GUETOU E.
MAGLOIRE, 11141T.
REFLECTION:
CALLED TO BE AN APOSTLE
In our Ecclesiology class, we have talked
about the apostolicity of the New Testament and saw what it means to be an
apostle and who they were and their mission. In my reflection, we will talk not
only about the criteria of being an
apostle but also look at what it means for Paul to be called an apostle and to
what extent can we now be called to carry the same mission.
To
begin with, the word “apostle” is from the Greek word apostolos as
related to the verb apostolein which means “to send”. The “Apostle” is
then understood as the one is sent. The Gospels narrate how Jesus called some
people to follow him and to be with him (Lk5:8-11;27); and all along his ministry
we read how he touched so many people this consequently made some people to
follow him everywhere he went, and thus enlarging the number. These people came
to be known as disciples. In Lk6:12ff; 9:1ff, Jesus, calling the disciples
chose among them twelve to whom he gave power and authority to call out demons,
cure diseases and to preach the kingdom. This makes of the twelve disciples a
special group. The question is when did they become apostles? The synoptic
gospels (Luke in particular) tell us that their new identity as apostles began
with the risen Christ, who appeared to them and commissioned them to carry out
his mission (Lk24) as witnesses (of what they have seen) proclaiming the
Gospel, repentance and forgiveness of sins to all nations (even though with
Mark it begins when they returned from their mission). They became apostles of
Jesus. Further in Acts 1:21-22, the election of Matthias as apostle reveals to
us how the elements of time (to have been with Jesus permanently), eye-witness (of
the earthly and risen of Jesus), and total mobility (with Jesus) count for one
to be an apostle. Thus after the resurrection, the twelve apostles received
from the risen Lord a specific mission of making his kingdom, that is Jesus
himself and his works present in the world through witness. How then, Paul who
not originally part of the group of the disciples and even dare to talk of the
special group of twelve apostles, came to be called apostle?
In Lk 22:6-16, Paul is also represented
as witness to Jesus. How? We see clear an account of this in Acts 22:15.
Ananias says he is chosen by the Lord to be an apostle before the Gentiles and
kings… because he has also seen the Just One (risen Lord in a vision), received
a mandate but of a universal nature. Paul like the apostles is sent both to the
Jews and to Gentiles. Paul himself talks of his mission as that of a teacher,
handing down the tradition and exercising authority. We also now can claim our identity as an
apostle because of the continuous apostolic succession, our profession in the
faith of the apostle, sharing the mandate of the apostle, recognising the
leadership of Peter through the ecclesiastic government and more significantly
because the risen Lord continues to appear to us in the Scriptures, through his
people, his ministers and in receiving the Eucharist (S.C7).
Finally as missionaries in the world
today, we are also called to be apostles in our own time, by making Christ
present in every aspect of our life, everywhere. As Melchoir de Marion
Bresillac, founder of the Society of African Missions (SMA) puts it “my work
will live so long as there is a willingness to continue it and you will be this
willingness”. Christ continues to live today in the life of so many people,
given hope and love because we said yes to his call. Let us then give our very
best in making him known.
Reflection on the Church as the body of Christ by Magloire
E.Guetou.
In our class note of Ecclesiology, we
discussed the topic of the Church as body of Christ.
A look at the biblical foundation of this concept reveals to us how St.
Paul in his letters to the Corinthians and Romans talks of the Church in a
close link with the body of Christ.
We defined the body of Christ for this matter as the crucified body of
Christ (Rom7:4) or in reference to the Eucharistic body as in 1Cor10:16. Paul
later in extending this notion of the body of Christ to the church wants to
remind us how each individual member of Corinth forms that single unit which we
call the body. Thus everybody becomes member with baptism into Christ body and
in sharing in his Eucharistic body shared for us.
With this notion, we form a family
with Christ as the head, and every religious community is to aspire to reach
this level of family.
I must say when I joined the Society of
African Missions; this aspect was (and is even today) very much depicted, we
could hardly distinguish between a priest and seminarian, a formator and
student. Almost everything was done in common without distinction. But these
days, there is a shift. There is a
tendency of wanting to take the place of Jesus as head of the family. Life in
religious formation is gradually changing to what maybe called a relation
between superiors and students. I am of the view that from the moment people
ceases to feel happy, secure and at ease sharing in community..., we could no
more talk of family and the immediate consequence is division. For Jesus, the
position of authority is that of service. Priests who act in persona Christi
are not to replace Christ in the life of the people with their authority (power
to command) but to witness through their own life the presence of Christ in
humility and service. That’s why I like very much to see St. Paul addressing
this issue in the church of Corinth as he talks of the body of Christ as the
broken bread shared in communion.
