COURSE Document FM-STL-014
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Church Teaching 7
The CICM RP-Province confronts mission challenges in the 21st century. However,
God's assurance of his loving protection mentioned previously (Inspired Word section) is
echoed by Pope Francis as the shepherd of the Church.
Questions for Reflection:
1. What does Pope Francis mean with “rapidification” of human culture? Why is it
problematic?
2. Why do many dedicated Christians need an “ecological conversion”? In what
does it consist?
From the encyclical letter Laudato Si of the Holy Father Francis on Care for our Common
Home. 17-19;217.
Theological and philosophical reflections on the situation of humanity and the world
can sound tiresome and abstract, unless they are grounded in a fresh analysis of our
present situation, which is in many ways unprecedented in the history of humanity.
So, before considering how faith brings new incentives and requirements with regard
to the world of which we are a part, I will briefly turn to what is happening to our
common home.
The continued acceleration of changes affecting humanity and the planet is
coupled today with a more intensified pace of life and work which might be called
“rapidification”. Although change is part of the working of complex systems, the
speed with which human activity has developed contrasts with the naturally slow
pace of biological evolution. Moreover, the goals of this rapid and constant change
are not necessarily geared to the common good or to integral and sustainable
human development. Change is something desirable, yet it becomes a source of
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Saint Louis University Revision No. 01
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Effectivity June 07,
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anxiety when it causes harm to the world and to the quality 7
of life of much of humanity.
Following a period of irrational confidence in progress and human abilities, some
sectors of society are now adopting a more critical approach. We see increasing
sensitivity to the environment, and the need to protect nature, along with a growing
concern, both genuine and distressing, for what is happening to our planet. Let us
review, however cursorily, those questions which are troubling us today and which
we can no longer sweep under the carpet. Our goal is not to amass information or
to satisfy curiosity, but rather to become painfully aware, to dare to turn what is
happening to the world, into our own personal suffering and thus to discover what
each one of us can do about it.”(…)
“The external deserts in the world are growing, because the internal deserts have
become so vast”. For this reason, the ecological crisis is also a summons to profound
interior conversion. It must be said that some committed and prayerful Christians, with
the excuse of realism and pragmatism, tend to ridicule expressions of concern for the
environment. Others are passive; they choose not to change their habits and thus
become inconsistent. So, what they all need is an ecological conversion, whereby
the effects of their encounter with Jesus Christ become evident in their relationship
with the world around them. Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handwork
is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian
experience”
More than 150 years after its foundation, the CICM congregation and missionary
project are still very much alive and in full development. In the aftermath of the Vatican
II council, a new missionary climate has grown, with a new theology and spirituality of
mission. Likewise, new initiatives were taken by CICM in the Philippines, including some
new parishes, new projects with marginalized people, and, very recently, even a ‘lay
missioners’ movement. Taking Father Nestor Pycke, CICM, as our guide, we may hear
from him how the very perspective on ‘mission’ has changed around the middle of the
20th century, especially in the 1960’s: “Missionary reflection starts from God’s plan, from
his design of love that wants to save all creation.” This goes much further than the
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Effectivity June 07,
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unilateral understanding of “mission” as a duty to build the 7
Church in pagan countries. Mission is essentially evangelizing,
a mission of proclaiming the Gospel to those who do not know Christ (Ad gentes).
However, to be credible, such announcement of the Good News of Christ must be
translated into the language and cultural forms of the receiving community, and be
coupled to integral development and liberation from all kinds of oppression. Only in this
way can mission be perceived as a genuine path leading to salvation. This salvation has
Christ as its source, in whose mystery all who are saved are participating. Some degree
of salvation may also await non-Christians who are sincerely seeking God: to them, too,
Christ can be mediator. However, this doesn’t undermine the rationale for doing
missionary work. Father Pycke writes: “First, there is the formal mandate of Christ to his
disciples: “Go therefore, make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28,19; Mark 16, 15.), a
mandate to which the Church wants to be faithful.
Next, there is the fundamental demand of God’s life in us. We explain this second point.
We should not forget that “mission is an issue of faith; an accurate indicator of our faith
in Christ and his love for us.” (Redemptoris Missio, 11) Because of the Church’s faith we
say that true conversion consists in opening oneself to the love of Christ. In him and only
in him, we are set free from every form of alienation, from the slavery of sin”.
For the CICM missionaries, both in the Philippines and in the rest of the world, the field
indicated as Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation constitutes a priority sector of
attention, as may be attested by the following:
(1) The current organization of CICM reflects on each level of government (general,
regional, and provincial) a committee on Justice and Peace. The Philippines Provincial
Superior mentioned in 2016 that the provincial government has been explicitly
committed to JPIC since the General Chapter mandate of 1992. In this context, a
confrere was assigned in 1996 in a full-time capacity to coordinate possible exchanges
and growth and to concretize missionary presence among the poor and the
marginalized. Since 2014, a confrere is assigned on a full-time basis in social ministry,
involving advocacies on reforestation, anti-mining, anti-contractualization, etc.
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(2) During the 15th General Chapter, held in Rome, in 2017, 7
some confreres presented a declaration on the Protection of
the Environment, referring to the encyclical Laudato Sí of Pope Francis. The confreres
declare the urgency of the commitment to counter the earth’s destruction which affects
especially the poor, and the need to make environmental protection an integral part of
both the individual and communal life and ministry of the CICM.
(3) The 2015 Strategic Planning of CICM-RP included a chapter on “JPIC” or ‘Justice,
Peace, and Integrity of Creation’. Its formulation and implementation are to be taken
care of by the Provincial Committee on Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation. The
said committee foresees among others the promotion of JPIC awareness among
confreres, seminarians and students of CICM-run schools, and selected immersion
programs for these categories of people. It also links the JPIC issue to Indigenous Peoples’
Advocacy (IPA), and to specifically related issues like anti-mining, women’s rights,
poverty alleviation etc. The committee is set to come up with specific guidelines and an
evaluation grid in relation to missionary involvement in those fields. It further plans to come
up with stronger ties or networking with its counterparts in dioceses – especially those
dioceses in which CICM is already active – other religious congregations, and
government offices, in view of joint action programs, common formation sessions, etc.
Sometimes, the JPIC issue is also related to Inter-Religious Dialogue (IRD), if situated in
areas that have a mixed population of Christians and non-Christians, in particular Muslims.
The outreach of the Provincial committee is, therefore, intended to be inclusive and inter-
denominational.
Already the Acts of the 9th General Chapter are mentioning “concern for the poor and
oppressed” among the main points of attention under the Chapter “finance”.
Investments should be “morally and socially responsible”, in line with “corporate social
responsibility”. The feasibility of the latter would be the object of an examination by the
General Council. The 1996 Guidelines for Mission also take up the matter: “The aim of
mission is the Kingdom of God which includes a humanity of freedom, fellowship, and
justice”. To achieve this, the road going there needs to be cleared from obstacles, like
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Effectivity June 07,
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serious poverty cases: “The poor are powerless and all initiative 7
is denied to them by the situation in which they live. Their
poverty is not only economic, but it also affects their human dignity.”
The Statutes of the CICM-RP Province mention JPIC and Interreligious Dialogue (IRD)
among the missionary priorities of the province: “Regarding our pastoral involvement in
the different dioceses, priority is given to poor parishes and especially where we continue
our missionary presence to the Indigenous People giving special attention to BEC, JPIC,
and Ministry to the Weakest, the Most Neglected and the Handicapped.”
