Reflection on Africae Munus - Akpata Habib (11132)

Reflection on Pastores Gregis

Pastores Gregis is a summary of the pastoral rules around a sentence borrowed from Gregory of Nazianzus « first be holy then sanctify» addressed to the bishops. In fact this exhortation is actually a study and a compendium of a proposal on the work or mission of Bishop as the head of the local church. The path of holiness implies on the People and for People, entirely dedicated to his flock in loving and challenging communion. It is of great importance that it should not be seen as marginal issues. Indeed it is first and foremost the spiritual life of the bishop which promotes fertility of his pastoral action and not his ability of undertaking many social projects. The foundation of any effective pastoral care is the assiduous meditation on the mystery of Christ in the passionate contemplation of his face and generous imitation of his life as the Good shepherd. The exhortation addressed also the question of Christian hope today. For the Pope, Christ must remain our hope. “Whoever you are your hope should not be based on us” warns the pope.

Divided into seven chapters, the first share light on the collegiality and missionary character of Episcopate which is not always the main focus.  It is not enough to proclaim the collegiality and this missionary identity from the lips but rather to express it in a clear pastoral vision. There is a great shift in a sense that the collaboration among Bishops of the same country is no longer easy. The missionary spirit is left to the care of some few. The episcopate is more about business than guiding the faithful to the source of Life. The pastoral care is beyond the administration of Sacrament of confirmation. That is why the text insists a lot on the spiritual life of the Bishop. Moreover the text specifies that he must rely on the Word, the Eucharistic, Liturgy of hours, the beatitudes, the virtue of Obedience, poverty and chastity in a church that reflects the purity of Christ

Minister of the Grace of the supreme priesthood, the Bishop is the head of the liturgical life, pedagogy of faith. In this sense, he is also a symbol and instrument of communion among other churches. However he must encounter a lot of current challenges in promoting justice and peace, inter-religious dialogue, especially for the peace in the world, the social and economical and environmental integrity of the creation without forgetting the field of health and migration. It is an integral mission received from Christ through the mediation of the Church.

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Reflection on ecclesial communion in Ecclesia de Eucharistia

“The Church draws her life from the Eucharist”, the truth that keeps on coming in our ecclesiology lectures is not only an expression of a daily experience of faith, but recapitulates the heart of the mystery of the Church. Despite the progress made possible by the liturgical reform, especially in terms of the active participation of the faithful, and "positive signs of the Eucharistic faith and love," and there are still some " " shadows "of abuse that contributes to obscure the sound faith and Catholic doctrine concerning this great  sacrament, which is the heart of the life of the Church. Although the ecumenical concern is clear throughout the text, the Pope intends to manifest fully the Catholic faith as he received it himself. On the one hand, through the Eucharist the Church never ceases to participate in the paschal mystery of the death and the resurrection of Christ. The Church was born of the paschal mystery and concentrates in itself all the Easter Triduum, the passion and resurrection of Christ. On the other hand, the Pope returns to the mystery of the one sacrifice of Christ that unfolds throughout the Eucharist and continues to live the Church. A conclusion is remarkably significant at this level. First, Eucharist affects the entire Christian community and, through it, all Christians and not the other way round. It is a call, a vocation in every community to celebrate the Eucharist. The source of ecclesial communion is therefore in the Eucharist. But for the pope we cannot just talk only of communion forgetting to establish the link between the Eucharist and penance. Because for the communion to be real, it presupposes a life of grace, sanctifying  grace and the practice of virtue.

             Despite the effort to highlight the relationship between the Eucharist and ecclesial communion, the text emphasizes and reminds at number 39 that the Eucharist is never reducible to the community that celebrates. Against any temptation that folds on the group, the Holy Father stressed the importance of binding in communion with the local bishop and the Roman Pontiff, as "the Bishop is the visible principle and foundation of unity in its particular Church "(49). We know how this principle is important at a time when Catholic groups, of all persuasions, may be isolated by promoting practices so different from those of the local church they reveal themselves as groups that are not really in communion with it.

Reflections on Ecclesiam Suam of Pope Paul VI

Paul VI published Ecclesiam Suam  his first encyclical, an exhortation addressed to the members of the Church and "all men of good will." For the Pope, it is more to "prepare their minds.’’ Paul VI painted a church attacked by the waves of the profane world, as he worked in a various schools of thought. He picks up the image of Peter's boat tossed by the waves like the modernism, subjectivism, naturalism and relativism, dangerous currents to the integrity of faith and morals. Paul VI invited especially not to get caught by two attitudes excessive false which is either excessive pessimism about the human condition, or an excess of optimism about human capacities. Paul VI focuses on the Church in its relation to the world. In this line, he wrote that the emergency is to determine how to "live in the world without being of the world", or how to "be in the world without being of the world" He recalls the vision of a world  in John’s Gospel "understood as humanity away from the light of faith and the gift of grace". Immunization against the contagion of evil and error and protection of oneself from infection coming from the world were his two major strong perspectives.

In contact with a world that does not accept God and his messenger, the Church must avoid navigating between two opposed pitfalls:  the splendid isolation of a church from the world and the danger of "conformity" by welcoming and adopting any customs and doctrines, forgetting Paul's admonition "do not be conformed to this world". Paul VI, however, maintains a positive outlook on the world, capable of goodness and honesty. The Bishop of Rome offers the image of the doctor to describe how the church must stand in the world: the doctor does not leak the patient, on the contrary, he is interested in him, he wants to heal . This image tells how Paul VI understands the "dialogue" of the Church with the world.

In addition, Ecclesiam Suam is famous because it is the first time an encyclical document  define dialogue as art of apostolic approach in entering into a relationship with the world. Finally, Paul VI proposes another relation of analogy following the logic of incarnation.

