Conclusion of our Study (Contd)

6. A Model for the People:  Jesus went a step further and attacked the authorities of the Jewish religion without demolishing their authority in principle. By advising the people to do what the authorities tell them to do without following their example  (See Matthew, 23: 1-4), Jesus shifted the ground from beneath the feet of those religious authorities. For, none can practice a precept correctly without an example to follow. Looking merely at the words of a precept, rule or law, one would never understand its import. The reason for the same is that left to itself a precept, rule or law can be interpreted variously depending on the standard or benchmark used by the individual concerned. A model that practices the precept correctly can stand as the standard or benchmark for others to follow it correctly. Therefore, actual implementation of the precept, rule or law is a must for ordinary people to follow it correctly and meaningfully. This is what Jesus has done by practicing what he preached. Now people have a model and example to follow in their lives leading them to eternal life. The necessity of Gospel Proclamation presenting Jesus Christ to the world is evident from what has just been said.  
7. Expression of Humanity:  The focus of Evangelization should not be on conversion of people from one religion to another. It is a proclamation of Good News resulting in internal transformation of the listener leading to conversion manifested externally. Baptism is not an immediate consequence of such internal conversion as if there is no other means of external manifestation of genuine internal conversion. Wherever there is true expression of genuine humanity, the internal conversion is also amply manifested externally. The importance of baptism is intimately related to the discipleship of Jesus Christ. Discipleship is both a pre- and post-baptismal endeavor. Baptism identifies a person with the mystery of Jesus Christ sacramentally so that the life of such a person incongruent with that mystery turns out to be an anomaly and a chimera. In this context let us also remember that the Church accepts baptism not only by water but also by desire and blood as sources of effusion of the Holy Spirit. Here we see the duty of he Church towards its members in leading them to become mature in Christ (See Ephesians, 4: 13), whereas gospel Proclamation is its duty to the whole world. We should further say that unfaithfulness in our duty of proclaiming the Gospel in its true spirit may deprive the visible Church of this privilege that may be given to others who produce fruits. The situation is similar to that of the Jews from whom the Kingdom of God was taken away and given to the Gentiles. "Therefore, I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and given to a nation that yields the proper fruit" (Matthew, 21: 43).      
Obstacles to Gospel Proclamation:  The Gospel Proclamation is necessary for salvation with soteriological necessity as we have explained in a previous Post. However, communication gap at various levels is the greatest obstacle in passing on the message of the Gospel successfully. Besides the natural distance of the original message from the present day world, a wide gap is caused by the absence of identification between the messenger and the message in Gospel Proclamation. This identification, as in the case of Jesus Christ, is the distinguishing characteristic of Gospel Proclamation the absence of which would naturally create a caricature of the original message. Paul calls such messengers hawkers of the Word of God (See 2 Corinthians, 2: 17). Three negative factors may be noted that exert an influence on this kind of lack of identification of the messenger with the message:
a) A stereotyped idea of discipleship of Jesus Christ resulting in a life of self-sufficiency.
b) Absence of true detachment causing unhealthy attachment to things and persons.
c) Confusion about love of God and love of neighbor that issues forth in self-glorification instead of glorification of God.
These negatives may be countered by three positive notes of the Gospel message:
a) Decline all honor, fame and power (Die to the world).
b) Become like little children (Be born again).
c) Become a real servant (Start living joyously).
9. Relevance and Method:  The relevance and method of Gospel Proclamation in the 21st Century presented in this Study may be summarized. Jesus Christ embodies in himself the Gospel values or the values of the Kingdom of God, which are geared to the promotion of genuine human values and humanity itself. As they coincide with the plan of God for the entire Universe, those values are eternal and universal, being thus relevant for all times.      
                                    The method of Gospel Proclamation proposed in our Study is the same as the method used by Jesus himself, in addition to the fact that he is the model and object of this proclamation. Our own transformation and identification with those to whom we proclaim the Gospel are necessary preconditions for the same. Our identification is not only by way of rejoicing with those who rejoice and weeping with those who weep  (See Romans, 12: 15), but also by becoming all things to all people for the sake of the Gospel (See 1 Corinthians, 9: 19-23).
10. A Balanced View:  Finally, it is essential to have a proper Christology for the right perspectives in Ecclesiology as well as in Gospel Proclamation. We understand Christology as the sum of knowledge we have of Jesus Christ from the faith of the Church based on Scriptures. Christology and Ecclesiology mutually influence each other and therefore it is a gradual process of understanding in both of them that will yield a balanced view of the salvific plan of God. Besides, the genuine practice of the Gospel Proclamation influences and is influenced by Christology and Ecclesiology of the times. As times change, there should be organic and living development in perceptions of Jests Christ, the Church and the mission of Gospel Proclamation. The antidote to confusion over inevitable changes taking place in the world is to have a harmonious and living development of eternal truths so that we may boldly say: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever" (Hebrews, !3: 8) (Concluded).       

Conclusion of our Study

                                                          We shall note down below a few salient features of our study in order to highlight its main theme about the Gospel Proclamation for our times.
1. Importance of Discipleship:  One may wonder about the importance we have given to discipleship in our duty of Gospel Proclamation. After all, one might think, our duty is to convey a message from God that is Good News to everyone concerning our salvation. The underlying premise in our Study is that the Gospel Proclamation is not a mere communication of information for the masses even as the communicator may remain unaffected by the message. Even in the case of an ordinary message, self-communication becomes part and parcel of the message conveyed without which no communication is possible. There is bound to be a coalescence of the messenger and the message in the Gospel Proclamation so much so that the messenger himself or herself is bound to become the message in some way or the other. For this purpose, discipleship of Jesus Christ is an essential element in the life of the proclaimer of the Gospel. Otherwise, the words of Jesus addressed to the lawyers and Pharisees may turn out to be easily applicable to us. "Alas for you, lawyers and Pharisees, hypocrites! You travel over sea and land to win one convert; and when you have won him you make him twice as fit for hell as you are yourselves" (Matthew, 23: 15).  
                                                         A true disciple of Jesus Christ would try to identify himself or herself with him in order to effectively proclaim the Gospel message. The task of Gospel Proclamation is to remove ignorance and fear from the people and make them free and independent on their way to enjoy life in all its fullness. Like a good mother,the Church should never try to tie down her children to herself through various means but allow them to soar high in different fields. This is only possible when the Church identifies herself with her Lord so as to become herself the Gospel to the teeming millions.  
2. The Object of Gospel Proclamation:  The Kingdom of God was the object of proclamation of Jesus, which he himself became by his death, resurrection and ascension. In due course the Church claimed a too close identification with the Kingdom of God instead of fully identifying herself with her Lord, Jesus Christ. The consequent self-perception of the Church was not helpful for a genuine Christology as the latter is determined by the former. The glorification of God the Father so vital in genuine Gospel Proclamation was practically confined to the Liturgy of the Church . All honor and glory should actually go to the Father in the actions of the Church and its members, which was not the case for many centuries. The kind of Gospel Proclamation resulting from such a situation would naturally be far from the original intention of Jesus.
                                                        This original intention may be summarized as follows. No one can enter into the Kingdom of God without being born again that is the same as becoming a new person. Becoming like children is another way of saying the same thing. Repentance is the one necessary ingredient in becoming a new person by being born again. It involves three elements: be truly sorry for our sins and the present way of life; watch and pray; allow the Holy Spirit to dwell in us to form our hearts into temples of God. Since even the desire for repentance is the result of God's grace, all honor and glory should be given to Him alone. Willingness to be genuine servants of all is the sure sign of the new life in us.
3. Dialogue with Religions:  It follows that the Church was not in a position for dialogue with world-religions without a true self-renewal for which the Second Vatican Council laid solid foundations. Self-renewal demands discipleship not only of the members but of the Church as a whole to Jesus Christ. It requires identification of the Church with Jesus Christ and not vice-versa just like in the case of the Kingdom of God. In both of these cases, the Church could not be fully true to itself as a result of which its relationship with the world-religions turned out to be unsatisfactory. It is but natural that a self-fortified Church would invite self-fortification from other religions. On the other hand, our concept of world-religions determines the nature of Gospel Proclamation we engage in.
4: Inculturation:   As religions and cultures are invariably inter-linked, meeting of religions also involves meeting of cultures. The proper forum for such meetings is to be seen in dialogue of religions and cultures without any need of confrontation or opposition. The sense of superiority manifested in the Christian religion emanates from the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as an article of faith for every true Christian. This uniqueness, however, need not be transposed to the Church as a religion but only as the Body of Christ which transcends the visible organization of the Church. As the Body of Christ the Church is identified with the Kingdom of God, which in turn is identified with Jesus Christ. Therefore, in proclaiming the Good News or the Gospel message, there need not be any confrontation with other religions and cultures. Inculturation means the re-incarnation of faith in Jesus Christ in that particular culture that is necessarily linked to a religion. It is something automatically, so to say, achieved by those who are born and brought up in such a culture and religion. There is no need of adaptation of any pre-conceived idea of faith into a new culture as it only needs to be suffused with genuine faith in God. This kind of genuine faith in God is not possible without reference to Jesus Christ is the gist of our mission of the Proclamation of the Gospel. [We have already explained in a previous Post the real meaning of 'Belief in Jesus Christ'].
5. Self-Renewal:  Jesus himself has testified to the fact that self-renewal is a requirement for salvation for everyone irrespective of to which religion one belongs. Jesus called attention to the faithlessness of his own people in contrast to the reformation of lives of the people of Nineveh at the preaching of Jonah, which was salvific to them. Visiting Solomon to listen to his wisdom was salvific to the Queen of the south as she took the trouble of coming from the ends of the earth for the same (See Matthew, 12: 38-42). It means that wherever there is goodwill and reverence for the truth, salvation is a concomitant effect irrespective of the particular background of the people concerned. (To be contd).  
     