As St. Augustine puts it, we who are
many form one body with Christ as the head, so in receiving the Eucharist we not
only receive Christ but our very selves.
With this image of the broken body as we can see starting with Christ
who to save the world gave his life, so also every member to save the whole
body (church, community) is called to sacrifice part of himself or herself. I
think in other words, St. John captures when he reports Jesus saying “Love one
another just as I have loved you”. It’s in loving and serving one another that
we grow in the body of Christ. We eat of the body because it was been given to
us by Christ himself. If there was no body given, there would not be banquet in
a strict sense of the word. Thus the church in her mission gives priority into
forming us into that one and same body which we are called to share.
Reflection and Summary of Africae Munus
GUETOU E. MAGLOIRE, sma, 11141T
The Post-Synodal Apostolic exhortation Africae Munus of his Holiness Benedict XVI on the Church in Africa underlines the centrality of the message of the reconciliation, justice and peace.
The first synod on Africa in 1995, an exhortation of Pope John Paul II, Ecclesia in Africa which identified the Church as family of God, centred on the importance of inculturation of Catholicism in Africa. But 15years later in Cameroon his Holiness Pope Benedict XVI underlined how the conflicts, massacres, and genocides on the continent stand as a challenge for the Church. With this mind, it becomes almost pre-visible and logical to see Africae munus dealing with this challenge.
Thus his Holiness Benedict XVI in Africae munus in identifying the ecclesiastical structures on the continent urges the church to remain faithful to her mission in promoting reconciliation, justice and peace in the person of Jesus Christ. The Church as family (Ecclesia in Africa) is called to reconcile with God by tuning her life to the beatitudes, by engaging herself to fraternal service for love of truth and peace. In this regards, we cannot talk of reconciliation, justice and peace if there is no sign of authentic conversion, celebration of the sacrament of reconciliation, inculturation of the Gospel, protection of life, refugees, good governance, ecumenical and interreligious dialogue.
As members of one family, we as church are invited to be united and bring peace in the Church and in the society. Thus in Africae munus, we are called to bring the presence of Christ through our own lives in the world of education, health care and the communications media. The Holy Father through this exhortation opens a horizon of hope to Africa by welcoming Jesus Christ. Africae munus attempts to reinforce the ecclesial dynamism, explore and outline news programmes effectives for pastoral activity for the coming decades of evangelisation in Africa, underlining the need for reconciliation, justice and peace.
In reading the document, I have found Africae Munus encouraging, energizing, empowering and at the same time challenging.
As Pope Benedict XVI puts it, reconciliation, justice and peace is possible only when we are all able to reconcile with God, through Christ. I find this point very important, because having being created in the image and likeness of God, we realise ourselves fully as human beings only when we live and tune ourselves to Christ. As the teaching of the Church tells us, Christ in the revelation of the mystery of the Father and of his love, manifests fully the very nature of man to man and help him (or her) to discover of his true vocation (Cf. G.S 22). We are thus reminded that it is Christ himself who through us in our mission reaches to others. (Ep. 6:15) As Christians, (that is the Church in Africa as one body) ‘Africae Munus’ invites us to reflect on how we live and proclaim this Gospel of Peace and reconciliation; and to re-evaluate our methods and strategies in the promotion of reconciliation, justice and peace.
Reflection: the Eucharist builds the Church by Guetou E. Magloire, 11141T.
I was very much touched in our class of Ecclesiology by this notion of “The Eucharist Builds the Church”, the title of the second chapter of the fourteenth Encyclical Letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia of Pope John Paul II. This notion introduced us to a deeper reflection on the relationship of the mystery of the Eucharist to the church. But here in my reflection, I want to base my reflection on the life of Marthe Robin, who for me is a clear example on how the Church lives by the Eucharist.