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Reflections on Lumen Gentium

The first words of Lumen  Gentium refers to Christ. He is the light of the nations whose light reflects on the Church. The church does not make sense unless in reference to Christ and to men. One cannot speak independently of its mission, which she has received from the lord to proclaim the Gospel to the world. The church and the world or humanity, are not in opposition or in conflict as two cities or companies. The relationship is interpenetration. The Church is at the service of humanity. The Church is then a Sacrament of salvation and that means it indicates the vocation of humanity and contributes to the fulfillment of this vocation and holiness, Of course, it remains to be reformed because of sin. Through her mission and by her presence in the world, all are called to holiness, therefore to salvation brought by Christ. This is the universal vocation to holiness.

Many scriptural expressions describe the Church as the most important Trinitarian structure, the people of God, the Body of Christ, Temple of the Spirit. The church derives her unity from the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit sent by the Father. Communion and mission are always linked. Here we see a great shift in the theology on the Church.

The Church is first of all referred to as the people of God. All are equal. Ministers and the laity are the priestly people in charge of praise and share the sense of the faith by which Christ is proclaimed and sought as truth. The visible is at the service of the faithful. The religious are consecrated to God in a special way and promote the salvific  mission of the church. Finally, Mary is the model of the church reinstated in the history of God’s people.

The Roman Catholic Church is not simply identified with the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church. The true Church subsists in the Catholic Church. The ecumenical aspect of the formula is immense. So the Church does not coincide with the Kingdom, she announces and she is walking up to it. Life in God is already and not yet there. Universal Church or Catholic Church often means the Church when we emphasize the link or communion with the pope. But the Catholic Church exists within and from local Churches. It is not a multinational company with branches; the bishops are not the representative of the pope. Collectively they lead the Church, in communion with the Bishop of Rome, Primus inter pares the first among the equals, which ensures the unity in charity. The episcopate is first defined as degrees of the sacrament of orders. Collegiality is the mode of deliberation and government of the Church. If it is not a democracy, the Church is not an autocracy.

Reflection  on Africae Munus

AKPATA Habib 11132T

Africae munus stand as the second exhortation after Ecclesia in Africa. It relies heavily on the conciliar text Gaudium et spes. In this document, highly contextualized, Benedict XVI underlines in the first part “the public role the Church and its place in the African continent today.” He encourages all Africans especially all the Christians to get largely involved in the processes of reconciliation and justice, and beyond that, to work for the establishment of a real democratic and peaceful society, by deliberately choosing the side of the poor and the most abandoned. “I therefore encourage Christians to become exemplary in the area of justice and charity” (Mt 5:19-20). But at the same time, the pope is fully aware that this challenging mission can only be done if the Church herself is exemplary, model and reflect Christ way of life in accordance with his Justice, condition for becoming light for all and building a just social order.

The second part is intended as a response to uncompromising internal ailments of the Church itself, including a direct address to the bishops and priests, missionaries and laity, no one is forgotten in this exhortation. To some extend this session echoes the clear intention of the pope against the scandalous behaviours of some prelates. Do we need to mention again the situation in Benin, in Central Africa Republic? Not only to them and to those whose case is still unknown, Benedict uses the language of truth:” The moral authority and the prestige that upholds the exercise of one’s juridical power can only come from the holiness of his or her life.”  Moreover, in matters of adminstration of temporal goods, the pope expects more from them (administrators): “The good administration of your dioceses requires your presence. To make your message credible, see to it that your dioceses become models in the conduct of personnel, in transparency and good financial management. Do not hesitate to seek help from experts in auditing, so as to give example to the faithful and to society at large.” Nothing should be as before. Even a warning was addressed to the priests who are asked to live with simplicity, humility and filial love. Here we find one of the accents of the pontificate of Benedict XVI.

Surly Africa is dynamic and rich in vocation. This should not justify inconsistent behaviors. As he did with the Western church about pedophiles priests, the pope asks Catholics first, an attitude of internal cleansing. This will be the best way of the Church in Africa, in the word of Africae Munus, to be the “spiritual lung” of the Church of tomorrow.

Reflections on the Church - Valence Kisaka

Pastor Aeternus;  THE SUPREMACY OF THE POPE

The First Vatican council established as dogma the Holy Spirit’s gift of infallibility to the Pope as teacher in matters of faith and Morals. The council also established as a matter of doctrine the Roman Catholic understanding of papal primacy. It is evident in the conciliar text Pastor Aerternus that after Vatican I, the Practice of the church matters regarding the primacy and infallibility of the pope did exceed the scope of the council’s own teachings. The theology of the day tended to give to the pope great power than before. From the very beginning of the document particularly in chapter three the conciliar document stipulates the power and character of the primacy of the Roman Pontiff.

The council affirms the world –wide view primacy of the Apostolic See and the Roman Pontiff. The constitution speaks of the Roman church and its primacy as that which carries and explains the primacy of the Pontiff when it says that Roman church by the Lords disposition possesses over all other the a primacy of ordinary power and this power of jurisdiction of the Roman pontiff truly episcopal is immediate. There is therefore only one sovereign power in the church and that sovereignty resides completely in the Vicar of Christ.. The faithful are therefore required to submit to this authority by the duty of hierarchical subordination and obedience in matters of faith, morals and discipline.  

J.M.R. Tillard in his work The Bishop of Rome attempts to resolve the tension that arises from the argument made by the constitution on the fact that “in practice the power of the Roman pontiff is to promote rather than to stifle that of other bishops”.