A Christology for the 21st Century (Contd)

Hints for a Christology (Contd):
John:  It is the Gospel according to John that brings clearly to the fore the true significance of the designation 'Son of God' applied to Jesus as against the same applied to Adam by Luke. It is achieved by means of the pre-existing Word with God incarnating in flesh and blood  in Jesus of Nazareth. Thus Jesus is Son of God by means of his identification with God the Father Himself, whereas Adam became son of God being the first human to be created by God. John's reflections on the Word of God took him beyond the earthly origin of Jesus and unraveled the mystery of the Holy Trinity. Similarly, in the Book of revelations, John reveals the role of Lamb of God in heaven and things yet to come at the end of the world. From all these attempts to understand the mystery of Jesus Christ, we have useful hints to make him relevant to the diverse conditions of the changing world. Our understanding of Jesus Christ need not be imprisoned by stereotypes like concepts of 'nature' and 'person' developed as an antidote to the Arian heresy. At that period of time it was a very useful devise to define language appropriately in order to avoid pitfalls adversely affecting the faith of the Church. Keeping in mind the intent of those definitions on the nature of Jesus Christ, we should be free to use language suitable to our times without compromising on faith itself.    
Paul:  The Epistles of Paul tell us how to understand Jesus Christ in various ways depending on the changing milieu. Unlike the other Apostles, Paul was witness neither to the public ministry nor to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He received the Gospel he preached not from men but through revelation of Jesus Christ, which proves that it was not merely human (See Galatians, 1:11-12). Paul was specifically chosen by Christ for his mission to the Gentiles. "His grace has made me a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles; my priestly service is the preaching the Gospel of God, and it falls to me to offer the Gentiles to him as an acceptable sacrifice, consecrated by the Holy Spirit" (Romans, 15: 16). The nature of the Gospel of God consists in the nature of Jesus Christ himself. Hence the importance of a correct understanding of Jesus Christ for a genuine view of the Gospel Proclamation cannot be made light of. The true content of the Gospel Proclamation necessarily flows from the above considerations. Paul sums up his Christology in his Letter to the Colossians thus: "He is the image of the invisible God; his is the primacy over all created things. In him everything in heaven and on earth was created, not only things visible but also the invisible orders of thrones, sovereignty, authorities, and powers: the whole universe has been created through him and for him. And he exists before everything , and all things are held together in him. He is, moreover, the head of the body, the Church. He is its origin , the first to return from the dead, to be in all things alone supreme. For in him the complete being of God, by God's own choice, came to dwell. Through him God chose to reconcile the whole universe to Himself, making peace through the shedding of his blood upon the cross - to reconcile all things, whether on earth or in heaven, through him alone" (Colossians, 1: 15-20).
Universal Savior:  From the above passage of the Letter of Paul it is clear that Jesus Christ and his mission should not be restricted by a narrow self-definition of the Church. For, it is tempting to bring down Christ to our level of understanding especially because he is also the head of the Church. But, let us not forget the very wide perspective on Christ extending up to the dimensions of the entire universe encompassing everything in heaven and on earth. The sacramental and administrative systems in the Church are very useful for the faithful in as far as the Church is both a home and a school of communion. This communion results in the Body of Christ, although the latter is not entirely a result of the former seen as a visible communion. The reason for this qualification is to be seen in the invisible element in the church where even some of those who are outside the visible Church may be sanctified by the Holy Spirit  and offered to God as a sacrifice (See Romans, 15:16). Paul went so far as to subordinate the duty of administering baptism to that of proclaiming the Gospel. "Christ did not send me to baptize, but to proclaim the Gospel; and to do it without relying on the language of worldly wisdom, so that the fact of Christ on his cross might have its full weight" (1 Corinthians, 1: 17). This was said in the context of people fighting over positions of authority in the Church of Corinth citing their allegiance to different leaders. "Surely Christ has not been divided among you! Was it Paul who was crucified for you? Was it in the name of Paul that you were baptized?" (1 Corinthians, 1: 13). With a brief reference to the very few people Paul happened to baptize, he asserts that the mission entrusted to him by Christ was not for baptizing anyone but for proclaiming the Gospel. This shows that the Proclamation of the Gospel is not necessarily ordained to baptizing those who hear the Good News.
The Good News: What, then. is exactly the function of Gospel Proclamation? The Gospel of God being the Word of God, concretized and manifested in Jesus Christ, must be allowed to function as the Word of God. Now, the Word of God is a double-edged sword. "For the Word of God is alive and active. It cuts more keenly than any two-edged sword, piercing as far as the place where life and spirit, joints and marrow, divide. It sifts the purposes and thoughts of the heart. There is nothing in creation that can hide from him; everything lies naked and exposed to the eyes of the one with whom we have to reckon" (Hebrews, 4: 12-13). Therefore, the Proclamation of the Gospel is meant not only for the hearers, but also for the speaker who cannot be an effective proclaimer unless the Word has already transformed his or her heart. A transformed person in Jesus Christ proclaims the Gospel by the very presence, words and actions wherever he or she goes. In case someone wants to know more about such a person, a chance to openly proclaim the crucified Christ is available to him or her. Since the Spirit of God is working in this entire process, the way to proceed ahead will be shown by the Spirit at the right time. The guidance of the Holy Spirit required for the Gospel Proclamation is also required for a genuine Christology of the 21st Century. [We shall conclude our Study with the next two Posts summarizing the salient features of 'The Gospel Proclamation in the 21st Century'].                

A Christology for the 21st Century (Contd).

