"The
Gospel is not an exclusive good of the
one who has received it," he said,
"but is a
gift to be shared, good news to communicate."
The
Pontiff added that "this
gift-commitment is entrusted not only
to a few, but to all the baptized."
"All
activities are also implied in it,"
he affirmed.
"Attention
and cooperation in the evangelizing
work of the Church in the world cannot
be limited to some particular moments
and occasions, nor can they be considered
as one of the many pastoral activities,"
the Holy Father said.
He
continued, "The
missionary dimension of the Church is
essential and, therefore, must always
be kept present."
Benedict
XVI added: "Hence
it is important that every baptized
person as well as the ecclesial communities
be interested in the mission not only
in a sporadic and irregular way, but
in a constant way, as the way of Christian
life.
"The
mission day itself is not an isolated
moment in the course of the year, but
a precious occasion to pause to reflect
on how we respond to the missionary
vocation, an essential response for
the life of the Church."
Service
to humanity
He
noted that "it is the most precious
service that the Church can give to
humanity and to each person who seeks
the profound reasons to live his existence
fully."
The
Pope affirmed that the "proclamation
of the Gospel also vivifies the Church,
its fervor, its apostolic spirit."
He
added that this proclamation renews
the Church's pastoral methods "so
that they are increasingly appropriate
to new situations -- including those
that require a
new evangelization -- and are animated
by the missionary drive."
"All
those who have encountered the Risen
Lord have felt the need to proclaim
him to others, as did the two disciples
of Emmaus," the Pontiff said.
"This
task has not lost its urgency,"
he asserted. "We cannot remain
tranquil in face of the thought that,
after two thousand years, there are
still peoples who do not know Christ
and have not yet heard his message of
salvation."
"Through
co-responsible participation in the
mission of the Church, the Christian
becomes a builder of communion, of peace,
of the solidarity that Christ has given
us, and collaborates in the realization
of the salvific plan of God for the
whole of humanity," the Holy Father
noted.
He
stated that the challenges encountered
in this effort "calls Christians
to walk together with others, and the
mission is an integral part of this
path with all people."
Benedict
XVI affirmed that in this "we bear,
though in vessels of clay, our Christian
vocation, the inestimable treasure of
the Gospel, the living testimony of
Jesus dead and resurrected, encountered
and believed in the Church."
---
--- ---
On
ZENIT's Web page:
Full
text: www.zenit.org/article-31565?l=english