This power of the Supreme Pontiff by no means detracts from that ordinary and immediate power of episcopal jurisdiction, by which bishops, who have succeeded to the place of the apostles by appointment of the Holy Spirit, tend and govern individually the particular flocks which have been assigned to them. On the contrary, this power of theirs is asserted, supported and defended by the Supreme and Universal Pastor; for St. Gregory the Great says: "My honor is the honor of the whole Church. My honor is the steadfast strength of my brethren. Then do I receive true honor, when it is denied to none of those to whom honor is due. ( cf Denzinger 3061)

The hierarchy is therefore established right from the beginning in the time of Apostles when Jesus himself was the head .Jesus then wished to provide a vicar or a substitute for himself when before leaving the world. He therefore chose Peter and made him the foundation of his church promising him the keys of the Kingdom and commanded him to feed his flock which involved both pastors and people.

The Summit in this case is Peter who is the supreme authority followed by the Apostles who administer and govern with the help of those chosen among the first disciples and finally the faithful who have the responsibility to obey. This hierarchical structure has been handed on through generations up to date. Thus we have the supreme pontiff; vicar of Christ, successor of Peter and the teacher of all Christians. Next in the hierarchy we have the bishops, successors of the Apostles given responsibility over the dioceses with the help of priests under the authority of the Pope.

 With Vatican II however the emphasis was also laid on the bishops as successors of the Apostles because, this Ecclesiology arising from Vatican I became extremely unbalanced, with too much emphasis on the papacy. The episcopal ordination is the fullness of the sacrament of orders and the college of bishops succeeds the college the Apostles.

Their service is the service of the community, presiding in place of God over the flock whose shepherd they are as teachers of doctrine, priests of sacred worship and officers of good order. The Council draws a theological connection between Jesus the Apostles and those who lead the church today, the bishops and the pope. However the constant emphasis here is the supremacy of the pope with the bishops in the church.

VALENCE J. KISAKA No 11016T

THE THREE PRIMARY SYMBOLS OF THE CHURCH IN SCRIPTURE

The second Vatican council’s Dogmatic constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium brings out some of the symbols of the church as sheepfold, flock, field of God, vine, building founded on the Apostles, spouse of the lamb, New Jerusalem among others. Generally over the history the emphasis has been laid on the merely institutional elements of the Church until Vatican II when the  image of the church as koinonia or communio emerged. I will briefly explain in this short reflection on the church, its symbol as people of God, Body of Christ and Fellowship of the Spirit.

                                                      The Church as People of God                                      

The Image of the people of God originally expressed the national religious unity the of  people of Israel and the covenant that God established with them. Israel expressed itself as the Community of God’s elect .This is the community which expressed itself as the remnant, the faithful servant who is charged with bringing about the final gathering of all the nations. The early Christians identified Jesus as the faithful servant. There is in early Christians counsciousnes a sense that Gods People are diminished to a faithful   remnant of one, only to be renewed and expanded in the new community of those who follow the risen Christ.

The symbol stresses the continuity between the people of Israel and the church. The church is the regenerated People of God, born in the one who was obedient to death, foreshowed in twelve apostles who symbolize the church as the new Israel. The Church is the continuance, renewal and enlargement of the chosen people of God Israel.

“You however are the a chosen race, a royal priesthood a holy nation a people God claims for his own to proclaim the glorious works of the one who called you from darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were no people, but now you are Gods people; once there was no mercy for you but now you have found mercy” ( 1Peter2 9-11)

The Church as the fellowship of the spirit

Paul particularly refers to the church as the temple of the Holy Spirit. He understands the church as a building which is still in the process of being built. The foundation of such a building is Christ himself .The church is accordingly a fellowship. Through the Spirit of God which is the Spirit of Jesus, the members of the Church are   invited into the unique sharing. The faithful shares the grace of Christ. In Baptism Christians share in his death and resurrection. In the Spirit, Christians are called to special fellowship with one another. Such sharing has concrete practical dimension which implies to enter into the church means to enter into a fellowship that encompasses all dimensions of life.

The Church as the body of Christ.

“The body is one and has many members, but all the members, many though they are one body and so it is with Christ…..( 1Cor12:12f)

The symbol of the body of Christ is one of the most important symbols of the church. The scripture does show at least three different ways in which this image is understood.

To say the church is the body of Christ is to understand Christ as a corporate personality through whom all believers experience solidarity with him and with all their fellow believers. It also means Jesus in his risen and glorified person, possesses many members. It is Christ who takes to himself through baptism and the work of the Holy Spirit those who become members of his body.The mystery of his redemptive death makes us members and so we call ourselves the Body of Christ. To say  the Church is the body of Christ is to confess that while Christ has reconciled us  in his body, Christians united to him must continue the reconciling, suffering work of the body in the church and the world.

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VALENCE J. KISAKA No 11016T

CHURCH’S MISSION AS PROCLAMATION OF THE REIGN OF GOD IN THE WORLD

The breakthrough in the understanding of the church’s relationship with the world came with

Vatican II Council .The theological foundations were laid in  Lumen Gentiun but  the full extent  of the shift in of the Catholic  thinking on this relationship becomes apparent in the Pastoral constitution  on the Church in the Modern World; Gaudium et Spes

The Fundamental task of the mission of the Church is the proclamation of the Kingdom or Reign of God. The mission of the church is the continuation of the mission of Christ. Gaudium et Spes opens by acknowledging the intimate link between the two which goes beyond evangelization and church planting.  The dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentiun seeking to underline such connection says; the joy and hope the grief and anguish of the people of our time especially of those who are poor or afflicted in any way are the joys and hope the grief and anguish of the followers of Christ as well .This new view according to David  Bosch in his work Transforming Mission attempts to underscore several points;

First the Church’s final word is not the Church but the glory of the father and the Son in the Spirit of liberty. Second, the church is  not the Kingdom of God. The Church is on earth the seed and the beginning that Kingdom ( LG 5).

