austraLasia #3220
ROME 10 May 2013-- Fr Alfred Maraviglia, long-time missionary from the Philippines to the PNG-SI Delegation and currently a key member of the Missions Department of the Congregation in Rome, has successfully defended his doctoral thesis on an Asian theological method in missio inter gentes, based on the thinking developed through the activities and documentation of the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferecnes (FABC).
The question: How can the Gospel be proclaimed in a context where Christians make up the "little flock in Asia" today? The FABC has continuously sought to respond to this question during its more than forty years of existence. This thesis draws out theological principles from FABC documents in order to develop an Asian theological method with a particular focus on East Asia. It systematically constructs a missio inter gentes theology which "will reckon with the Asian way of life and the Asian way of thinking" hence, authentically Asian and profoundly Catholic.
The FABC insists that any theologising in Asia must start from the context of a diversity of cultures, religions and poor multitudes of Asia and consider this threefold context as the locus theologicus which offers positive resources and potentials for theology. Thus, this thesis starts with a situation analysis of East Asian context using especially the historical-narrative approach.
The originality, relevance and value of this thesis lies in Fr Maraviglia's proposal to use the Yinyang Taoist symbol as the conceptual framework underlying the theological method for missio inter gentes which he draws out from the FABC documents.
Missio ad Gentes and Missio inter Gentes
The fact is that dialogue with Asia’s great religions, rich cultures and massive poverty has led the FABC to draw out from its faith expressions a new thinking even if it is initially hidden in some vague formulation. This process is underpinned by a dynamic fidelity and adherence to the one deposit of faith and a conscious concern to present this same faith in Asian context. As this dialogue deepened, in time, new terms were developed by the Asian Church, the one and the same subject of the journeying people of God, to express the one and the same faith in Asia.
Fr Maraviglia suggests that missio ad gentes and missio inter gentes are neither mutually exclusive nor diametrically opposed. They are, rather, complimentary approaches of the one mission of the Church of Christ which both sustain and preserve each other because both are intimately inter connected and oriented towards each other. Missio inter gentes, then, is the Asian application of missio ad gentes which is attentive to the Asian milieu by sharing the faith in Christ among peoples using a step by step pedagogy.
There are many interesting aspects of this approach. Key amongst them are:
Storytelling as Initial Proclamation
Asians prefer to use imaginative metaphors especially through storytelling. The sincere listening to the faith-stories of peoples from different religions and cultures also enables Christians to communicate their faith that originates from their living the story of Jesus by telling and retelling it both in words and deeds of service, by forming community, showing compassion, befriending the ‘other’, carrying the cross, witnessing to the living person of Jesus.
Initial Proclamation: the Missing Link
The key that would reconcile missio ad gentes and missio inter gentes, the complete truth of Jesus Christ and how to lead others to that truth, which are, apparently, two opposite underpinning frameworks, is the deeper understanding of initial proclamation which would unveil it as being the missing link between proclamation and witness of life which the FABC continues to insist as essential elements of its mission of active integral evangelisation in Asia.
Christianity as a Way of Life
Ordinary daily life among peoples is the arena of dialogue of life and action and the foundation on which to build theological and spiritual dialogues.
Dialogue with Cultures
For the FABC "dialogue is the primary means and way for inculturation." This process of mutual enrichment and mutual transformation is an almost natural process that is not forced and, consequently, easily welcomed.
Dialogue with Religions
It is of great importance that dialogue with followers of other religions be based not solely on revealed Christian truths but most especially on the common ground of philosophically compelling arguments in order to arrive to shared values that transcends religious, cultural and social differences.
Dialogue with the Poor Multitudes
The Spirit is calling the Church to grow in its Asianness through the recognition and appreciation the richness of its traditions, cultures and values as well as through a wholehearted commitment to work for social, economic and political justice by prophetically denouncing and opposing injustice and working for integral human development as a deliberate and conscious choice of being a Church of the poor.
The principles of missio inter gentes are the gift which the Church in East Asia offers to the Universal Church! This thesis could also serve as an eye opener of the need for the Church in Rome to be openly receptive to contextual theologies. The Church in East Asia is awaiting the Universal Church to accept this gift and make it available to the whole Church so that it could be transformed and enriched and, ultimately, become truly catholic!
Dr. (Fr) Alfred Maraviglia:
The principles of missio inter gentes are the gift which the Church in East Asia offers to the Universal Church!
