Pastoral Presence of the Church in the World

Evangelization and Re-Evangelization: Implications for the Pastoral Presence of the Church in the World Introduction The theme of the forthcoming Thirteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod Bishops1, namely, The New Evangelization for the Transmission of Christian Faith, explains the dynamics of ‘new evangelization’ for transmitting faith in today’s world. Three ‘points of references’ are mentioned for the discussions therein: the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, the twentieth anniversary of the publication of The Catechism of the Catholic Church and the inauguration of the Year of Faith by Pope Benedict XVI. In the context of the Ordinary Assembly of the Synod Bishops, this paper would like to reflect on the developments and shifts in Church’s pastoral approach to the world. We begin with a brief overview of the major methodological and attitudinal shifts that have taken place in the Catholic pastoral theology with a special reference to the significant moment of the Pastoral Constitution, Gaudium et spes. All these reflections take place under the umbrella of evangelization, the chief concern of the Assembly. While the documents have effectively argued for the need and relevance of the new evangelization and the transmission of faith, the document’s pastoral approach to the world calls for further reflections in view of a more authentic pastoral presence of the Church in the world. Evangelization, New Evangelization and Re-Evangelization Evangelization or the proclamation of the word of God is characteristic of the ordinary ministry of the Church. Practically all the church documents on evangelization attest to this. Proclamation of the word of God is understood as bearing witness to Jesus Christ. No doubt, central to any contextual rendering of Christian theology and practice is the proclamation of Jesus Christ. Proclamation is primarily conceived as mission ad gentes. Pope John Paul II calls for a new thrust in the Church’s evangelizing activity in the direction of ‘re-evangelization’. According to him, it has two dimensions: one, to remake the Christian fabric of human society and the fabric of Christian communities themselves2 and to assist the Church to continue to be present "in the 1 2 XIII General Ordinary Assembly Synod of Bishops, The New Evangelization for the Transmission of Christian Faith. Lineamenta (Vatican: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2 February 2011), accessed at http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/synod/documents/rc_synod_doc_20110202_lineamenta-xiii-assembly_en.html on 2 April 2012. XIII General Ordinary Assembly Synod of Bishops, The New Evangelization for the Transmission of Christian Faith. Instrumentum Laboris (Vatican: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 27 May 2012), accessed at http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/synod/documents/rc_synod_doc_20120619_instrumentum-xiii_en.html on 23 June 2012. Though both documents have been published, the paper mainly reflects on the Lineamenta. Cf. Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation JOHN PAUL II, Christifideles Laici (Vatican: 30 December 1988), 34. 2 midst of the homes of her sons and daughters"3 so as to animate their lives and guide them to the Kingdom to come. In both dimensions, the common concern is the way Church presents itself – ad intra and ad extra. The call for new evangelization is born out of the conviction that, not only the countries of recent evangelization, but also ‘countries of first evangelization’ have become weak in faith and incapable of transmitting faith to others. Evangelization, understood primarily as the transmission of Christian faith, demands from the church communities to be communities of faith. Unless and until the Christian communities thrive in their faith in Christ, no evangelizing activity will take place. Therefore, new evangelization is aimed at equipping the existing Christian communities, especially those ‘countries of first evangelization’, to take up the challenges of mission ad gentes4. The concept of new evangelization presupposes, not a new content to evangelization but new strategies and approaches in Church’s evangelizing task. Therefore, ‘a reviewing of the dynamics of new evangelization’ has to take place in the light of ‘the Church's renewed efforts to meet the challenges which today's society and cultures’ pose to the Christian faith, its proclamation and its witness. In facing these challenges, the Church does not give up her proclamation of Jesus Christ but finds new ways to address these challenges5. Whether it be re-evangelization or new evangelization6, the call is for a ‘new sense of mission’7, a sense which cannot be left to groups of ‘specialists’ but involve the responsibility of the entire people of God. It is a new approach which will be lived as ‘the everyday commitment of Christian communities and groups’. The aim is to revitalize the Church ad intra towards her mission ad extra. This new sense of mission and its related dimensions evidently depend on how the Church views the world outside, how she approaches the world. This has been the concern through out this paper. The Development of Catholic Pastoral Theology in Relation to the Vision of the Church Pastoral theology was born in the Catholic Church as a decisive outcome of the Council of Trent, mainly in view of practically implementing the Church reform measures proposed by the Council. The pastoral discussions were mainly regarding the ideal type of bishop. The Council identified that the key to Church reform is to reiterate the figure of the bishop as shepherd or 3 4 Ibid. 26. See the preface to the Lineamenta for the Thirteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod Bishops (hereafter referred to as Lineamenta) by Archbishop Nikola Eterovi . 