Third the Church’s Missionary involvement should be more than calling individuals into the church. Those who are evangelized are with other human beings, subject to social, economic and political conditions in this world.

There is therefore a connection between liberating individuals and peoples in history and proclamation of the final coming of Gods Reign (cf Bosch 374-378).

The Kingdom of God is the reign of freedom, fellowship, and love. It is Gods new order of truth, love, justice and peace. It is an order of integral liberation encompassing human existence in all its dimensions, personal and communal. It is an order that has special preference to the poor.

The church is a symbol and a servant of the Kingdom. As a symbol its task is to be the light to the nations, to give a clear witness to the values of Kingdom. As a servant its task is to promote the reign of God in the World discerning the signs of the times and collaborating with these graced moments by which the Holy Spirit is bringing about the realization of Kingdom in and for the World. To promote the Kingdom means taking part in the on- going struggle between the oppressed and the oppressors  and so take on board the  cause of those who are oppressed. In today’s world the promotion of justice is a key element in the promotion of the Reign of God and therefore a constitutive dimension of Mission. The church is to promote justice and to truly liberate people from all that oppress them personally, socially and religiously.

Pope John Paul II’s encyclical Redemptoris Missio places emphasis on the understanding of Mission in terms of the values of the Kingdom. The Church‘s work of the promotion of the Kingdom is not to be reduced to working for the humanistic vision of the World. The Reign of God is accordingly inseparably bound up with the explicit proclamation of the Gospel of Christ. The Kingdom  does indeed demands the promotion of human values. But such proclamation should not detach the church from her fundamental tasks which is proclaiming Christ and his Gospel and establishing and building up communities which make present and active within mankind the living image of the Kingdom ( cf RM 19)

Redemsptoris Missio affirms the continuing necessity, relevance and urgency of the Church’s mission and insists that the mission of the church must include the explicit proclamation of Christ as Savior of the world (RM 5). Moreover, the salvation Christ came to bring is not only an interior, personal, spiritual, and other worldly reality. It is rather an integral Salvation, embracing the material and spiritual, the personal and political-historical aspects of human existence (RM 11).

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The Church as a Universal Sacrament of Salvation according  to Lumen Gentium.

VALENCE J. KISAKA  No 11016T

A keen interest has been taken towards discovering the place of the Church especially with the second Vatican Council. This interest reached its climax with the Council itself when it produced one of its most important constitutions about the Church   Lumen Gentium. The primary concern of the Council was to emphasize the church’s continual validity and necessity World.   Conscious of the great multitude of the people leaving outside the church, who would attain Salvation, the council sought to employ the language which could accommodate without exclusion the reality of religious diversity. Part of their concern was to rid the multitude both within and outside the Church of their deep seated wrong understanding of the axiom “outside the Church there is no Salvation”.

One of the main teachings of the Second Vatican Council about the Church is that the Church is a pilgrimage now on earth and therefore it is necessary:

That one Christ is the mediator and the way of Salvation; he is present to us in his body, which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that God founded the Catholic Church as necessary through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or remain in it (cf.  Lumen Gentium 14).

Jesus did not only  command that all nations should enter the Church, but also decreed the Church must be a means of salvation without which no one can enter the kingdom of eternal  heaven. The teaching does not however hold responsible those who have never heard the message of the Gospel. Thus the Council declares; Those who through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ, but who seeks God with sincere heart, and moved by the grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience, may achieve eternal salvation ( cf. Lumen Gentium  16).

 In this respect, for one to obtain salvation it is not always required that he be incorporated into the Church actually as a member, but it is necessary that he/she be united to her by desire and longing. It is necessary therefore that this desire by which one is related to the Church be animated by perfect charity. This desire can have effect, if only a person has supernatural gift of  faith “For he who comes to God must believe that God exists and is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Heb. 11:6).

Those who are related to the Mystical Body of Christ by a certain unconscious yearning and desire are therefore not excluded from eternal salvation. The document therefore corrects those who tend to exclude from eternal salvation all united to the Church only by implicit desire, and those who falsely assert that men can be saved equally well in every religion.

AfricaeMunus

UNDERSTANDING  OFRECONCILLIATION, JUSTICE AND PEACE

            In the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortaion, AfricaeMunus, Africa’s commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ is described as a mission to which we Africans are called to explore our Christian vocation and deepen it. At the centre of this mission is reconciliation between individuals and communities and the promotion of peace and justice. The exhortation points out that reconciliation, peace and justice are essential aspects of the vocation of the church. The effectiveness of this witness depends on the church’s rootedness in the word of God. It is through this word, the faithful learn to listen to Christ and to be led by the Holy Spirit, who reveals to us the meaning of all things.The Word will help us to shape our lives so that we are able to reconcile ourselves with God, who leads us towards reconciliation with our neighbour; a necessary path for building our communities.

             Reconciliation and justice are the two essential premises of peace.  However“human peace obtained without justice is illusory and ephemeral. Human justice which is not the fruit of reconciliation in the ‘truth of love’ remains incomplete; it is not authentic justice” (AM 18). Love of the whole truth to which we are brought by the Spirit is necessary in restoring the bonds of fraternity within the ‘human family’ reconciled with God through Christ (cf AM 18).

            The church in Africa is faced with the task of forming upright consciences receptive to the demands of justice, necessary for the building of a just social order. If justice is to prevail in all areas of life, it needs to be sustained by subsidiarity and solidarity and be inspired by charity. This has to be modelled after the divine justice (cf AM 25). The quest for a just social order implies a revolution of love which in turn calls for a preferential attention to the poor, the hungry and the disadvantaged after the pattern of Christ (cf AM 27).

