Characteristics of a missionary Church that truly evangelizes

Editor’s note: The following are excerpts from the address of Archbishop Christophe Pierre,  Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, at the V National Encuentro on Sept. 20.
 
First, we are a Church that goes forth, which the Holy Father described in this way: “Instead of just being a Church that welcomes and receives by keeping the doors open, let us try also to be a Church that finds new roads, that is able to step outside itself and go to those who do not attend Mass, to those who have quit or are indifferent. The ones who quit sometimes do it for reasons that, if properly understood and assessed, can lead to a return. But, that takes audacity and courage.”
 
Second, the community of missionary disciples takes the first step: it shows initiative. Pope Francis invites us to be “imitators of God” by having foresight. God seizes the initiative with us and calls us to do the same with those at the peripheries. The term primerear captures this idea. We need to be proactive rather than reactive. We need to be spiritual entrepreneurs for Christ.
 
Third, the evangelizing community is involved or engaged with its members. The clear majority of the faithful are lay Catholics who have been made priest, prophet and king through baptism. They have talents and expertise to offer the Church and the world. The bishops and priests have the task of animating their vocations. Unfortunately, many, including Latinos, are left as bystanders.
 
Fourth, a community of missionary disciples accompanies others. Speaking in Assisi, Pope Francis said:
 
“I repeat it often: walking with our people, sometimes in front, sometimes in the middle, and sometimes behind – in front to guide the community, in the middle to encourage and support; and at the back to keep it united and so that no one lags too far behind, to keep them united.”
 
Accompaniment entails guiding, encouraging and supporting, and uniting. The Church that actively does this is a synodal Church – a Church that walks together. As we accompany others, we learn the art of dialogue. We live in a time of epochal change. We, who announce the Gospel, cannot evangelize by neglecting the new forces at work affecting new generations who have their own expectations and aspirations, including those who are coming to this country.
 
Fifth, the evangelizing community is fruitful. In paragraph 24, the Holy Father refers to the parable of the weeds and wheat, writing:
 
“An evangelizing community is always concerned with fruit because the Lord wants her to be fruitful. It cares for the grain and does not grow impatient with the weeds. The sower when he sees weeds sprouting among the grain does not grumble or overreact. He or she finds a way to let the Word take flesh in a particular situation and bear fruits of new life, however imperfect or incomplete these may appear.”
 
Fruitfulness demands discernment and patience. The fundamental task is discernment. The parable of the weeds and wheat speaks of distinguishing what is from the Son of Man, who sows good seed, the children of God, in the field from the weeds, the children of the evil one, sown by the devil. In Greek, the word used for weeds is zizania, which specifically refers to ryegrass. Zizania looks like wheat as it begins to grow, but only when it is mature can one discern the difference.
 
Jesus cautions his disciples of the need to be patient and to discern because things are not always initially clear.
 
While farmers discern between wheat and weeds, the Church embraces people, who have the possibility of responding to the divine initiative and who, by grace, can be transformed from sinner to saint, from weeds to wheat. Following Jesus’ example, we try to be patient. Patience in the art of accompaniment and discernment allows the whole Church to move forward.
 
Pope Francis sees patience as a mark of holiness: “I see holiness in the patience of the People of God … I often associate sanctity with patience; not only as hypomoné, taking charge of events and circumstances of life, but also as a constancy in going forward, day-by-day. This is the sanctity of the militant Church also mentioned by Saint Ignatius.”

The final characteristic of an evangelizing community is joy. It celebrates even small victories in the work of evangelization (cf. EG, 24). Joy is the greatest experience of the Church that goes forth. The Eucharist is the source and summit of all life in the Church. The Eucharist is the sacrament that nourishes Christian joy.  
 
It is the strongest sacramental sign of the paschal lordship of Christ, recalling his victory over sin and death. In the Eucharist, Christ is among us. The joy that He has won is preserved and shared. Eucharist joy is not incomplete or fading like the pleasures of this world; it is a lasting joy. Joy is fruit of the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus breathed on the Apostles at Easter, when they rejoiced to see the risen Lord!
 
Pope Francis has a dream of a missionary Church – one that goes forth to the spiritual and existential peripheries. In “Evangelii Gaudium,” he marks the characteristics of this missionary Church. It is one that goes forth; that seizes initiative; that engages and accompanies others, demonstrating patience in bearing fruit; and, ultimately, offers the world joy in the person of Jesus, who comes to us in Word and sacrament. The characteristics of an evangelizing community are modeled after the life and ministry of Jesus, the divine master. We are His disciples, called to be joyful missionaries at the peripheries of our world.
 
It is my sincere hope that as we gather for these days, we may be the Church that Christ wants us to be with Him at the center of our lives, our conversations, and our ministry, confident that with the Holy Virgin of Guadalupe to accompany us and to intercede for us, we may always move forward in hope, making known the joy of the Gospel.