We have seen in our class note how when the faithful approach the sacred banquet, not only do they receive Christ, but they in turn are received by him. The consecrated Bread and Wine are the force which generates the Church's unity. The Church is united to her Lord who, veiled by the Eucharistic species, dwells within her and builds her up. She worships him not only at Holy Mass itself, but at all other times, cherishing him as her most precious “treasure”. The Eucharistic celebration makes presents not only the saving activity of Christ but also Jesus Christ himself who gives himself to us and who continually builds up the church. As 1Jn4:19 “he first loved us”. Out of his love and death, the church is born. So also is the case with Marthe Robin.
Marthe Robin (born on 13 March 1902 in Château neuf-de-Galaure, died on 6 February 1981) was a French Roman Catholic mystic and reported stigmatist. She became bedridden when she was 21 years old, and remained so until her death. She fed on Eucharist every week. According to several sources she ate nothing for many years except receiving Holy Eucharist. The Eucharist became her food, her strength. It’s really amazing. This is a real true testimony of what Jesus said in the John 6:35 “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger…” This makes me think all the time. As she explains herself to the philosopher Jean Guitton in 1958: “Je ne me nourris que de cela…Jésus étant tout mon corps, c’est Lui qui me nourrit. ” That is I only feed on it (Eucharist)…Jesus being my whole body. He is the one who nourishes me. I find that beautiful and true because we cannot argue that she fed on the substance of the host since she received the Eucharist only once in the week. In her journal, she narrates how upon receiving the sacrament of the Eucharist (for the first time) her life became transformed. The Eucharist is not a reward she says but a means of union and of love and of sanctification.
For Pope Benedict XVI, anyone who eats of this bread and lives in communion with Jesus by allowing himself or herself to be transformed by him and in him, is saved from eternal death. Just as Marthe Robin, the Church herself lives by the Eucharist (Jesus-Christ’ self-giving to us to make pure like himself).
Finally as Marthe Robin puts it, in the Eucharist Jesus takes us as we are and offers us to the Father as He himself is. The Eucharist (who is Jesus) builds indeed the church and keeps her alive through love.
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The Church continues to exist by Mission by magloire e. guetou,11141t
Starting with the synoptic Gospels, we have seen how the Church is a community of disciples, the re-established Israel, the church of God, the bride of Christ, the temple of God, and the pilgrim People of God. The fourth Gospel likewise represented to us some distinctive characteristics. John talks of the church of community of disciples that Jesus called into being, second the church is an eschatological community (waiting for the second coming of Jesus), third the church is missionary in nature, church again defines its authority in terms of service and finally the role of the Beloved disciple is underlined just like that of Peter and twelve is in the synoptic gospels. But here in my reflection, I want to talk about of Church`s missionary nature.
After his resurrection as in Luke 24, Luke narrates several of Jesus ‘appearances to his disciples to show how Jesus assures them of a continuity between his earthly and risen nature and after explaining the Scriptures to them, he commissioned them to be his witnesses (Lk 24:48). Similarly there is a continuity between Jesus ‘mission and that of the apostles and other disciples (church). The Acts of apostles show extensively how the disciples carried this mission through their lives by the power of the Holy Spirit. Today the Church continues to make Christ and his mission present because of the apostolic succession. As E. Brunner will put it, just as the fire exists by burning so also the church exists by Mission.
Thus starting from Jerusalem we now talk of the church of God in Africa and in other parts of the world because of this mission which is Jesus-Christ in action through the missionaries by the power of the Holy Spirit. Our life as a church is to be a proclamation to the people. I think it is now time for us to stop putting so much emphasis merely on teaching and preaching and live the gospel. As Pope Paul VI puts in Evangelii Nuntiandi, a “Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers.” I want to say here that our mission as a church will be effective only and only if we open up to the Holy Spirit.
Today, we hear of how so many scandals left the church “desert” (that is loss of trust and motivation from the Christian) in so far as its missionary impact is concerned but the Church is never overcome by these human weaknesses. The Church is indeed moved by the Spirit. We see this most significantly in our new pope Francis, who moved by the spirit, already at the beginning of his petrine ministry depicts this witness of love, humility and service. Consequently the universal church is being revived. The whole world indeed is touched. This is what it means to be a missionary by example.
Finally we can say that the Christ himself as head of the church, having sent the Holy Spirit on the disciples and consequently on the church, continues to guide us through our life to reveal him to the world. The Church thus is called more than ever to live and show Christ to the world.
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