                        Reconciliation is a lengthy process to re-establishing love; hence it is seen as a way of life and a mission. “In order to arrive at genuine reconciliation and to live out the spirituality of communion that flows from it, the church needs witnesses who are profoundly rooted in Christ and find nourishment in his word and the sacraments.” (AM 34).

            From the perspective of AfricaeMunus’ understanding, I can discern several challenges to our approach to peace and reconciliation among which are:First, it has been pointed out that the effectiveness of the church’s witness depends on her rootedness in the Word of God. Thus the most important thing here has to do with whether the Church in Africa is deeply rooted in the word of God. In my own opinion, the word of God must take flesh in our Christiancommunities. In other words the word of God must first work among us, reconciling us before we can reconcile others. Christ proclaimed love of neighbour, even of enemies. We need to be seen practising love of neighbour in order for us to serve as authentic witnesses and hence walk on our path towards peace and reconciliation successfully.

Reflections - BANYUZUKWABO TUYISABE LAURIANUS - 11009

Reflection on the New Evangelization in “Africae Munus”.

Pope Benedict XVI Before concluding his exhortation emphasizes the task facing the church in Africa. Africa is to be committed to the Evangelization to the missio ad gentes and to the New Evangelization , both to be modeled on Christ who is the “light of the world and the salt of the earth. Evangelization as presented by the Pope  in Africae Munus , is to be directed in two horizons: the evangelization to the missio ad gentes which is the evangelization directed towards those who do not  know Christ yet; and the New Evangelization that aims at strengthening those Christians who no longer practise Christian faith. For this Evangelization to be successful the Pope gives some practical indications in the life of the Christians.

First, the Pope says that, the agents of Evangelization should be Bearers of Christ , who is the light of the world. This work of Evangelization should be inspired by the power of the Holy Spirit for it to become the new law of the Gospel. Jesus Christ Died and Risen is to be at the Centre of the entire evangelizing activity. He is the Incarnate Word of God who died and rose again and is ever in the community of believers. Second the Pope invites us to the life of Witness to the Risen Christ by the proclamation opened to repentance and forgivness of sins to all nations.  Evangelization becomes here in the words of synod fathers, “bearing witness to Christ in the power of the Spirit by one’s life, then by one’s words, in a spirit of openness and respectful dialogue with others, while holding fast to the values of the Gospel”. (EN, 19-20.) Lastly, the Pope invites us to be missionaries in the footsteps of Christ .  The Pope starts by pointing out the lack of vocations to priesthood and consecrated life in today’s world but also recognizes the effort of African men and women who have generously responded to the Lord’s invitation of the harvest. In this sense missio ad gentes is to be supported by African bishop who are urged to respond generously to the requests of their confreres in countries lacking vocations and so be ready to assist the faithfull deprived of priests. Indeed this provides a valuable support for the new evangelization in countries of ancient Christian Tradition. (AM, 167.)

The synod through Africae Munus, reminds that New Evangelization is especially concerned by promotion of reconciliation, justice and peace. For us to be true agents of Evangelization we need to be first reconciled with God and  with one another and secondly  be agents of reconciliation in our various social communities in which we live and work. AM,169. BY Laurianus BANYUZUKWABO TUYISABE, 11OO9T

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Reflection on the   participation of the laity in the threefold Munera

LAURIANUS BANYUZUKWABO TUYISABE 11009T

The term laity refers to the faithful except those in Holy Orders and those belonging to religious state approved by the Church.  These people in virtue of their Baptism are incorporated into Christ, are placed into the people of God, and in their own way share the priestly, prophetic and kingly office of Christ which they exercise in the Church and in the world. ( LG, 31).

The lay Catholic as member of the Church participates in the threefold mission of Christ as Priest, prophet and king. That participation finds its source in the anointing of Baptism, development in confirmation and realization and dynamic sustenance in the Eucharist.   As Christians we are therefore empowered and enabled by the Spirit to nature the Spiritual life of our brothers and sisters in Christ and to proclaim the Gospel Christ. We now analyze how the laity shares in the threefold munera.

First as King: the lay faithful or Christians, participate in the royal mission of Christ by: Allowing God to reign in their hearts and by obeying the commandments, proclaiming the Kingdom of God, And finally by living their lives in the service of their brothers and sisters as Jesus did.  Secondly as Prophet: Jesus is recognized as a Prophet here on earth. So therefore Christians exercise Christ’s prophetic mission by: Accepting and living the good news of Jesus Christ, without hesitating to identify and denounce evil courageously in contradiction with the spirit of the world, Witnessing to it by word and way of living. Lastly as Priest: Jesus is the Great Priest who laid his life freely.  Christians as Christ offer themselves in their daily activities: marriage, family life and work, mental and physical relaxation; acceptable by God through Jesus Christ. This means that all these sacrifices are offered to God along with the Lord’s body.

We conclude saying that Baptism, confirmation and also Eucharist call people to ministry. Here ministry understood as service. In holy orders, however certain people are commissioned to do specific works, such as celebrating the Eucharist and the rite of reconciliation, preaching. Laity and Ordained ministers are therefore called to work together in a collaborative and complementary manner, to build the Body of Christ through Evangelization, liturgical celebrations and services of love, justice and mercy. In this sense all Christians as member of the church are participating  in the mission of Christ Priest, King and Prophet.  

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Reflection on Holiness of life and prayer for Christian Unity as the soul of Ecumenism.

The second Vatican II council emphasized the idea of Ecumenism as principal concerns for the restoration of the Christian unity. This is because from its very beginning there arose certain rifts, which the Apostle Paul strongly censures as damnable (1cor1:11;11:22. This simply means that large communities became separated from full communion with the Catholic Church.