Hints for a Christology::  Here we presuppose what we have already seen about the person and mission of Jesus Christ in the various previous Posts. In addition to the same, certain points may be given here as hints for a new Christology.
                                        A Christology for the 21st century can be comprehensive only if we study the entire New testament with the background of the Old testament as well as the scriptures of the World Religions. Our attempt here is to just hint at certain indications for building up such a Christology in view of the importance of Gospel proclamation. For this purpose we start with our faith that Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead sitting now at the right hand of God the Father for the salvation of all men and women ever born into this world and those yet to be born till the end of time. This is the faith of the Church, proclaimed by the Apostles and their successors in the church as the Gospel message. It is a message of Good News in the sense that we have been extricated from a hopeless situation of sin and degradation by the gratuitous act of God in Jesus Christ. It is an act of God transcending all religions including the Christian religion as the latter is but a feeble attempt to proclaim the mighty act of God. In its mission to proclaim the Good News of universal salvation, the Church has often been restricted in its understanding and interpretation of the same as a result of its imperfect self-understanding. A true Ecclesiology doing justice to its immense potentialities will go a long way in promoting the true mission of the Church.
The Servant of god:  The Gospel according to Matthew refers to Jesus in the midst of his public ministry as the one in whom the prophecy of Isaiah, chapter 42: 1-4 has been fulfilled. " 'Here is my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, on whom my favor rests; I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim judgment among the nations. He will not strive, he will not shout, nor will his voice be heard in the streets. He will not snap off the broken reed, nor snuff out the smoldering wick, until he leads justice on to victory. In him the nations shall place their hope' " (Matthew, 12: 18-21). What the servant of God does, therefore, is not according to the standard and expectations of the world. He is guided solely by the Spirit of God. His sole concern is to lead the justice of God to victory and not to interfere in the affairs of the world before the right time. The content of the justice of God and the means to attain it are mentioned in the Gospel according to Matthew, chapters 5-7. As a result of the victory of this justice of God, all the Nations shall place their hope in the servant of God, i. e., Jesus Christ. According to the Gospel of Luke, the mission of Jesus is seen in connection with another passage in the prophet Isaiah, chapter, 61: 1-2. Jesus read the passage from the scroll handed over to him in the Synagogue of Galilee: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he anointed me; he has sent me to announce good news to the poor, to proclaim release of prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind; to let the broken victims go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" (Luke, 4: 18-19).  
                                                  Just like the mission of Jesus, the mission of the Church and the mission of anyone on the side of Jesus start with an infusion of the Holy Spirit resulting in a new way of looking at the world. It is not that the Good News is restricted to the poor, but only the poor in spirit in the sight of God is able to receive the Good News. The prisoners, the blind and the broken victims are really poor in the sight of God to whom an amnesty is declared by the Gospel. This is to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. Without being bound by any set pattern, Jesus breaks into new avenues of the Lord's ways with the humans as he was anointed by the Spirit. This is the function of the priest according to the order of Melchizedek and all those called for the mission of Jesus are priests according to the order of Melchizedek.  
Different views on Jesus:  If we examine the Gospels, we have different pictures of Jesus Christ complementing one another. The four Gospels were written from different perspectives, called their theologies, although all of them were adaptations of early oral traditions circulated in the believing communities. Those traditions were direct or indirect offshoots of historical events surrounding the life, activities, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Thus, the Gospels are not to be seen as biographies of Jesus in spite of the fact that they were based on his life on this earth. The one most important ingredient in the writing of the Gospels is the faith of the Church in the risen Jesus Christ that could not but strongly influence the perspectives of the writers even when they wee dealing with the historical earthly life of Jesus. If someone were to think that any history with a perspective of faith is no history at all, we must remember that there is no history without some perspective or other! When we deal with heavenly and spiritual matters, having a perspective informed by faith is no crime at all! It is true also of the resurrection of Jesus Christ that could not be purely historical nor a mere outcome of faith in him. These are threshold realities where our power to grasp and express them in language cannot be the same as when dealing with purely mundane things. The redeeming feature that salvages the historicity of such events is the conscious acknowledgement of the perspective involved in recounting them. For the same reason, re-interpretation of historical events should not be arbitrary and should be based on history itself.      
Mark:  Among the four Gospels w have at present, the Gospel according to Mark was the first one to be written. As is evident from the beginning of the gospel, the over-riding concern of Mark was to present Jesus Christ to the world as Son of God. "Here begins the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God" (Mark, 1: 1). The first Gospel. therefore, did not think it necessary to start earlier than the public ministry of Jesus. It was a starting point of a life open to all that could be presented without any conjectures or theological constructions. This does not mean that Mark's Gospel is a pure description of events that took place as the Word of God always comes to us through theological interpretations. The theology of Mark is governed by his attempt to present Jesus as the Son of God through what he said and did as well as by his death , resurrection and ascension. This was achieved by Mark through a phenomenological analysis of the life of  Jesus on this earth without recourse to his pre-existence with the Father.    
Matthew and Luke:  The Gospels according to Matthew and Luke, which depended on the Gospel of Mark besides the available traditions in the early Church, wanted to complete the origins of Jesus through their Infancy Narratives and the Genealogies. The fact that the two Infancy Narratives and the genealogies in the two Gospels do not agree in every detail proclaims the real intent of the authors. It was not an exact biographic description of Jesus, but was a device to bring out the theological import of the person of Jesus for the audiences targeted.
                                          The targeted audience of Matthew was the Christian Community of Palestine, a result of conversion from among the Jews. For the Jews it was enough to start and end everything with Abraham, their father. King David was the other important personality as they were always expecting the re-establishment of his kingdom. The captivity in Babylon was the blot in their national character they would not like to be reminded about. Matthew used all these as milestones in his division of Genealogy into 3 sets of 14 generations culminating in Jesus Christ.  That the messiah, who was their expected Savior and King, actually appeared in Jesus Christ was presented by means of the visit of 3 Wise Men from the East. The Kingdom of God proclaimed by Jesus was in fact the promised Kingdom although it was not restricted to the Jews, but extended to the whole of humanity. Matthew also tried to show that the Church was but a continuation and fulfillment of the Jewish religion.    .
                                                 The audience targeted by Luke was mainly the non-Jews without neglecting the Jewish roots of the Gospel message. The Jewish root is reflected in the narration of John the Baptist's birth and the importance of Jerusalem Temple both at the beginning and end of the Gospel. However, the compassion Jesus showed to the sinners and the marginalized like the poor shepherds receiving the Good News of the birth of the Savior may be seen as the main feature of Luke's Gospel. Even at his birth, Jesus did not have a place of his own to lay his head on and was forced into the company of the animals in a stable. The Savior of the world had to totally depend on Mary and Joseph who fled to Egypt to save the life of Jesus from King Herod. Since Jesus came to save the whole world, the Genealogy ended not with Abraham but with Adam who was the son of God (See Luke, 3: 38). (To be Contd).  
  

A Christology for the 21st Century (Contd)

Attachment:  Another such value, along with authority as service, is detachment from wealth and possessions. The Church is able to do a lot of good using its wealth and influence in the society through its parishes, institutions, religious orders, social service organizations etc. The danger here is the possibility of undue attachment creeping into our lives destroying our spiritual life. Practicing true detachment from worldly possessions and even from people whom we love is an essential condition for spiritual life for all the believers (See 'Detachment' in our previous Post). The attitude of Jesus to wealth and possessions is reflected in the instance of a man calling upon him to mediate between him and his brother for dividing the family property. It was seemingly a reasonable request and yet Jesus warned the people against greed rebuking the man for placing him as a judge and arbitrator to decide such issues. "Then he said to the people, 'Beware! Be on your guard against greed of every kind, for even when a man has more than enough , his wealth does not give him life' " (Luke, 12: 15). To substantiate his point Jesus told the parable about the foolish rich man at the end of which we have his stern warning thus: "That is how it is with the man who amasses wealth for himself and remains a pauper in the sight of God" (Luke, 12: 22).  
Real Wealth:  That a man's wealth does not give him life is self-evident for Jesus. "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matthew, 6:21). For this reason, besides the uncertainty and impermanence of wealth that may be destroyed or stolen by thieves, heaven is the right place to store one's treasure and not the earth (See Matthew, 6: 18-20). Real life flows down from heaven to each one's heart and starts growing from within each one blossoming out into the open to effect changes in the world. Real love, joy, peace, etc., come from within and make a person really human and that is but the beginning of life eternal. The fundamental reason why wealth can be a stumbling-block in our quest for true life is spelt out by Jesus unambiguously. "No servant can be the slave of two masters; for either he will hate the first and love the second, or he will be devoted to the first and think nothing of the second. You cannot serve God and Money" (Matthew, 6: 24). Money stands for the world and all its attractions, under the control of Satan, (denoted by the term 'Mammon') that is diametrically opposed to God and His ways. to be immersed in such a world is not compatible with serving God. The right way to deal with the world is to make it our slave by being its master. We become masters of the world, money and all its attractions by being the slaves of God and conquering our own selves. One who conquers the self is the king with a royal priesthood whereby he or she participates in the one priesthood of Christ according to the order of Melchizedek. Detachment, therefore, is absolutely necessary to live in this world unaffected by its various attractions.  
Selfless Love:  Loving everyone as Jesus loved was the third item mentioned among the new values as against manipulating the people for our own selfish interests. (See our Post on 'The Greatest Commandment' under the Caption 'Living in the Presence of God'). The crucial point here is to understand how Jesus loved us. Jesus loved us by his self-emptytig  from the position of being the Son of God to become just like one of us except sin. He humbled himself to the point of being a slave for our sake obeying the Will of God even unto death on the cross as a result of which God raised him to the heights and bestowed on him the name above all names (Philippians, 2: 6-11). This is the reason why Paul exhorts us: "Let your bearings towards one another arise out of your life in Christ Jesus" (Philippians, 2: 5).    
                                                                           Our life in Christ Jesus demands that we have the same mentality as Jesus in loving everyone. The authority Jesus exercised over the disciples emanated from his loving service to them. He was always tolerant and understanding of others' weakness and even sin in order to redeem them through his loving compassion. Although Jesus is the sole judge of the world appointed by God, he never judged anyone and was always forgiving even his enemies and persecutors. Jesus never dreamt of forming groups of people with envy and back-biting, persecuting innocent members not interested in such machinations. Let the Church examine its conscience and see whether it needs renewal in its life and activities.      
A Sign of Contradiction:  To create in us the attitude of Jesus is absolutely essential in order not to vitiate our relationships. Jesus was open to everyone and yet denounced selfishness and hypocrisy even among religious leaders. He publicly proclaimed that love of God was not compatible with seeking self-glory and honor and that our internal attitude was more important than external observances. Jesus accepted hospitality from the rich and the sinful without shying away from timely corrections needed in their lives. He was compassionate and understanding to the plight of the weak , the marginalized and the sinners and offered  his friendship to them. Jesus never thought that any human being deserved to be permanently isolated for whatever reason. He was not bothered about criticisms leveled against him as he knew that they were opinions according to worldly standards. Jesus measured everything with the yardstick of the Kingdom of God  and its values and therefore knew that the world could not easily accommodate him. That is why the world hated him and wanted him eliminated from the face of the earth and a true disciple should be ready to follow in the footsteps of the Master The Church has to be, therefore, a sign of contradiction in the world failing which it fails in its own mission! (To be contd).    

