For Love of My People I Will Not Remain Silent: On the Situation of the Church in China by Joseph Cardinal Zen

Author:Joseph Cardinal Zen [Zen, Joseph Cardinal]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Spiritual & Religion
ISBN: 9781642290691
Publisher: Ignatius Press
Published: 2019-02-12T06:00:00+00:00

Catholic ecclesiology: The mission and structure of the Church

Mission of the Church

The Church’s mission—that is, her why—is the only way we can understand her structure to fulfill this mission.

In paragraph 3.2, the Pope says that the Church is in the service of spiritual values like solidarity, justice, and peace. In 3.3, he says that in recent years China gave importance to economic and technological progress. Materialism and hedonism are the trends of modern society, and China is no exception. On the other hand, man, especially young people, feels the need for other values, especially spiritual values. By strengthening spiritual values, the Church precisely compensates for what is lacking in a society that strives for material progress.

Paragraph 3.5 says: “Duc in altum” (a reference to Lk 5:4, where Jesus tells Simon, “Put out into the deep”). This is an invitation to accept this challenge. It is quite appropriate to have the Church face the contradiction that exists in modern society and to acknowledge her part, that of spiritual values.

Paragraph 3.7 says that the Church’s work is “to preach”. Jesus tells the Apostles to go and preach all over the world. Preach what? The Kingdom of God. Jesus preached the Kingdom of God, and the Apostles preached Jesus, because in Jesus came the Kingdom of God. This Jesus, who died and rose, brought a “new Man”. Jesus not only preached this “Man”, but gave grace so that it could be a reality.

Paragraph 3.7 already starts to show how this mission requires its own structure. A fundamental condition is the union with the Successor of Peter and the universal Church.

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