Mission in the Franciscan Tradition

Partners in Dialogue

Partners in Dialogue Mission Issues for the Nineties From a Franciscan Perspective Mary Motte, FMM* Introduction. Today we are in a new moment, not only because we are at the beginning of a new decade, but more importantly because the changes occurring since the Second Vatican Council seem to be at a critical point. I am not proposing to consider all of the changes set in motion by the Council, not even all those that have affected religious life. Even less so, do I propose to examine those changes taking place in the world as a whole, which are so significant and certainly cause us to hesitate about forecasting the future. What I am proposing to consider are the changes evident in our understanding of mission, how they came about through a preferential option for the poor and what issues they raise as we begin this new decade. I will try to do this from a Franciscan perspective, allowing the primacy of the Word of God and the love of poverty, foundational in the Franciscan charism, to stand beside the mission issues. A Preferential Option for the Poor. Vatican II awakened a fresh exploration of the Church's relation to the poor, a relation rich in tradition, but somewhat ambiguous in recent centuries. Change became more emphatic when the Latin American Bishops met in Medellin in 1968 and interpreted Vatican II for the Latin American continent principally as a preferential option for the poor. Their reflections guiding this decision were situated in a larger historical context in which the poor had begun to take their destiny in hand through various grass * This article began as a presentation to the Wheaton Franciscans and is reprinted here with the permission of the author. 218 / Mary Motte, FMM roots liberation movements. This option shifted the focus of mission to a new place, namely the place of the poor, first in Latin America and eventually throughout the world. The call to all persons to hear the Gospel message comes from the place of the poor. Some twenty-two years later, a significant proportion of theological studies, papal encyclicals, documents from episcopal conferences, and decisions by missionary institutes reflect a preferential option for the poor. If mission is to be a credible Gospel witness, it must begin with the experience of the poor.1 This does not mean that mission is something that is brought into the lives of the poor; rather the place of the poor is where the Reign of God is always coming to fulfillment. Mission is precisely all that announces and participates in the coming of God's Reign. Anyone who would be concerned about mission must start there, discovering first of all what God is doing. Discerning mission issues for the 1990's involves consideration of the experience of the poor, the consequences of a preferential option for the poor, and the new parameters for understanding mission which emerge. a. Experience of the Poor When the Latin American Bishops referred to the poor, they meant those who lack basic necessities and for whom daily life is a struggle. This same understanding is found in various theological reflections concerning the poor. The reason for this distinction is that these people exist in the most critical space of creation, at the juncture of conflict between good and evil. It is the space where structural sinfulness builds up forces of oppression and violence that deprive the poor of their human dignity. To recognize such structural evil is not to deny the presence of personal sinfulness. Even while the poor are those who offer us the starting point for mission, they are also in need of conversion. But the issue of conversion cannot be addressed apart from that of structural sin. Striving for survival very often causes interpersonal relationships to break down, and the immediate consequences can 1Cf. Joseph Gremillion, ed., The Gospel of Peace and Justice: Catholic Social Teaching Since Pope John (Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1976); Gustavo Gutierrez, The Power of the Poor in History (Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1983); A. Hennelly, Liberation Theology: A Documentary History (Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1990). Partners in Dialogue / 219 hide the real source of systemic oppression and violence which make survival so difficult. Oppression and violence tend to stifle humanness in the poor. As poverty increases on a world scale, more and more people are caught in situations of violence and oppression. At the same time...