The Church therefore through the principal of ecumenism tries to work for the unity of Christians. But for this unity to take place there should be interior conversion on the part of Christians for “it is from newness of attitudes of mind, from self-denial and unstinted love, that desires of unity take their rise and develop in a mature way.” (UR, 7). The process of conversion is sustained by a genuine self-denial, humble, gentle in the service of others and also cultivates an attitude of brotherly generosity towards them. This attitude opens rooms for unity and encourages those outside the Church as brothers in Christ.  So therefore Christians should know that their lives of holiness well lived contribute to the promotion of Christian unity. For” the closer their union with the Father, the Word, and the Spirit, the more deeply and easily will they be able to grow in mutual brotherly love.” ( UR,8) . The council saw also the necessity to emphasize the prayer for the Christian unity which put along the change of heart and holiness becomes the soul of the whole ecumenical movement. The prayer and the life of holiness both constitute what the council calls the “Spiritual ecumenism”.

The Catholic Church has a custom of praying for the Christian unity to fulfill and continue what Jesus initiated in his prayer to his Father: “That they may all be one’ (Jn17:20). The Catholic Church goes even further in some places during the week for prayer of unity of the Christians allowing Christians to join in prayer their separated brethren. This clearly expresses the ties which still bind the Catholics to their separated brethren. But council insists that the communal prayer or ecumenical prayer if we can call it so, does not substitute the ideal of restoration of Christian unity.  Therefore the practice of common worship supposes two main principles: first concerns the unity of the Church which ought to be expressed; and second concerns the sharing in the means of grace.  We now conclude our reflection saying that holiness of life and prayer of unity not only prevents criticism from our separated brothers  but allows them to feel not condemned but considers , all keeping in mind we have to fulfill Christ’s intention of being one.  

By Laurianus BANYUZUKWABO TUYISABE

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The Scriptural basis of the notion of Magisterium in the Gospels

BANYUZUKWABO TUYISABE LAURIANUS

            When reading the Bible, it is true that we cannot find a verse where the term Magisterium is written but through some verses we can see this notion pointed out. Christ himself gave this authority to his disciple:”Teach them to observe all that I have commended you” (Mt 28:20).  Here, the disciple receives from Jesus the ministry of carrying on His teaching ministry, thus laying the foundation for Christian education, theology and other   intellectual work.  The subject matter of their teaching is the great discourses of the Gospel of Matthieu, especially the Sermon on the mountain which interprets the Old Testament. The entire task is so daunting that the last verse must offer a promise of future support. “I am with you” : this means that Jesus as the divine presence will be with his people as they teach.[1]This promise from Jesus is accompanied by assurance mentioned in Luc: “Who hears you, hears me”. The meaning of Christian mission finds lapidary expression: hearing the word of the apostles is hearing the Word of Jesus; hearing the word of Jesus is hearing that of God. The disciples are now confidence because transmits the word of God through the command of Jesus.[2]  After Peter had denied Jesus Christ threetimes, Jesus still gives him responsibility to sustain the faith of his brother after he has turned. Jesus , when asking Peter if he loved him he commanded him to feed  his flock. Here, the command establishes Peter as the one to feed and shepherd Jesus’s sheep. This tradition seems to presume the development of ecclesial office of overseer. Shepherding the flock is also used in reference to the bishops and elders.

Mt 16:18-16 relates   the Church to Kingdom: the Church  is an interim arrangement when mediates  in the time between the early ministry on Jesus Christ and the future coming of the Kingdom. Shall be bound: this and the parallel “shall be loosed” mean that God shall bind and loose what Peter binds and loses.  This verse gives enormous authority to Peter. But what is the nature of the authority given? The authority entrusted to Peter to bind and to loose is given to the disciples but to Peter alone are accorded the revelation, the role of the rock of foundation, the keys.. There is involved the historical reminiscence that Peter was the spokesman for the disciples during the ministry of Jesus. [3]

Reflexion on the strengths and limitations of the Magisterium

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[1] Cf.   Raymond E.- Brown, ed., The New Jerome Biblical Commentary  , 674

[2] Cf. Raymond E.- Brown, ed., The New Jerome Biblical Commentary  , 701

[3] Cf.   Raymond E.- Brown, ed., The New Jerome Biblical Commentary  , 659-660

Reflection on the strengths of the Magisterium

 The term Magisterium refers to   the Church teaching authority.Dei Verbum states that : “The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ. Yet this Magisterium is not superior to the Word of God, but is its servant. ... it is clear, therefore, that...sacred Tradition, sacred Scripture and the Magisterium of the Church are so connected and associated that one of them cannot stand without the others.”(Dei Verbum, 10). The following are some of the strengths of the Magisterium:

-         The Magisterium isa divineinstitution handed over from generation to generation through the process of Tradition and also an institution which transmits and explains the truth containing in the Holy Scripture.

-           Howland says that the living magisterium which Christ conferred on his apostles was intended by him to be the perpetual organ of the Christian tradition. Christ himself after sending his disciples promised to assist them until the end of time.  In his words: “I am with you even to the consummation of the world”, instituted the perpetual apostolic succession to carry on the office of teaching and witnessing to the revealed doctrine. [1]

-          According to  Locheng : “the living Magisterium  searches  in the past, now for authorities in favor of its present thought in order to defend it against attacks of dangers  of mutilation , now for light to walk the right road staying”.[2]Having said this we can say that the magisterium plays a considerable role of vigilance over the transmission of   the truth: “The pastoral task of the Magisterium is one of vigilance. Itseeks to ensure that the People of God remain in the truth which sets free.” [3]

            In spite of some of the strengths that we have point out, we should recognize humbly that there are also limitations of the magisterium that will be object of our next reflection.

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[1] Cf. T. Howland Sanks.,  Authority in the Church . A study in changing paradigms, 48

[2]  C. Locheng ., Fundamental Theology: Revelation and Faith,463

[3]J. Ratsinger., Instruction on the ecclesiastical vocation of the theologian, n.20

Reflection on EN - Edwin Odhiambo 11109

I believe in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church: a reflection from A Catholic Catechism (cc 146 – 149)

People have a common misconception about the church, many look at the church as an institution, organization or a group of people, many think that the Church is the clergy, especially the Pope and the Bishops.  However that is not true, for the church is One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic.

During his life time on earth, Jesus laid the foundation for the Church with his preaching of the kingdom of God. The Church thus became an instrument of the kingdom by continuing the words, actions and the presence of Jesus. All members of the Church thus became the people of God through faith and Baptism, sharing in the ministry of Jesus: priestly, prophetic and kingly.

The Church is both the means and the goal of God’s plan that began in creation, prepared in the Old Testament, founded by the words and actions of Jesus Christ and fulfilled by his redeeming cross and resurrection:  It is thus the mystery of salvation by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Through the Spirit and his action in the sacraments, above all in the Eucharist, Christ establishes the community of believers as his own Body. The Church becomes a Temple of the Holy Spirit since the Spirit is the soul, as it were of his Mystical Body, the source of its life, of its unity in diversity, and of the riches of its gifts and charisms.

This Church which is the sacrament of salvation and the sign and instrument of communion between God and all the peoples, is One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic.

The Church is One

It is one because, though it has diverse forms and appearances all over the world, it is founded by one, Jesus Christ, and she is guided by the Holy Spirit and shares one faith, common worship and sacraments. She also traces her history back to the apostles. The Church has experienced so many divisions throughout her history; however, through acts of dialogue and collaboration she tries to recover her unity: this is an important call from the Second Vatican Council.

 The church is Holy

It is Holy because she is united with Christ. It is Jesus who makes the church Holy: although members are sinful and imperfect they are made Holy by the presence of the risen Christ. The Church thus, as an organization needs to ask for God’s forgiveness for herself.

The Church is Catholic

It is universal; this universality of the Church is understood in two ways: one, Jesus is fully present in all local churches that make up the Catholic Church. Members (especially of the Catholic Church) believe in the same fundamental things e.g the same celebration of the sacraments, the words of the creed (same faith) and in the teachings of the Church. Secondly, when we say that the Church is universal we also mean that, the Church has a mission to the whole human race in the whole world, a command it received from her founder Jesus Christ.

The Church is Apostolic

The Church is founded on the Apostles who faithfully handed on the teachings and authority they received from Jesus Christ to the church. Early Christians placed their emphasis on the teachings and authority of the apostles. St. Peter is the first Pope, an administrative office handed over to other successors of Peter, who preserve the message they received from the apostles and in turn hand it over to the successive generations.

Therefore, it is fitting to say here that, the Church is always one and will remain to be one in her teaching and mission to the world.

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The Mystery of the Church as Captured in the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church – Lumen Gentium (1-8)

We believe that church is an assembly of the people of God gathered in the Holy Spirit for the sake of worshipping and praising God. This church was founded by Jesus Christ himself as a sign and instrument of communion with God and unity among all people; it is thus sacramental in nature. Therefore the church acts as a universal vehicle of uniting people drawing them ever closer to God.

It was and is the will of God the creator to rise up people to share in his divine life; he thus keeps on strengthening his people at all times through his son Jesus Christ (LG#2). A task god started with the Israelites in the Old Testament as he prepared them for the great revelation of his son Jesus Christ.  It is in Jesus Christ that the church finds its meaning and vitality. The church is thus the kingdom of Christ which makes the kingdom of God be grasped on earth. Through the church we came to terms with the redeeming love of God for humanity and consequently the sacrificial reality of Jesus. He who is God offered himself to take the human form so as to draw humanity back to God.

The church participate in the nature of her master: Jesus who was both divine and human communicated this mystery in the church making it also divine and human. The church is made up of both human elements and human elements that work harmoniously for the praise of God the Father. Through their humanity members of the church participates in the life of their master Jesus in whom they find their likeness, Similarly, Christ loved the church as his bride thus endowed her with the Holy Spirit that guides and leads the faithful into the divine wisdom.

LG#8 states that the church is made of both visible and invisible element. The invisible elements, which are the transcendental realities, are mediated effectively in the visible church, through tis visible word, sacraments and organic structures. However LG#8 warns against conceiving these two dimensions of the church as two separate realities but rather “they form one complex reality” that is the church is one but endowed with earthly elements and heavenly graces, an object of our experience and an object of our confession of faith.

Therefore it is good to conceive the church as not purely holy, but rather on the pilgrimage to attain fully that which it has already – Holiness. The church is on a journey to unite with her master and lord, on the way it might err, commit mistakes and have a lot of faults. However the lord Jesus Christ sustains it in the journey, giving it strength to overcome the earthly challenges

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The church as a people of God according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (781-786)

The Catechism of the Catholic Church begins by tracing first the history of the Church within the Old Testament. According to Old Testament there is a prefiguration of the Church as the people of God. God has willed to make men holy and save them not as individuals without any bond or link between them but rather to make them into a people who might acknowledge him and serve him in holiness. Therefore he chose for himself Israel to be his own people and established a covenant with them.

In his time and space God moved and worked in the history of the Israelites, preparing them for the reception of the perfect covenant which was to be accomplished in the blood of Jesus Christ: a new covenant. When the time came He called together a race made up of Jews and gentiles which would be one not according to flesh but in the spirit, which is now the Church.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church further reveals seven characteristics that describe the people of God from other religious, ethnic, political or cultural groups found in history.

·        A people of God is not a property of any one people but rather it is God who acquired a people for himself, people who previously were not a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation.

·        To be part of this people of God is not by any physical birth but rather by being “born anew” through Baptism; a birth of water and spirit enshrined in faith in Jesus Christ.

·        Jesus Christ is the head of this people, he is the anointed messiah. And through the same anointing; anointing of the Holy Spirit, that flows from him, members also become anointed for they are his body and he is the head thus they become messianic people.

·        This people of God enjoy the freedom and dignity of the sons and daughters of God in whose hearts the Spirit of God dwells: a new status.

·        A people of God are led by a new commandment of love. As Jesus Christ loved so are the members to live and dwell in his love and show love to each other: the law of the Holy Spirit.

·        A people of God are called to be salt of the earth and light of the world, this is the mission entrusted to them to which they are to become the seeds of unity, hope and salvation for the whole human race.

·        The destiny of the people of God is the Kingdom of God, which God began himself on earth and which himself will bring to perfect at the end of time.

Through the faith that they acquired and a rebirth through Baptism in the Church, the people of God participate in the ministerial office of his anointed son: as priest, prophet and king. Through these offices they are to become agents of the mission of God in the world, to witnesses to the love of God to all nations, because He himself has consecrated them into spiritual houses in service of himself.

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A reflection on the Africae Munus a Post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation by Pope Benedict XVI

Africa is a continent faced with many challenges, challenges that range from poverty, corruption, superstitions, aridity and above all political instabilities. It is in the face of these realities that the Pope calls on African to rise above maintaining status quo and become the light and salt of the world.

In deed Africa is painted as an evil continent by many people especially the media and political powers of non-African origin, but Africa is more than what we read and hear from the media and political superpowers. Africa can set an example for the whole world follow, however this can only happen when Africans themselves learn the need of God and following his statutes: fostering communal worship that is very well present in the African life.

The Pope emphasizes that each and every individual irrespective of where they come from; African, European, Asian, Australian and indeed from all walks of life, to promote the essentials that will foster human development. He recognizes that peace, justice and reconciliation can only thrive when every person in the world; every institutions especially political government work hand in hand for the sake of betterment of human development. Becoming salt and light of the world requires a corporation between political and religious institutions working with that spirit of sacrifice for the establishment of a harmonious kingdom of God in the world.

Further Pope Benedict XVI recognizes the plurality of religions in the African continent which could be a base for inter-religious dialogue and ecumenical dialogue. When all religious structures cooperate then the African continent has the potential of moving forward towards God and in return setting an example to other continents in the world. The Pope recognizes the importance of families as the “vital cell of society and of the Church.” He advises that it is through the families that the virtues and values of Christian and good person and instilled, thus calling the father; mother and children to be united in the quest of being the light and salt of the world by strengthening those virtues and values.

Similarly the Pope recognizes the different roles of the members of the church in the promotion of God’s kingdom in the world; the faithful in Africa are part of the larger church, therefore a good environment for fostering peace, justice and reconciliation. “Peace leads us to the justice of the kingdom which is to be sought in season and out of season in that we do…, So that in everything glory may be given to God”. The members of the church beginning from the Bishops, priests, missionaries, deacons, the consecrated, seminarians, catechists, and the lay people, all have a role in promoting holiness and environment conducive for the thriving of good virtues and values, Each of these members in their capacities as leaders of the church need to foster unity that will enable the promotion of the kingdom of God.

In conclusion the Pope Benedict XVI is aware of the challenges facing Africa and the world in general and thus in his Post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation: Africae Munus he calls all Christians to be united in one aim, goal and purpose. He calls especially Africans to revisit those good cultural elements that will help in the creation of good environment in which justice, peace and reconciliation will thrive. In other words Africans should adopt the spirit of Inculturation, however with great care such that religious worship will be promoted among people rather than the culture itself. 

A reflection on the Evangelii Nuntiandi an apostolic exhortation by Pope Paul VI

The Church is one it is Holy and apostolic, this is what the apostolic exhortation: Evangelii Nuntiandi of Pope Paul VI seeks to highlight, and this one holy Church is tasked with the duty of spreading the message of love, hope and joy to all people across the world.

Jesus moved from place to pace in the land of Israel proclaiming and teaching the good news of the kingdom of God, He preached to people to convert and believe in the gospels, a task he carried through words and signs (miracles). After his death, resurrection and ascent into heaven he gave the same task to those who worked, walked,and ate with him. He commissioned them to “Go out and preach the good news to all corners of the world.” He called these people apostles.

It is on these apostles that the Church was foundedand commissioned to go out to preach the good news and spread it to all humanity. The Church carried this message of salvation and liberation to the people all over the world, a task that the Church in the modern world keeps on doing.

Evangelization is “proclaiming Christ to those who do not know him, of preaching, of catechesis, of conferring baptism and other sacraments.”[1]In other words, it is bearing witness to God as He was revealed by Jesus Christ. To this task the Church has been faithful: calling, and preparing people from different cultures all over the world to conversion and reception of the Good news.

The work of evangelization is, of the Church, for the Church and from the Church; therefore it should be done for the benefit of the Church and should flow from the context of the Church’s understanding. In this apostolic exhortation: Evangelii Nuntiandi, his Holiness Pope Paul VI, calls for all those tasked with the work of evangelization to be inclusive of all humanity: the Good News should not be limited to one sector of humanity nor class certain class of people or certain of type of civilization, but rather it should cut across those barriers to reach to reach to all people.

Finally evangelization is the work of the Holy Spirit, therefore allevangelizers should open themselves to the workings of the spirit, and evangelizers should promote the values of Unity, Love and Truth throughout their mission of proclamation.

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[1]Cf. Evangelii Nuntiandi 17