SEDOS' Contribution to Together towards Life

Abstract

First, I would like to introduce SEDOS briefly to those among you who are not familiar with it. SEDOS is a forum open to Institutes of Consecrated Life that commit themselves to deepening their understanding of global mission. It was started in 1964 by nine Superiors General, who also made a significant contribution to the Vatican Council's Decree Ad Gentes. document was greatly influenced by their deliberations with members of the Roman Curia. In the light of the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, SEDOS is now open to the lay associations recognized by the church since 4 December 2012. Given the fact that the members of the executive committee have, each one, a rich missionary experience, the following synthesis is an embodiment of different contexts that have enriched our understanding of mission in a rapidly evolving world. Sketching the highlights new ecumenical mission affirmation, which is the outcome of an ecumenical discernment--a search for a renewed understanding and practice of mission in a rapidly changing world--provides a tremendous asset/means at the service of unity in diversity among the 349 church members of the World Council of Churches (WCC). We value the structure and the language of the document. We express our deep appreciation to the Commission on the World Mission and Evangelism (CWME) because its members gave a solid biblical and theological definition of mission and also drew inspiration and insights from the various forms of mission theology in vigour today; we can even pinpoint insights from the Catholic mission theology. This is really laudable: networking has to become a red thread in our missionary endeavours, as we are called to become humble and learn from one another. It is only through networking that we will be more creative and so promote together the fullness of life and the coming of God's kingdom. Holy Trinity: source of mission first three articles of the affirmation are beautiful and powerful--they are certainly concepts present in Catholic missiological thinking and practice: The missionary God who sent the Son to the world calls all God's people (John 20:21), and empowers them to be a community of hope. We often speak of being called into the communion of the Trinity for all eternity. Mission is God's mission: missio Dei. To recognize that the mission is primarily God's would ease our anxiety, our spirit of competition in the church. God has certainly given us the privilege of being co-workers, sacraments of God's movement of healing, reconciliation, and life-giving in our world. We know that the work is God's. Yet, we do our best, we work with all our heart, but we realize too that is not all up to us. We need to trust in God because the Holy Spirit, in a way known only to God, offers all peoples ways of participating in the Paschal Mystery. (1) Holy Spirit and mission statement places strong emphasis on the role of the Holy Spirit in mission, which is a very important emphasis needed ecumenically now, including among Roman Catholics. We find pneumatology an extremely foundational area that we all need to deepen and explore more fully in relation to further development in our mission theology/missiology. With regard to the Roman Catholic Church, one committee member said this: Even though the Holy Spirit is the 'Giver' of life, and is 'adored together with the Father and the Son,' Roman Catholic doctrine has not highly developed the theology of the Holy Spirit. This is even more obvious in the Instrumentum haboris of the Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in 2012. pneumatology is very well developed in the affirmation. One member, interested in feminist theology and having read a great number of works by daring women theologians, rejoiced at the important role of the Holy Spirit expressed in the document. Holy Spirit is clearly a unifying principle of God present in humanity and in the whole of creation. …