The Missionary Option

Paragraph twenty-seven of Evangelii Gaudium reads:

I dream of a missionary option, that is, a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything, so that the Church's customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of today's world rather than for her self-preservation. The renewal of structures demanded by pastoral conversion can only be understood in this light: as part of an effort to make them more mission-oriented, to make ordinary pastoral activity on every level more inclusive and open, to inspire in pastoral workers a constant desire to go forth and in this way to elicit a positive response from all those whom Jesus summons to friendship with him. As John Paul II once said to the Bishops of Oceania: "All renewal in the Church must have mission as its goal if it is not to fall prey to a kind of ecclesial introversion." [25]

The Church of which Pope Francis dreams is the Church of the final chapter of the Gospel in which we hear Jesus commissioning his apostles to preach to all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. From its inception, this has been the purpose of the Church. In some quarters that missionary spirit is thought of as the work of one type of Christian, those who volunteer to go to foreign lands as emissaries of Christ and ambassadors of the Church. This is an unfortunate development. Christianity is now spread world-wide and has been a recognized religion since the time of Constantine. However, the missionary character of the Church never should have been allowed to fade into the background.

As a consequence, for many the faith has been a matter of preserving the status quo. We have been lulled into a sort of complacency that informs the way we live our faith. We go to church, say our prayers, give some of our resources to the poor, and practice penance a few days of the year. The missionary activity of the church is not our affair. When Pope Francis speaks of "ecclesial introversion," he is referencing this kind of attitude.

The missionary option must be the choice of all the Church's members. We cannot sit back and pretend that as long as we pray for those who do missionary work and as long as we donate to the missions, we have fulfilled our responsibility to our missionary character. We must be open to renewing the structures that create this attitude. Our language, our worship, our prayer, our parochial structure, the Curia itself must all be examined and renewed to facilitate the work of evangelization. Our parishes, our institutes, our religious communities, our faith communities large and small, our movements and associations must all lend themselves to this option of preaching the Gospel to all.

Of course, whenever we say "renewal," we hear "change." Because change is the most difficult part of any human experience, we shy away from it. However, if we listen carefully to what the Pope is saying, we will notice that he is not calling for "change." This Pope has not altered Catholic teaching or dogma one iota, not one scintilla. There is no denying that his style is different. Yet style is not dogmatic. What the Pope is doing by shedding some of the trappings of the papacy is modeling that missionary option. He does not celebrate Mass, for instance, in his private chapel but rather in the worship space of the living quarters of the Vatican staff. He does not keep any distance between himself and the faithful but reaches out into the crowd with hugs and kisses. He embraces the sick and those who bear the cross of infirmity or disability. He pats children on the head. He smiles for cell phone cameras and even poses for "selfies." He jokes and cajoles. He sets aside the prepared remarks from time to time and lets the Holy Spirit provide him with inspiration.

Renewal, not change, will happen when we all follow the example he has given us. Of course, he is simply following the example of those who have come before him. Ignatius of Loyola and Francis of Assisi are both part of that example, but Jesus is clearly his model. Of course, he is also our model.

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator