Communion and mission

The Call to Mission

13. The Church in Oceania received the Gospel from previous generations of Christians and from missionaries coming from overseas. The Synod paid tribute to the many missionaries - clergy, women and men religious as well as lay people - who have spent themselves in carrying the Gospel to Oceania;⁽³²⁾ their sacrifices have, by God's grace, borne much fruit. As the peoples of Oceania came to accept the fullness of redemption in Christ, they found a striking symbol in the night skies, where the Southern Cross stands as a luminous sign of God's overarching grace and blessing.⁽³³⁾ The present generation of Christians is called and sent now to accomplish a new evangelization among the peoples of Oceania, a fresh proclamation of the enduring truth evoked by the symbol of the Southern Cross. This call to mission poses great challenges, but it also opens new horizons, full of hope and even a sense of adventure.

The call to mission is addressed to every member of the Church. "The whole Church is missionary, for her missionary activity...is an essential part of her vocation".⁽³⁴⁾ Some members of the Church are sent to people who have not heard of Jesus Christ, and their mission remains as vital as ever. But many more are sent to the world closer to home, and the Synod Fathers were keen to stress the mission of the lay members of the Church. In the family, in the workplace, in the schools, in community activities, all Christians can help to bring the Good News to the world in which they live.

A Christian community is never meant to be just a comfortable place for its members. The Synod Fathers wanted to encourage the local communities to look beyond their own immediate concerns and reach out to others. The parish as a community cannot insulate itself from the realities of the world around it. The Christian community must be attentive to issues of social justice and spiritual hunger in society. What Jesus offers to his followers must be shared with all the peoples of Oceania, whatever their situation. For in him alone is the fullness of life.

Challenges

14. The Synod Fathers wanted Jesus Christ to be heard and understood by the people entrusted to their care, and by many more. They saw the need to reach out to those who live with unfulfilled hopes and desires, to those who are Christians in name only, and to those who have drifted away from the Church, perhaps because of painful experiences. Every effort should be made to heal such wounds, and to return the lost sheep to the fold.

Above all, the Synod Fathers wanted to touch the hearts of young people. Many of them are searching for truth and goodness, and their search can involve experimenting with the appeals and claims of the contemporary world, some of which are clearly destructive. This can create a confusion in the young which leaves them at a loss to know what true values might be and where true happiness might be found. The great challenge and opportunity is to offer them the gifts of Jesus Christ in the Church, for these gifts alone will satisfy their yearning. But Christ must be presented in a way well adapted to the younger generation and the rapidly changing culture in which they live.

At times the Catholic Church is seen as presenting a message which is irrelevant, unattractive or unconvincing; but we can never allow such claims to undermine our confidence, for we have found the pearl of great price (cf. Mt13:46). Yet there is no room for complacency. The Church is challenged to interpret the Good News for the peoples of Oceania according to their present needs and circumstances. We must present Christ to our world in a way that brings hope to the many who suffer misery, injustice or poverty. The mystery of Christ is a mystery of new life for all who are in need or in pain, for disrupted families or people who face unemployment, who are marginalized, injured in soul or body, sick or addicted to drugs, and for all who have lost their way. This mystery of grace, the mysterium pietatis, is the very heart of the Church and her mission.

A Church of Participation

15. The Catholic communities of Oceania are increasingly confident about what they have to offer to the universal Church and, in turn, the Church rejoices in the special gifts that these communities contribute. Many of them are engaged in missionary outreach in Oceania and beyond, in the Pacific Islands and Papua New Guinea, and in Southeast Asia and more distant parts of the world. Local Churches, founded by missionaries, are in turn sending out missionaries, and that is an unmistakable sign of maturity. They have understood the missionary message that Pope Paul VI, together with the people of Samoa, sent to the Catholic people of the world: "Listen to the call to become heralds of the good news of salvation".⁽³⁵⁾ What I expressed as a wish to the Bishops of C.E.PAC. in Suva in 1986 has come true: "The Churches which have been established by missionaries will in turn be sending forth missionaries to other nations".⁽³⁶⁾ However, some Dioceses of Oceania still have to depend upon the solidarity of other local Churches, and their lack of resources should not be allowed to restrain their generosity in fulfilling their mission. The sharing of resources for the good of all is a solemn duty of the Christian life and at times an urgent need in Christian mission.

In many islands of Oceania catechists are assisting the ordained ministers in their missionary or pastoral work. In Australia and New Zealand, catechists teach the faith in the local community, especially to children and catechumens. "They all are direct witnesses and irreplaceable evangelizers who... represent the basic strength of Christian communities".⁽³⁷⁾ These lay workers are often effective because they live and work close to the ordinary people. "They have made and continue to make a truly indispensable contribution to the life and mission of the Church".⁽³⁸⁾ The catechists in many islands are not only trained to teach, but also to lead the community in prayer and to evangelize beyond the bounds of the Catholic community. In the traditional cultures, the faith is often best communicated orally by telling stories, by preaching, by praying in word, song and dance. To guide and develop this kind of activity, special courses, programmes and retreats are needed. The task now is to present Jesus Christ to those whose faith has grown weak under the pressures of secularization and consumerism and who tend to regard the Church as just another of the many institutions of modern society that influence people's thinking and behaviour. In such a situation, the Church needs well-trained leaders and theologians to present Jesus Christ convincingly to the peoples of Oceania.

It was a joy during the Assembly to hear many Bishops speaking about programmes of Christian renewal in their Dioceses, and about the deepening of faith among their people which these provide. One of the remarkable features of these programmes is the involvement of many lay people. We are all grateful for the various gifts God has given lay men and women to carry out their mission, which is not only a call to action and service but also a call to prayer.⁽³⁹⁾ They and their pastors are encouraged to move forward with fresh energy and to proclaim Jesus Christ to their people with renewed conviction. Catholic communities in Oceania are already making great efforts to reach out to others in word and deed; and the Synod Fathers expressed both deep appreciation for these efforts and strong support for those prepared to offer themselves for work in the Church's mission. I join in praying that these workers in the vineyard of the Lord will find fulfilment and joy in the work to which God himself has called them.

There are many other challenges facing the Church's members, especially those entrusted with pastoral responsibility. Aware of the limits of all human effort, the Synod Fathers were not discouraged but recalled the simple and strong assurance of the Lord. Sending the Apostles forth to preach the Good News to all the nations, the Risen Lord says: "Know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time" (Mt28:20). This promise of the Lord was a source of fresh hope for the Bishops as they looked to the many challenges they face in the attempt to preach Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life; and they called upon all the Catholic people of Oceania to join them in that hope.