A Christology for the 21st Century (Contd)

Uniqueness of Christian priesthood:  If the priesthood of Christ is connected with the priesthood of all religions, what is special in the priesthood in the Church founded by Jesus Christ himself? It is indisputable from the Gospels that Jesus formed a community of disciples out of whom twelve Apostles were selected making them the foundation of the Church, himself remaining the cornerstone (See Ephesians, 2: 20). Peter was explicitly named the Rock on which Jesus was going to build his Church. Even the keys of the kingdom were given to Peter whose decision on earth will be respected in heaven (See Matthew, 16: 18-19). After his resurrection from the dead, Peter was specifically made the shepherd of the flock whose chief shepherd is the risen Lord himself. This took place when the beloved disciple of Jesus stood by and the commission was given to Peter without any reference to the former (See John, 21: 15-22). The special responsibility given to Peter was in addition to the power to forgive sins given to all the Apostles by breathing on them and imparting the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit and power were conferred upon Thomas , who was absent at the time of Jesus' appearance to the other Apostles, by letting him feel the risen body of Jesus with the marks of crucifixion (See John, 20: 20-29). All the Apostles were commanded by Jesus to remain in Jerusalem till they received power from above before dispersing to bear witness to him throughout the world (See Luke, 24: 49).      
                                                  From all the above and from the Acts of the Apostles and Letters of Paul, we learn a lot about the Church and its mission. Where is the question of equiparating the Church with the other religions of the world? The crucial answer to this very valid question is this: Did the Church succeed in being faithful to the plan of its founder , Jesus Christ, or did it lower its standard by its acts of commission and omission to the level of any other religion? If it succeeded, the question of equiparation of religions would not have arisen as the Church by its very nature is above all forms of religion in spite of having certain rituals and forms of worship for the sake of a social structure. If it failed by lowering its own expected standard, what is wrong in comparing the Church with any other religion? Let us be fair in judging the issue, as there is no partiality in God as far as salvation of the humans is concerned.
Faithfulness of the Church:  In order to evaluate whether the Church has succeeded in being faithful to the plan of Jesus Christ for it, we must first see clearly what this plan was in his mind. Along with it we must also compare the present image of the Church projected to the world with both positive and negative notes flowing from it. These interludes justify our earlier remark about the interlinked character of Christology and Ecclesiology (See the previous Post). Can we ever think of the Church without Jesus Christ and vice-versa?
Authority as Service:  Jesus Christ conferred on the Church not only powers but also obligations and in fact the two aspects were admirably combined in the concept of authority as service. Theoretically everyone  would readily agree to this concept and pay lip service, but the real test is in its practice. That a person with authority in the Church of Jesus Christ is a real servant and not only a mere symbolic one has been very clearly taught by Jesus by his own example (See an earlier Post on 'Servanthood', not 'Servility'). However, the tendency of the hierarchical Church is to use authority as power in the manner of kings and masters of the world. This model of authority is derived from the world and yet sometimes it is sought to be theologically justified by reference to the risen Lord, Jesus Christ. It is a poor understanding of the glorified Jesus Christ to think that one needs worldly pops-up to represent him. The power of the Spirit is what is required to represent the risen Lord for which Jesus Christ has shown us the way of the Cross. The way of the cross is available daily to everyone and is not restricted to those who commit their lives to the service of the Lord and his people for life. Even such dedicated people will have to beware of the unintended consequences and attendant evils of their state of life that might derail their lives from reaching the goal. Empowerment of our own selves by the Holy Spirit will lead to the empowerment of others by our actions. This kind of true empowerment of people we come in contact with presupposes our own self-emptying and self-sacrifice, a true way of the cross.Service is empowerment of people we come in contact with.    
The Divine Way:  The temptation to assert oneself and to promote one's own way of thinking is best exemplified in the case of Peter immediately after confessing Jesus to be the Son of God. Peter was able to make that confession as it was revealed to him by God the Father. In spite of this special treatment of Peter by God Himself, Jesus rebuked him as Satan since by his human way of thinking Peter stood as stumbling-block to Jesus, a role peculiar to Satan. "You think as men think, not as God thinks" (Matthew, 16:23). What was the offense of Peter to deserve this stern warning? Peter could not stomach the notion of suffering and death Jesus said he had to undergo before entering into his glory by rising from the dead. As per normal human reaction to any misfortune, Peter tried to dissuade Jesus from taking such a drastic step. Peter had an inkling that Jesus could decide his own destiny the way it was presented to the disciples and therefore he could as well change it if only he wanted! However, for Jesus, the Will of his heavenly Father was always the overriding factor that governed his life and it was like food and drink for him (See John, 4: 34). It was the way to think like God and unlike the humans. Thinking like humans as against God's thinking is to be with Satan and thus Peter deserved to be reminded of the same. Today's Church also needs to be reminded of this fundamental truth in order to put on the mentality of Jesus Christ.        
The Human Way:  The human way of thinking is most pronounced in the Church in the way of exercising authority, in amassing wealth as a guarantee for the future and in manipulating people instead of loving them as Jesus loved us. How authority in the Church should be used is clearly spelt out in the context of Apostles James and John seeking a place of honor at the right and left of Jesus in his kingdom. "Jesus called them to him and said, 'You know that in the world the recognized rulers lord it over their subjects, and their great men make them feel the weight of authority. That is not the way with you; among you, whoever wants to be great must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be the willing slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give up his life as a ransom for many' " (Mark, 10: 42-45). Therefore, it is the clear duty of those who hold authority in the Church to behave in such a manner that people under their authority do not feel the weight of authority exercised on them. It is the minimum requirement of service in the Church. Thus the community of the Church is totally different from any other community in this world not by any arbitrary sign of demarcation  by worldly standards, but by the completely new outlook and self-understanding derived from the Gospel values which are the values of the Kingdom of God. The concept of authority in the Church as genuine service is one of them. (To be Contd).         

Section Six: A Christology for the 21st Century

                                                           This Section provides the final rationale for Gospel Proclamation , standing as its solid foundation, in as far as Jesus Christ is designated by God as the cornerstone both of the creation of the entire Universe and of the new humanity.
                                                            By Christology we mean the body of knowledge about Jesus Christ available from the faith of the Church in him. This faith of the primitive Church proclaimed by the Apostles and other disciples like the Evangelists resulted in the New Testament of the Bible. A similar pattern can be seen for the Old Testament too as it was the result of reflection on the experiences of the Jewish people. For the New Testament, the primitive Church up to around A.D.100 was constitutive of not only the New Testament  but also of the Church of the subsequent centuries.The main difference is to be seen in the fact that while the Church was normative for the New testament Scripture in the first century, the Scripture is normative for the Church in all the subsequent centuries till the end of time. However, the sense of the Church in understanding Scripture (sometimes called 'tradition') cannot be disposed with for the right interpretation of the Scriptures. Because of the historical influences exerted on the Church as a social structure, the need for deconstruction and reconstruction of the understanding of the Church about itself cannot be overstated. Thus, the relevance of understanding Christology in the 21st century has added importance, given the complexity of the present age.    
Christology and Ecclesiology:  They are interlinked to such an extent that one cannot be understood properly without a proper understanding of the other. The Church as a social structure with its actual organization does not coalesce with the Church as the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ. The reason for this is that both the realities have members who do not formally belong to the other as some who are seemingly in the Church may be really outside it and vice-versa. Yet, the mission of the Church demands that the invisible be made visible as the ideal Church would be a combination of the visible and the invisible elements. The seven sacraments of the Church stand at the threshold of both the visible and the invisible elements in the Church. The charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit are given for building up the Church and not for personal honor or even personal sanctification (See 1 Corinthians, chapter 12). The fruits of the Holy Spirit (See Galatians, 5: 22-23) are meant for personal sanctification and are available to all who co-operate with the Spirit of God. Here again, love stands at the threshold of both the gifts and the fruits of the Holy Spirit harmonizing and uniting everything (See 1 Corinthians, chapter 13). Jesus Christ is the one who is present in all these activities initiated and sustained by the Holy Spirit. The glorified body of Jesus Christ is soaked through and through with the Holy Spirit so as to become a spiritual body, a destiny meant for the whole universe. Glorification and spiritualization of our own bodies are but a prelude to the glorification and spiritualization of the entire universe.        
Priesthood of Christ:  The above process of spiritualization is achieved through the priesthood of Jesus Christ according to the order of Melchizedek. What is the priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek? It is that priesthood that owes itself "... not to a system of earthbound rules but to the power of a life that cannot be destroyed" (Hebrews, 7: 16). Every priesthood on earth could only be a shadow of the heavenly one, whereas the priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek is the real priesthood conferred by God on His Son. "Now if he had been on earth, he would not even have been a priest, since there are already priests who offer the gifts which the Law prescribes, though they minister in a sanctuary which is only a copy and shadow of the heavenly" (Hebrews, 8: 4-5). The priesthood which Jesus holds is perpetual as he remains forever, whereas the priesthood held by the humans is impermanent as they are all mortal (See Hebrews, 7: 23-24). Every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices and Jesus as the real high priest offered himself through the gift and sacrifice of his own body and blood. Unlike any other high priest, Jesus needed to offer himself only once to abolish sin by the sacrifice of himself (See Hebrew, 9: 25-26). "For by one offering he has perfected all time those who are thus consecrated" (Hebrew, 10: 14). The mysterious figure of Melchizedek blessing Abraham in genesis 14: 17-20 is compared to the Son of God. "He has no father, no mother, no lineage; his years have no beginning, his life no end. He is like the Son of God: he remains a priest for all time" (Hebrews, 7: 3).      
Priesthood of Mortal Humans:  The priesthood of all humans who are mortal is necessarily symbolic and points towards the eternal priesthood of the one who sits at the right hand of God the Father. This is the case of the priesthood in all religions varying in degrees as far as they approximate to the priesthood of Jesus Christ. The culmination of this would be seen on the priests of God and of Christ upon whom the second death has no claim (See Revelation, 20: 6). Participation in the priesthood of Christ need not be restricted to the priesthood in the Church since Jesus Christ is the Savior of the whole world. The more one approximates to the real content of the priesthood of Christ the better priest of God and of Christ one becomes. The real content of the priesthood of Christ is his own unreserved self-oblation and self-sacrifice according to the Will of his Father. God does not want any other offerings and sacrifices than the living sacrifice of our own selves by which we conform ourselves to Jesus Christ (See Hebrews, 10: 1-18; Romans, 12:1-20. The fact that the priesthood in the Church is a sacrament points to its symbolic character totally depending on the priesthood of Christ for its effectiveness. That is why it is effective by itself independently of the personal sanctity of the priest, which could be said about the priests of other religions too in varying degrees.The distinguishing characteristic of the priesthood of Christ is the identity between the priest and the victim, between the offerer and the offered putting an end to the need of daily ritual offerings and sacrifices as he is interceding for us sitting at the right hand of God (See Hebrews, 10: 11-18). (To be contd).      

The Theology of Gospel Proclamation (Contd)

The Necessity of Gospel Proclamation (Contd):
True Liberation:  The necessity of Gospel Proclamation becomes all the more urgent as it is meant for the true welfare of the people. It is an invitation to complete liberation from all shackles of slavery imposed by various agencies operating in the world. It is a call for true humanity that cannot be achieved without submitting ourselves to the Word of God and His Will. The option before us is either to be a slave of God thereby becoming completely free or to be a slave of the world enslaved for life by the snares prepared by Satan himself. While nature calls for self-preservation of everything by using any and every means at its disposal, the call for self-sacrifice seems to go against the very law of life itself. Here what one has to remember is that life may be defined very narrowly encompassing only the natural world or it may be defined broadly to include the true self of the humans governed also by the supernatural. In the former case, one will be restricted to the concerns of this world that is ephemeral and passing, while the latter touches upon the permanent and eternal without which we cannot find our true self. We must take in the same spirit the words of Jesus to deny our self, i.e., the worldly one for the sake of developing the full human life. "Whoever cares for his own safety is lost; but if a man will let himself be lost for my sake, he will find his true self" (Matthew, 16: 25).
True Humanity:  What is the true self of the humans? In what does true humanity consist? This question cannot be answered theoretically as any theory is sustained by one or other ideology that is but the result of a particular world-view. It has to be answered practically by looking into the lives of those who were able to achieve humanity to a high degree and learn from their lives what is implied by true humanity. In this context, we may not be able to find a better specimen than the life of Jesus Christ who identified totally with humanity by his birth, throughout his life and ministry, by his death on the cross and the subsequent glorification by his resurrection from the dead and ascension to the place from where he had come. The importance of Gospel Proclamation placing Jesus Christ at the center is evident from the fact that our own true self depends on him. It is another matter that some of the sections in the Church have misinterpreted the reality of Jesus Christ monopolizing him, while he is the common property of all humanity (See the Posts in our next Section on 'A Christology for the 21st Century).
True Self:  The necessity and importance of Gospel Proclamation become all the more evident as it is meant to promote the true self of the humans. It is another question again whether it has actually promoted the true self of the humans always and everywhere. Surely the Church deserves both bouquets and brickbats in its accomplishments of the mission of Gospel Proclamation. In order to correct its past mistakes, the Church has to go back to its origins, especially to Jesus Christ himself, and humbly revise and re-learn its lessons. For, however earnestly we try to be human in its genuine sense, we are trapped by our own limited and selfish notions of humanity besides being engulfed by the snares of the world and Satan. In other words, the reality of genuine humanity is under threat from various quarters of which our own self plays no small part. Thus we need a strong protector and guarantor to keep safe our own humanity without being vandalized by forces beyond our control. It is like the need of a parent for the child to grow without whom the child's growth will be stunted if not altogether destroyed. Here we see the advice of Jesus as most opportune when he asked us to be like children before God. "At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, 'Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?' He called a child, set him in front of them, and said, 'I tell you this: unless you turn round and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Let a man humble himself till he is like this child, and he will be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven' " (Matthew, 18, 1-14). Therefore, to be genuinely human, a grown-up person has to become like a child.  
The Kingdom Of God:  The Kingdom of heaven or the Kingdom of God was the theme of the mission of Jesus to establish which he was born into the world. To keep our humanity safe and sound, it has to be subject to the overarching reality of the Kingdom of God. Jesus has shown us this reality more by what he did with his life than what he said about it. There is complete correspondence between what he said about the Kingdom and what he did with his life to establish it. True humanity emerges as a result of being a member of the Kingdom of God that transcends any of its manifestations in this world. The closest realization of the Kingdom of God was achieved in Jesus Christ, a union with whom cannot but produce a completely genuine human being. The most practical and genuine way of being united with Jesus is to follow his command to love another irrespective of caste, creed, religion, etc. "This is my commandment: love one another , as I have loved you" (John, 15: 12). The first requirement is to learn how he loved us for which our own discipleship should show us the way (See the First Section for our Posts on 'Discipleship'). The love of Jesus is completely selfless, without any ulterior motive to enhance his own position or authority nor is it used to manipulate people in order to exploit them.  The result is complete joy which Jesus wants to share with those who follow his example of selfless loving. With this kind of capacity to love, we become really human.  
True Compassion:  Being genuinely compassionate is another mark of true humanity. All the miracles of Jesus were performed out of compassion for the people and never for his own glory or for any show of power. In fact his hidden divinity occasionally burst forth into performing miracles for the sake of the people, although it was necessary to keep his divinity in check in order to truly develop into a human being. Our situation is just the opposite whereby we are called to grow into the divine nature for which our humanity in its base qualities should be kept in check. Occasionally our base human nature bursts forth into committing sins, which is the only contribution we are able to make on our own without the grace of God. Our aim should be to develop the finer features of our humanity suppressing its base character by self-denial so that the divine and the human in us blend into a fine human being.
A Genuine human being:  Such a fine human being does not discriminate between fiends and enemies, insiders and outsiders as he or she is open to all without any selfish motive. Such a human being is ever ready to forgive and forget without setting any limit, although that readiness should not be allowed to be taken for condoning injustice, greed and selfishness from those who want to take advantage of goodness! A fine balance and harmony is the hallmark of a genuine human being who is a completely free person and is not bound by anything except the obligation to love everyone. Don't we see that we have in Jesus Christ a perfect model for a genuine and wholesome human being soaked in the spirit of Joy? (See John, 15: 11). Thus we see the point of view of God on Gospel proclamation that is the same as its theology. (Next we shall proceed with our Last Section on 'A Christology for the 21st Century').           

The Theology of Gospel Proclamation (Contd)

The Necessity of Gospel Proclamation:  If any religion is good enough for salvation, why should we preach the Gospel? Why did Jesus himself command the Apostles to preach the Gospel to the whole world and baptize those who believe in him? However, we should note the variant readings of this command in Mark, 16: 15-16, Matthew, 28: 19, Luke,  24: 47 and the special commission to Peter in John, 21: 15-17. What stands out in those passages is that belief in Jesus is the basis for baptism that is the beginning of the process of making disciples of Jesus, teaching them what the Apostles had been taught of which proclamation of repentance for forgiveness is a crucial element. Besides, love is the basis for leading the flock of Jesus who is the Good Shepherd. All these taken together constitute the goal of Gospel Proclamation, which is that everyone should have life in its fullness (See John, 10: 10) for which the Good Shepherd laid down his life. Anyone who proclaims the Gospel should also be ready for laying down his or her life so that all may have life in abundance. It is the same as empowering those ho need empowerment to the highest degree possible in the manner in which Jesus has shown us the way. The Gospel is not restricted to merely achieving subjective salvation of the devotees of religions, but is based on the objective salvation set up by God Himself. Therefore, Gospel Proclamation is not superfluous even though people are able to attain subjective salvation through the various religions they are attached to.      .
Scope of Gospel proclamation:  A step further, we must say that Gospel Proclamation is necessary in the manner of soteriological necessity. Here one should guard against any narrow definition of Gospel Proclamation , given the fact that even before the New Testament times God invited people to salvation through Gospel proclamation. An instance of this is seen in the declaration of the Gospel to Abraham, the father of all those who are justified by faith. "You may take it, then, that it is the men of faith who are Abraham's sons. And Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the gentiles through faith, declared the Gospel to Abraham beforehand. 'In you all nations shall find blessing'. Thus it is the men of faith who share the blessing with faithful Abraham" (Galatians, 3: 7-9). Genuine faith in the Word of God is the basis of justification of the humans before God. The Gospel message is always implied in the Word of God, response to which by faith constitutes justification for the humans. Thus the word of God perceived in different religions as word of God, stands as the basis of subjective salvation for the devotees of those religions. If the perceived word of God is genuinely coming from God, it is Gospel message and is the basis of the objective salvation for the whole community. In both the instances of subjective and objective salvation, faith is the response expected from the humans for justification and sanctification. In the case of Abraham himself, we have both objective and subjective salvation exemplified in his experience of the divine. When Abraham blindly believed the promises of God that were to come later, it was the Gospel message of blessing that constituted objective salvation. Abraham's obedience to God in the decision to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, constituted subjective salvation as it was a decision influenced by the prevalent practice of the times of child sacrifice. It was Abraham's thinking about the Will of God and his faith in Him that was counted as justification for him. It is clarified elsewhere that God Himself abhorred child sacrifices and had never commanded the Kings of Israel to follow this despicable custom of the Gentiles (See Ezekiel, 20: 31).  
Genuine sacrifice:  In addition, we should remember that the only genuine sacrifice acceptable to God is self-sacrifice, the paradigm of which is the sacrifice on the cross by Jesus Christ. All other sacrifices should have a relationship with this supreme sacrifice on the cross to merit the name of real sacrifice. The different kinds of sacrifices in the Old Testament were mere shadows of the reality to come later. They were meant for training and educating the people to sacrifice their own selves, which alone was acceptable to God. Mechanical repetition of animal sacrifices as well as other forms of worship including even prayers and incense offering are abhorrent to the Lord (See Isaiah, 1: 11-17; 66: 1-6). Gospel Proclamation is the means devised by God Himself to lead people to offering real and living sacrifices.
Self-Sacrifice:  If Gospel means Good  News, how does it become good news as it is meant to lead people to self-sacrifice that is acceptable to God but repugnant to the humans? The real happiness of the humans can come about only if one is able to realize his or her true self with all its potentialities that is already implanted in each and everyone as image of God. What is to be sacrificed by daily self-denial is the apparent self encrusted upon us by our interaction in the world through indulgences of our senses, mind, and the underlying sense of self called the "Ego" (See Ephesians, 4: 20-24). The art of living in the world without being of the world demands self-sacrifices through the practice of detachment from worldly things. Detachment teaches us to use things without being used by them and to be master of everything without being enslaved by our desires [See 'Detachment' in an earlier Post]. (To be Contd).    

TheTheology of Gospel Proclamation (Contd)

The Church and the World Religions (Contd):
Subjective Salvation:  If objective salvation is all pervasive, the humans have nothing to do for their own salvation may be the immediate thought that might crop up in our minds. Objective salvation provides us with all necessary conditions and aids coming from God alone, which we may appropriate freely for our own salvation. It is not our efforts that lead us to our own salvation , but our co-operation with the graces offered to us by God Himself. Not to harden our hearts when we hear the voice of God, especially that of our conscience, is an important milestone in this kind of co-operation expected from us. At his address in the house of Cornelius, Peter was very clear on the availability of subjective salvation for all. "Peter began: 'I now see how true it is that God has no favorites, but that in every nation the man who is god-fearing and does what is right is acceptable to him' " (Acts, 10: 34-35). At his first address on the day of Pentecost, Peter had applied the same thought even to the day of the Lord at the end of the world. "And then, everyone who invokes the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans, 10: 13). One of the main themes of Paul's letters is that faith in the living God is that which justifies us. He also stresses that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the most appropriate means of fostering true faith in the living God. Thus both objective and subjective salvation find a common ground in the belief in Jesus Christ.  
Explicit Belief in Jesus Christ:  The Apostles exhorted those who were inspired by the Holy Spirit on hearing the Word of God to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Baptism and the other sacraments of the Church are the most visible and explicit ways of professing the belief in Jesus Christ. Baptism is not a means for mere membership of the Church, but is incorporation into the Body of Christ by death and rising with him. A baptized person is a new creature in the image of Jesus Christ and is expected to represent him in this world. It is a free gift of God and does not depend on the merits of the candidate and therefore even infants could be baptized in the name of the Church's faith. It is the duty of the Church, represented by parents and God-parents assisted by priests and catechists under the control of Bishops to foster the faith of the baptized infants into the full-fledged faith in Jesus Christ in tandem with their growth and development.The ultimate aim of this exercise is not to create fanatics and communalists, but to form disciples of Jesus Christ who would be able to break all barriers created by us and reach out to all in the name of humanity. True explicit belief in Jesus Christ is meant to embrace all human beings without any distinction, under the banner of humanity for which the true benchmark is instituted in and by Jesus Christ himself. Even in the most explicit belief in Jesus Christ constituted through baptism, an element of implicit belief in him is present and is acknowledged by the Church by its doctrine of baptism by desire. That baptism is possible not only by water but also by blood, like in the martyrdom of a neophyte, or by desire, as in the case of people who fear God and do what is right, brings to the fore the fact that it is the Holy Spirit of God who is active in all those cases. Baptism by the Spirit is the underlying reality of all other kinds of baptism and that being invisible corresponds to implicit belief in Jesus Christ.        
Implicit Belief in Jesus Christ:  The main obstacle in understanding the concept of implicit belief in Jesus Christ is our narrow definition of the reality of Jesus Christ unjustifiably limited by the prejudices inherent in our explicit belief in him. For, it is the faith of the Church ringing out very loud and clear from the Bible that Jesus Christ is constituted by God the Father as the universal savior of all mankind and judge of the whole universe. That being the case, the Church cannot afford to be satisfied with a narrow definition of the reality of Jesus Christ resulting from its own incomplete self-understanding. The self-understanding of the Church serves as the underlying benchmark for understanding all the other religions. Therefore, if the Church failed to grasp the salvific significance of all religions, it was due to its own failure in understanding the universal salvific significance of Jesus Christ in God's own plan of salvation for the whole world. Fortunately, after the Second Vatican Council, there has been a marked difference in perspectives in this matter, although much more is to be done for the benefit of the present 21st century.  
                                                  We have already discussed above the nature of the implicit belief in Jesus Christ. It is further corroborated by the teachings of Peter and Paul about the acceptability to God of all those who fear Him  and do what is right. If we wonder how it is connected to Jesus Christ, we must remember that anything that is good comes from God alone as He alone is good (See Luke, 18: 19). Jesus Christ is the human face of God and he cannot but be present anywhere there is goodness, righteousness, justice, truth, etc. In this manner, he does not go by religions as God through His Spirit permeating the risen body is not bound by any restrictions. Further, anyone who follows the instructions of Jesus in Matthew, chapters 5-7 has faith in Jesus that is salvific and sanctifying irrespective of religious affiliations. Stunned by the contradictions in practical life of those who proclaim faith in God and Jesus Christ, if someone were to consider oneself an unbeliever and yet follow the instructions of Jesus in daily life, such a person is a true believer in him with the tag of implicit belief.  (To be Contd).    
         

The Theology of Gospel Proclamation (Contd).

The Church and the World Religions:  It is to  be admitted  that according to the soteriological necessity all religions can be said to be necessary for salvation for their followers. If so, what is the special relevance of the Church for the salvation of the whole world? Its special relevance derives from the claim of being the Body of Christ whose head is Jesus Christ himself. The uniqueness of Jesus Christ in the plan of salvation devised by God is a matter of faith revealed as a part of the revelation of the full truth into which the believers are gradually led. It is a free gift of God to those who genuinely believe according to the graces given and there is nothing to be argued about. However, the external manifestation of this faith in Jesus Christ may take many forms the most outstanding of which is the visible Church. It does not mean that all those who are visibly members of the church are real believers in Jesus Christ nor that all real believers are invariably members of the visible Church.  
Relevance of Religions:  What then is the relevance of all other religions, if the church claims for itself such an exalted status? The answer to this question may be gleaned from what Paul tells us about the need and relevance of the Jewish Law before the revelation of faith. It may be added here that in as far as the Church projects itself as a religion, it would be bound by the requirements and limitations of any other religion. As promoter of faith in the one and only God and Jesus Christ, the Church transcends the limits and requirements of any religion and permeates through the boundaries of all religions.Thus we see that according to Paul, all religions are mere tutors with a view to bringing about true faith in their adherents. "Before this faith came, we were close prisoners in the custody of law, pending the revelation of faith. Thus the law was a kind of tutor in charge of us until Christ could come , when we should be justified through faith ; and now that faith has come, the tutor's charge is at an end" (Galatians, 3: 23-25). The tutor, that is all religions, should disappear and allow the faithful to grow on their own once they are trained to be on their own. It should be like a mother who should be happy that her son is on his own feet and does not need her anymore for which she had prepared him all along.  
Savior of the World:  How should we understand explicit references to Jesus Christ as the sole savior of the world, if salvation may be attained through other means? Peter himself, the chief of the Apostles, strongly believed in the uniqueness of Jesus Christ when he was examined by the Jewish authorities. He said: "This Jesus is the stone rejected by the builders which has become the keystone - and you are the builders. There is no salvation in anyone else at all, for there is no other name under heaven granted to men, by which we may receive salvation" (Acts, 4: 11-12). In order to understand this and similar passages of the Bible we should make two vital distinctions that have far reaching consequences. The first distinction is between objective and subjective salvation . In subjective salvation, the second distinction is between explicit and implicit belief in Jesus Christ. We shall explain them in some detail for a clear perspective of the issues involved.    
Objective Salvation:  By objective salvation is meant the infrastructure of salvation prepared by God Himself independent of all human appropriation of the same. It derives directly from the Will of God and is freely offered to the humans for their acceptance. It is something which comes from above and not from below and is deeply associated with God's revelation of Himself that always comes about by the self-revelation of the humans themselves. The self-understanding of the humans and the true understanding of God are always interdependent. The Scriptures of all religions present us with this kind of interdependent knowledge of the humans and God that is called revelation. Faith in the revealing God is set up by God Himself as the objective salvation to which all are called. It becomes subjective salvation the moment the humans submit themselves to the Will of God by an act of faith in Him. There are different levels and shades of this faith that is seen in various Scriptures. The faith seen in the old Testament of the Bible is only a preparatory phase for the fuller faith in Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Similarly, the Scriptures of other religions reveal various grades of faith required to please the one true God. In the above quoted passage of Peter's address, Jesus is proclaimed as the only means of salvation in the objective sense. It is clear from the fact that it is God Himself who has set up the name of Jesus for salvation of the whole world. It is an act of God constituting the order or the infrastructure of salvation and therefore refers to the objective salvation.
                                                    Objective salvation refers to the new creation resulting from the death, resurrection, ascension and sitting of Jesus Christ at the right hand of God till the end of time. It is independent of our acknowledgement of the same just like the old creation of the entire universe. That is why it is called objective salvation as distinct from subjective salvation whereby the fate of individuals is decided. Thus it is clear that every single human being starting with Adam and ending with the very last person to be born into this world comes under the sway of objective salvation. There is no distinction between religions, race, cultures, creeds, sexes, ideologies, etc., when it is a question of coming under the objective salvation constituted by God Himself. By the very fact that Christ died for all on the cross defeating death itself and vanquishing the power of Satan, human nature has been propped up by eternal hope fatally shattered by the sin of Adam. If the first sin committed by our first parents could affect the fate and prospects of all their progeny, the reversal of the same fate by the saving act of Jesus Christ could not be less pervasive. This state of affairs affecting the whole humankind is called objective salvation. Baptism is one of the concrete ways of appropriating this objective salvation into subjective salvation, if the implications of the meaning of baptism are understood and practiced by the baptized.  (To be Contd).     