The 13th General Chapter of the CICM recognizes the JPIC problem as a central one,
both for the congregation and for its individual members, which has been the object of
a fast-rising attention: “Reviewing some recommendations of previous Chapters and
other related documents, we realized that there has been a significant growth in our
awareness about JPIC issues.” This increase came just timely, since the missionary context
of the confreres keeps changing: “Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) is an
integral part of our mission in today’s world.” Acknowledging the risks involved in fighting
for JPIC, the chapter expresses the wish for external mentorship: “We thus feel the need
for workshops and training facilitated by a professional who can stimulate our interest
and motivation and sharpen our sensitivities as well as provide us with the necessary skills
in the area of JPIC.” However, skills alone are not enough for a fruitful pursuit of JPIC: “We
are aware that the commitment to JPIC demands personal credibility”. Fighting for
integrity of Creation is only possible if accompanied by integrity of the person or soul, in
other words.
The 14th is, perhaps, even richer with comments on JPIC. Referring to the globalizing
trend in today’s world, in terms of trade, communication, transportation, environment
etc., people’s lives, especially those of the poor, are said to be adversely affected: “The
situations of injustice the absence of peace, and the threats to creation and to life itself
continue to multiply”. Some CICM confreres are – through their specific missions –
involved in the promotion of more justice and peace. However, the chapter states that
such mission should be seen as affecting all confreres, as it forms an essential feature of
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the CICM charisma and mission: “The commitment for justice 7
and peace, for the recognition of the dignity of human life and
persons, and likewise the care of creation are constitutive elements of our mission. This
means that the mission and the proclamation of the Good News are not complete if this
aspect is missing. This has consequences for every confrere, every community and for the
Congregation as a whole.”
The chapter wants not only clear principles, but also deeds in accordance with those
principles. What deeds are being referred to here? Do we have to think of the prototype
CICM member as a relief worker, visiting slums, refugee camps, street children, victims of
natural disasters etc.? While this kind of relief may be a genuine reflection of evangelical
brotherly love, it is not enough, according to the chapter: “We have to distinguish
between “charity which comes to the assistance of victims”, which is a fundamental
Christian requirement and “a commitment for justice” which, for love of the victims,
obliges us to address the roots and the causes of their misery, making them more human
and less exclusive.”
The call for JPIC as an “integral part of the Mission of Christ entrusted to us” means that
the CICM family will work on a social and political solution for problems that can be
directly addressed by material means, but may reoccur in the future provided measures
are taken to prevent or minimize this. The chapter also underscores that, even as JPIC is
essential to the CICM identity, it is in no way exclusive to it; other religions, organizations
and governments may pursue the same goals. In view of an enhanced output and
success, but also for sheer spiritual reasons, it can be good to cooperate with anyone or
with any organization that shares the same concerns and pursues the same dreams as
oneself. The issue of Inter-religious dialogue – which, according to the late Omer Degrijse,
CICM, is becoming the main theme or essence of mission theology - receives a new élan
in this way: “Finally, we share our commitments with Christians of diverse denominations,
persons of other beliefs and convictions; this opens a large field of collaboration for the
building of a better world.”
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Saint Louis University Revision No. 01
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Effectivity June 07,
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A similar “practical” orientation was felt in the 1996 Guidelines 7
for Mission: “People who belong to different religions and who
are living together in the same society have only a limited number of choices. They can
fight one another and thus start an endless war (…) Another possibility is to ignore one
another (…). A third possibility is to meet one another and to work together, thus fostering
peace and progress. In this particular context, to opt for peace and progress is to opt for
interreligious encounter and cooperation”. Of course, collaboration for the same cause
with people who do so from a different horizon should be carried out with a healthy
portion of critical sense, “so as not to be manipulated by ideologies”.
The fear of an erosion of one’s own identity should not prevail over the concern to reach
concrete results, to witness real achievements, that alleviate the people’s misery caused
by various structures of injustice and violence.
(Watch the video entitled CICM – RP Missionary Project provided in your flash drive for a
better appreciation of the CICM engagement in the Philippines.)
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