 5)
- The gospel message does not permit indifference, syncretism or accommodation (EN 5)
- Evangelisation is the grace and vocation proper to the church, her deepest identity, she exists in order to evangelise (EN 14)
- The Christian community is never closed in upon itself (EN 15)
- Evangelisation means bringing the good news into all strata of humanity … transforming it from within (EN 18)
- The church evangelises when she seeks to convert … both the personal and collective consciences of people, the activities in which they engage, and their lives and concrete milieux (EN 18)
- Above all the gospel must be proclaimed by witness (EN 21)
- Through the wordless witness Christians stir up irresistible questions in the hearts of those who see how they live (EN 21)
- In the long run witness must be explained, justified (EN 23)
- It seeks a visible entry into a community of believers (Ibid)
- Evangelisation cannot ignore circumstances of justice, liberation, development and peace (EN 31)
- Modern man listens more willingly to witness than to teachers (EN 41)
- Modern man is sated by talk … tired of listening … impervious to words (EN 42)
From Ad Genetes I will add what is not already stated in EN:
- By the example of her life and by her preaching … she can lead them to the faith ((AG 5)
- The variety of situations keeps it from being exercised in the same way (AG 6)
- The specific purpose of missionary activity is evangelisation and the planting of the church among those peoples where she has not yet taken root (Ibid)
- Circumstances are sometimes such that, for the time being, there is no possibility of expounding the gospel directly and immediately (Ibid)
- The division among Christians damages the most holy cause of preaching the gospel (Ibid)
- The church strictly forbids forcing anyone to embrace the faith or alluring or enticing people by unworthy techniques (AG 13). This was long before the Anti-Conversion Acts in India used such language!
Other than the various averments made there are a few takeaways that merit reiteration:
- Evangelisation is not just conversion or baptising; it involves transforming the whole person and circumstances of life
- There is the grave danger of an inward looking church, so obvious in our parishes and their “activities”
- Authentic witness is more important than mere preaching. People are fed up of being talked down to
- There can be mitigating circumstances that warrant a more nuanced approach
- Christian disunity is a major stumbling block to evangelisation
- There is no room for force or dubious means (short cuts)
Considering the current hostile atmosphere in the country, where even Christian orphanages and service institutions are forced shut on specious counts, the Christian community needs to understand that discretion is the better part of valour.
On the one hand Jesus says to us, “What you hear whispered proclaim upon the housetops” (Mat 10:27) “Make disciples of all nations, baptise them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit” (Mat 28:20). On the other hand he warns, “Then he gave the disciples strict orders not to say to anyone that he was the Christ” (Mat 16:20). That is why we are told “There is a season for everything, a time for every occupation under heaven … a time for keeping silent, a time for speaking” (Ecc 3:1,7); and finally that we should interpret the signs of the times (cf Mat 16:3).
Does all this leave us confused? Wonderful, because that is where the Holy Spirit can work. If we already have all the answers then there is no need to discern the will of the Father. If Jesus himself needed to pray for that, how much more do we, to fulfil our mission?
Move over Tom Cruise. We have our own cruise missile – the Word of God, a two edged sword that can penetrate the narrowest of spaces in “discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb 4:12).
The writer may be contacted at [email protected].