The Theology of Gospel Proclamation (Contd)

The Necessity of the Church for Salvation (Contd):
Necessity:  When it is said that the Church is or is not necessary for salvation, what kind of necessity are we talking about? People take sides according to their perceptions and therefore it is imperative to clarify the very concept of "necessity".
Metaphysical Necessity:  We talk about different kinds of necessity in various fields of everyday life. It is very rare that we talk about absolute or metaphysical necessity that flows from the internal structures of the very concepts concerned. Thus we have absolute necessity when we talk about God as almighty or as omnipresent, omniscient, etc. We cannot understand the concept of God without at the same time connecting these concepts with "God" with absolute necessity. The same is not the case in Arithmetic, Algebra and Geometry where some would like to see absolute necessity in concepts like 2+2=4. The necessity involved here does not flow from the very concepts, but is the result of a human construct whereby it has been decided that two and two should make four and not five. If it were to be decided that hereafter two and two should be five and three and two should be four there would be nothing repugnant in itself. Therefore, they need not be categorized as absolutely or metaphysically necessary, but only as fundamentally necessary for laying foundation for sciences.
Physical Necessity:  The next category is physical necessity. We have examples of this necessity in physical laws like "fire burns", "water extinguishes fire", etc. An exception to the operation of such laws is called a miracle. Walking over the water is considered to be a miracle because the physical laws governing the nature of water do not allow it. If a dead person is raised to life, such a miracle again goes against the normal operation of the physical laws regarding life and death.
Moral Necessity:  Moral necessity is about the laws of human interaction and right behavior. While the physical necessity deals with the laws of nature, moral necessity involves the natural laws applicable to human beings alone. Moral and ethical standards derive from such laws. "You shall no kill" carries moral necessity and not absolute or physical necessity. it is forbidden by an explicit or implicit command in as far as it is necessary to order one's life in relation to God.
                                                                        None of the above categories of necessity can be applied when we talk about the necessity of the Church for salvation. At the same time, no other category of necessity is usually considered in the discussions of Philosophy and Theology whereby confusion is created in Ecclesiology with regard to the necessity of the Church with regard to salvation We propose below another kind of necessity in God's plan of salvation applicable in Ecclesiology.
Soteriological Necessity:  We shall term it "soteriological necessity" as it pertains to God's plan of saving the world. The first point to remember about God's plan of salvation is that it was not an after-thought by God when Adam and Eve sinned. Even before the creation of the world and the foundations of the Universe were laid, God had His plan of salvation in His Word who became flesh as Jesus Christ in the course of history. That is why the Fathers of the Church and Ecumenical Councils repeatedly teach that God was working out the salvation of the World from the very beginning. This background should throw light on the concepts of both "necessity" and "salvation". It should caution those who consider the Church as a monopolistic agency to dispose salvation as a right to be enjoyed by some privileged chosen ones forgetting that they are mere servants to be at the service of humanity!  
                                                                   Soteriological necessity occurs as a result of the interaction between the actions of God and the humans. As God is by nature absolutely free, there can be no necessity in Him as far as actions outside of Him are concerned. Thus even the creation of the universe including the humans is an absolutely free act of God. He need not have created it as God is self-sufficient in Himself. However, all creation is an expression and manifestation of His Infinite Love as He is Love itself. Humans are the only earthly creatures who are modeled on God's own image and likeness (See Genesis, 1: 26-27) With the creation of angels and the humans, God shared freely His own freedom with the creatures in a limited way. When sin entered the world through their disobedience, God devised ways to save the world from utter destruction. Thus soteriological necessity has its origins in the irrevocability of  God's gift of freedom to his creatures, especially to the humans.. God wants to save the humans through love without doing violence to their free nature bestowed upon them. It is done through Jesus Christ whose Body is the Church and is governed by soteriological necessity.    
Salvation:  "Scripture says, 'Everyone who has faith in him will be saved from shame' - everyone: there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord is Lord of all, and is rich enough for the need of all who invoke him. For everyone, as it says again - 'everyone who invokes the name of the Lord will be saved' " (Romans, 10: 11-13). The Scripture reference is to the book of Prophet Joel 2: 28-32 quoted also by Peter in his address to the people on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out  (See Acts, 2: 17-21). Just before the above quoted text of Paul, the uniqueness of Jesus Christ is stressed by Paul (See Romans, 10: 5-10). Similarly, immediately after the above cited text of Paul, he argues for the necessity of Gospel Proclamation in relation to the salvation of the whole world (See Romans, 10: 14-15).  
Salvation of All:  The fundamental reason why all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved is that the same Lord is the Lord of all who is rich enough to cater to the needs of all. In his First Letter to Timothy, Paul urges him to pray for all men and those in authority so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life. This would become possible if all live in full observance of religion and high standards of morality. "Such prayer is right, and approved by God our Savior, whose will it is that all men should find salvation and come to know the truth" (1 Timothy, 2: 3-4). It follows that if people were to sincerely practice the precepts of their religion and morality, they would gradually come to the knowledge of full truth besides attaining salvation. The full truth consists in the fact that there is but one God and one mediator between God and the humans. Jesus Christ is this one mediator who sacrificed himself to win freedom for all mankind, which is the Good News or the Gospel meant for the whole world (See 1 Timothy, 2: 5-7).  
Gospel Proclamation:  God's will that all the humans should find salvation and come to know the truth is not half-hearted or ineffective, but is restrained by the free will of the humans who cannot be coerced into attaining their own salvation. Here is the fundamental reason why any "forced conversion" is no conversion at all as it involves a contradiction in terms even in the case of a coercive Will of God for our salvation! The need of Gospel Proclamation is all the more evident in the background of this Will of God for the salvation of all respecting the freedom of all. For, Gospel Proclamation is essentially an invitation freely to be accepted or rejected by people just like an invitation to a marriage feast (See Matthew, 22: 1-14). The symbolism of marriage feast stands for the reality of the Kingdom of God proclaimed by Jesus Christ. The Church is commissioned by Jesus Christ to strive for building up the Kingdom of God, which is essentially an act of God. It has to be done in coordination with all people since all have stake in it according to the plan of God whose grace appeared in Jesus Christ for healing all the humans. (See Titus, 2: 11-14). Let us remember that salvation is primarily an act of God to cooperate with which the Church has been called with soteriological necessity ( See Titus, 1: 2-3; 1 Peter, 1: 1-2). (To be Contd).  
    

The Theology of Gospel Proclamation (Contd)

The Necessity of the Church for Salvation: The answer to the question whether the Church is necessary for salvation depends very much on the proper analysis of language with reference to the concepts "the Church", "Necessity" and "Salvation". This analysis should be based on an adequate understanding of those concepts propounded in the Bible.
The Church:  "Ecclesia" is the Greek word used in the New Testament to denote the Church, which is an assembly called together by God Himself. The initiative, therefore, is from God and He calls whom He wills and forms them into a community. The death of Jesus on the cross was for the purpose of gathering together the scattered children of God (See John, 11: 52). It entirely depends on God the Father who would come to Jesus and no one can do it on his or her own (See John, 6: 37, 44). Jesus himself called his disciples whom he will and reminded them that it was he who chose them and not vice-versa. Even in appointing the Apostles, Jesus did not worry about giving wide representation as we see that Peter and Andrew as well as James and John were brothers. There was also representation from those who were called his brothers. Peter, Andrew and Philip were from Bethesda and all the Apostles were from Galilee. Thus, no democratic spirit was apparent in the selection of Apostles as they were directly called by God Himself. The same is true of the first member of the Church, Mother Mary, as well as of all the women disciples of Jesus. Therefore, the first condition of being a member of the church of Jesus Christ is the call extended by God Himself.
External and Internal components:  There are both visible and invisible elements constituting the reality of the Church. The call from God, through the action of His Spirit, is the first invisible component of the Church. It takes shape in each human heart as true faith in the living God expressed variously through visible forms of worship, actions, attitudes etc.To nurture that faith and develop it according to the Will of God is the mission of the Church. It follows that, as St. Augustine noted, there are some who think that they are in the Church while they are not really in it and others who think that they are outside the Church while they are really in it. This shows the preponderance and importance of the invisible element in the Church, although it has also to be expressed in visible forms. The Spirit of God needs and uses visible forms, without being restrained and restricted by them. The purpose of the visibility of the church through various sacraments and institutions including the priesthood, is not to create boundaries but to open up to the entire world. In the process of opening up to the world, if the Church were to lose its own identity, it succeeds in fulfilling the mission of Jesus Christ, who emptied himself for us. The delicate balance between the individuality of a Church and the work of the Holy Spirit has to be maintained for the Church to remain the Body of Jesus Christ. Otherwise, the many individual Churches in the One Church would tend to be disparate groups governed by selfish motives instead of becoming vehicles of organic outgrowth in the Body of Christ.    
The Spirit:  The Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles clearly indicate how the Holy Spirit was guiding the Church in its beginnings. Nothing was done without the promptings of the Holy Spirit and even the visible manifestations of those promptings were not allowed to be excessively influenced by the human proclivities of wielding power over others. The best example of such a visible element was the administration of baptism to those who believed in Jesus as the Christ. Baptism was never considered as a means to segregate people but as a symbolic expression of dying and rising with Jesus Christ. It was not the only means to receive the Holy Spirit as we see from the case of Cornelius who, with his family, was baptized by Peter after the outpouring of the Spirit on them (See Acts, 10: 44-48). Peter also tells us that baptism is not a mere ritual to wash away our bodily pollution , but an appeal made to God for a good conscience in virtue of the resurrection of Jesus Christ (See 1 Peter, 3: 21). Let us also remember that Jesus never baptized anyone (See John, 4: 2 that clarifies John, 3: 22) and Paul understood his mission as proclaiming the Gospel and not baptizing anyone (See 1 Corinthians, 1: 17). It only means that baptism and as a result membership in the Church should never be considered as a means for increasing numbers for the purpose of building power-blocks in the name of Jesus Christ. In this context, one can see that any idea of "forcible conversions" even by taking advantage of the vulnerability of the weak is a contradiction in terms.
Sources of misunderstanding:  The reason for the importance and necessity of the Church for salvation is its identity with Jesus Christ. Saul, who turned out to be Paul, knew this identification through a direct encounter with Jesus at Damascus. Saul was very zealous in persecuting the believers in Jesus not only at Jerusalem but also in the Synagogues of other places. He was struck down near Damascus, on his way to arrest the believers in Jesus in the Synagogues there, by the power of the Lord Jesus who identified himself with the believers and considered their persecution as his own (See Acts, 9: 1-5). According to the faith of the Church, derived from the Bible, Jesus Christ is the one who is appointed by God Himself as the sole savior of the world. Since the Church is identified with Jesus Christ as his Body, the necessity of the Church for salvation is thought to derive from the necessity of Jesus Christ for salvation. This is, however, a half-truth resulting from the fallacious identification of Jesus Christ with the Church in place of the identification of the Church with Jesus Christ. In other words, Jesus Christ is much more than the reality of the Church of which he is the head and at the same time the head of all creation. Nothing is excluded from his sovereignty except God the father to whom he himself is subject. Thus the unreserved interchangeability of the identity of the Church and Jesus Christ is one source of misunderstanding of the true necessity of the Church for salvation.
                                                Another source of misunderstanding of the same is due to the exaggerated importance of the visibility of the church at the expense of its invisible nature. Thus the view of Cardinal Bellarmine in the 16th cent. that the Church is as visible and palpable as the Republic of Italy or Germany completely undermined the essential invisible component of the Church and rendered it equivalent to any civil society. It was forgotten that while civil societies have physical and geographical boundaries, the Church of Jesus Christ, representing the Kingdom of God, has no such boundaries. Other consequences with rules, laws, discipline, etc., would accordingly be different in the Church and the civil societies. The former is governed for the welfare of its faithful in the coming world, while the latter is governed for the welfare of its citizens in this world. However, there should not be any dichotomy between the two since men and women cannot lead a divided life between the two kinds of societies. The problem of this division would be solved the moment one sees that life in the Church is nothing but a life in the Spirit whereby all our activities are suffused with the Spirit of Jesus Christ.        
                                                            There is still another source of misunderstanding about the nature of the Church whereby the Kingdom of God and the Church are identified. The most one can say about this identification is the one we have pointed out about the similar identification of the Church and Jesus Christ. While the Church may be identified with the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of God is not to be identified with the Church in its visible manifestation. This is all the more so since Jesus Christ himself is the concrete expression of the Kingdom of God manifested to us through his Paschal Mystery. (To be Contd).  
       

The Theology of Gospel Proclamation (Contd)

The meaning of Belief in Jesus Christ (Contd):
Faith in Jesus:  It is evident from what Jesus said to Nicodemus that implicit belief in him meets the requirement of faith in him for salvation."No one ever went up into heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Son of Man whose home is in heaven. This Son of Man must be lifted up as the serpent was lifted up by Moses in the wilderness, so that everyone who has faith in him may in him possess eternal life" (John, 3: 13-15). That this faith is satisfied by an implicit belief in him may be seen from what follows the passage quoted above. There Jesus elaborates on certain preconditions and consequences of faith in him that would justify the sufficiency of implicit belief in him for salvation. The preconditions are these: The reason why God sent His only Son into the world was that His love for the world was beyond measure with the purpose of granting eternal life to all those who have faith in His Son. Similarly, the intention of God in sending His Son was not for judging the world, but in saving it through him. The consequences immediately follow those preconditions in that the man who has faith in God's Son does not come under God's judgment. On the contrary, the unbeliever has already been judged because he did not give his allegiance to God's only Son (See John, 3: 16-18).
Verification of Faith:  Faith in Jesus required for our salvation is verified by a test proposed by Jesus himself that equiparates faith with implicit belief in him. "Here is the test: the light has come into the world, but men preferred darkness to light because their deeds were evil. Bad men all hate the light and avoid it, for fear that their practices should be shown up. The honest man comes to the light so that it may be clearly seen that God is in all he does" (John, 3: 19-21). Faith in Jesus is necessarily tied up with our practices in daily life whereby it is verified or falsified. If our practices conform to the light, we shall not hide ourselves in darkness and would come out into the open for everyone to see what we really think, say and do. On the contrary, evil people cannot afford to do that as their evil thoughts, words and deeds cannot stand the scrutiny of light that enlightens everybody. If faith in Jesus implies verification of it by our practices, our practices necessarily reveal the kind of faith we have in Jesus. When the practices of someone correspond with the attributes of light , he or she has implicit belief in Jesus who is the light of the world.  
Belief in Jesus in the Old testament:  If anyone were to still think that implicit belief in Jesus Christ does not sufficiently meet the Gospel requirement of faith in Jesus, we may point out the biblical understanding of the same in the very first century. Jesus himself endorsed the sufficiency of implicit belief in him by referring to the faith of Abraham and David in their lifetime. "Your father Abraham was overjoyed to see my day; he saw it and was glad" (John, 8: 56). Jesus asked the Jews how Christ could be the Son of David when David himself in Psalm 110: 1 called him his Lord (See Luke, 20: 41-44). It means that David's knowledge about Christ could only be implicit and yet he was saved by his faith in him. The same is true of all those who were justified by faith as detailed out in chapter 11 of the Letter to the Hebrews. Explicit mention of Christ is made by the author of this Letter while talking about the faith of Moses. "He considered the stigma that rests on Christ (God's Anointed, the Messiah) greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for his eyes were fixed upon the coming day of recompense" (Hebrew, 11: 26). By the very fact that Moses preferred to suffer hardship with the people of God rather than enjoy the transient pleasures of sin as the prince of Egypt, he implicitly took part in the destiny of Jesus Christ and was justified. Similarly, Christ was the spiritual rock that traveled with Israel through the desert during their exodus from Egypt (See 1 Corinthians, 10: 3-4)    
Walking Models:  If a case could be made out for implicit belief in Jesus Christ from the very beginning of the world, much more should it be relevant after the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ with the mission of the Church to proclaim the Gospel. The Church has to bring to the fore what is already implicit in every human being, i. e., the image of God enhanced by the presence of Jesus Christ. Education in general is an activity that attempts to draw out the potentialities inherent in children and Gospel Proclamation is an activity of education for every human being. Education implies training that presupposes models and specimens which we believers are called to be. Believers are expected to be walking models of Gospel values in their everyday lives. (To be Contd).