The principles of missio inter gentes are the gift which the Church in East Asia offers to the Universal Church!
ROME 10 May 2013-- Fr Alfred Maraviglia, long-time missionary from the Philippines to the PNG-SI Delegation and currently a key member of the Missions Department of the Congregation in Rome, has successfully defended his doctoral thesis on an Asian theological method in missio inter gentes, based on the thinking developed through the activities and documentation of the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferecnes (FABC).
The question: How can the Gospel be proclaimed in a context where Christians make up the "little flock in Asia" today? The FABC has continuously sought to respond to this question during its more than forty years of existence. This thesis draws out theological principles from FABC documents in order to develop an Asian theological method with a particular focus on East Asia. It systematically constructs a missio inter gentes theology which "will reckon with the Asian way of life and the Asian way of thinking" hence, authentically Asian and profoundly Catholic.
The FABC insists that any theologising in Asia must start from the context of a diversity of cultures, religions and poor multitudes of Asia and consider this threefold context as the locus theologicus which offers positive resources and potentials for theology. Thus, this thesis starts with a situation analysis of East Asian context using especially the historical-narrative approach.
The originality, relevance and value of this thesis lies in Fr Maraviglia's proposal to use the Yinyang Taoist symbol as the conceptual framework underlying the theological method for missio inter gentes which he draws out from the FABC documents.
Missio ad Gentes and Missio inter Gentes
The fact is that dialogue with Asia’s great religions, rich cultures and massive poverty has led the FABC to draw out from its faith expressions a new thinking even if it is initially hidden in some vague formulation. This process is underpinned by a dynamic fidelity and adherence to the one deposit of faith and a conscious concern to present this same faith in Asian context. As this dialogue deepened, in time, new terms were developed by the Asian Church, the one and the same subject of the journeying people of God, to express the one and the same faith in Asia.
Fr Maraviglia suggests that missio ad gentes and missio inter gentes are neither mutually exclusive nor diametrically opposed. They are, rather, complimentary approaches of the one mission of the Church of Christ which both sustain and preserve each other because both are intimately inter connected and oriented towards each other. Missio inter gentes, then, is the Asian application of missio ad gentes which is attentive to the Asian milieu by sharing the faith in Christ among peoples using a step by step pedagogy.
There are many interesting aspects of this approach. Key amongst them are:
Storytelling as Initial Proclamation
Asians prefer to use imaginative metaphors especially through storytelling. The sincere listening to the faith-stories of peoples from different religions and cultures also enables Christians to communicate their faith that originates from their living the story of Jesus by telling and retelling it both in words and deeds of service, by forming community, showing compassion, befriending the ‘other’, carrying the cross, witnessing to the living person of Jesus.
Initial Proclamation: the Missing Link
The key that would reconcile missio ad gentes and missio inter gentes, the complete truth of Jesus Christ and how to lead others to that truth, which are, apparently, two opposite underpinning frameworks, is the deeper understanding of initial proclamation which would unveil it as being the missing link between proclamation and witness of life which the FABC continues to insist as essential elements of its mission of active integral evangelisation in Asia.
Christianity as a Way of Life
Ordinary daily life among peoples is the arena of dialogue of life and action and the foundation on which to build theological and spiritual dialogues.
Dialogue with Cultures
For the FABC "dialogue is the primary means and way for inculturation." This process of mutual enrichment and mutual transformation is an almost natural process that is not forced and, consequently, easily welcomed.
Dialogue with Religions
It is of great importance that dialogue with followers of other religions be based not solely on revealed Christian truths but most especially on the common ground of philosophically compelling arguments in order to arrive to shared values that transcends religious, cultural and social differences.
Dialogue with the Poor Multitudes
The Spirit is calling the Church to grow in its Asianness through the recognition and appreciation the richness of its traditions, cultures and values as well as through a wholehearted commitment to work for social, economic and political justice by prophetically denouncing and opposing injustice and working for integral human development as a deliberate and conscious choice of being a Church of the poor.
The principles of missio inter gentes are the gift which the Church in East Asia offers to the Universal Church! This thesis could also serve as an eye opener of the need for the Church in Rome to be openly receptive to contextual theologies. The Church in East Asia is awaiting the Universal Church to accept this gift and make it available to the whole Church so that it could be transformed and enriched and, ultimately, become truly catholic!