5 Lineamenta, 5. 6 We don’t go into a detailed analysis of the terms as it comes under the contours of previous papers. 7 Novo Millennio Ineunte, 40 3 pastor8. The decades followed witnessed the appearance of manuals in pastoral theology determining the characteristics of an ideal pastor (which then included not only bishops but also parish priests) and with collections of teachings on the duties of the guardian of souls. The concern was to develop the skills a priest needs for ‘nurturing the inner life of the church’9. Within the traditional paradigm of pastoral theology, pastor is the sole agent of pastoral ministry10. Therefore, the subject matter of the discipline included chiefly the right ways of celebrating sacraments, catechesis and preaching, etc. As a discipline dealing with the individual pastor, pastoral theology “restricted itself to the clerical concept of ministry centred around the priestly office understood as a pastoral action performed on a passive group of lay people”11. We find an important shift in the approach to pastoral concerns in the works of a Benedictine abbot, Stephan Rautenstrauch (1734-1785)12. The situation of pastoral practice during his time had two characteristics: Firstly, the pastoral practice of the church was reduced to priests developing certain pragmatic skills for their ministry without any theological depth. Secondly, there existed an overall contempt for any theological enterprise in the pastoral field because theology was considered as mere hair-splitting academic activity without any practical relevance. In response to this situation, Rautenstrauch suggested a thorough remoulding of the entire theological curriculum with a decisively pastoral orientation. The pastoral orientation links distinct theological disciplines, thus bringing more integration and relevance to theology as a whole13. Rautenstrauch, however, made it explicit that a strong pastoral orientation does not invalidate the pastoral theology’s claim to become a scientific discipline of its own right. With the help of the expertise of some of his colleagues and friends in the field of pedagogy and methodology, he developed pastoral theology into a scientific discipline of its own right, in which priests were prepared to be sensitive to the challenges of Enlightenment. Rautenstrauch’s pastoral project linked church with religion and society. However, its positive reception of the secular academic expertise in pedagogy and other related topics created a suspicion in the Church authorities of the time because they feared that his project might end 8 Mario Midali, Practical Theology. Historical Development of Its Foundational and Scientific Character, Biblioteca Di Scienze Religiose 156 (Roma: Libreria Ateneo Salesiano, 2000), pp. 19-20. 9 Richard Lennan, ed., An Introduction to Catholic Theology (New York: Paulist Press, 1998). 171. 10 Heinz Schuster, "Pastoral Theology: Nature and Function," Concilium 3 (1965), 4-9; Heinz Schuster, "Pastoral Theology," in Sacramentum Mundi, ed. Karl Rahner (New York: Herder & Herder, 1969). 365-368. 11 Lorenzo Fernando, "Pastoral Theology: A New Vision," Asian Journal of Priests 47, no. 3 (2003), 28. 12 Stephan Rautenstrauch (1734-1785) was not only a Benedictine abbot, but also the first director of the Theological Faculty of Prague and later, the director of the Theological Faculty of Vienna in 1774. His reforms in theology are viewed in the context of the reform of theological curriculum prescribed by the empress Maria Teresa in 1774 for all the territories of the Hapsburg Empire. 13 Midali, p. 22. 4 up in a Church subject to the world and its interests. Further, his project was suspected of diluting the contents of dogmatic and moral theology. The step taken to link the ministry of the pastors to the concerns of the world instilled insecurity in the Church authorities because of the then understanding of Church in relation to the pastor. Since the pastor was considered as the sole agent, ministry became simply an expression of the juridical and political interests of the pastor14. Another important shift in pastoral theology took place in the 19th century with Anton Graf (1814-1867)15. He was writing in response to the developments in the practical theology of the Protestant Church, which he considered as more scientific than the Catholic approach to ministry in the Church. Taking inspiration from J. A. Möhler, Graf developed an ecclesiological approach to pastoral/practical theology. In line with his master16, he understood Church as a living organism constituted by the Holy Spirit, an active subject, wholly responsible for its own life and growth. The central concept of Graf’s ecclesiology is that the ‘Church constructs itself’ (Selbsterbauung) and, therefore, the ‘Church as a whole’ must be aware of the need for taking an active role in “planting, maintaining, making viable and bringing to fulfilment in all human beings an active faith in love…”17. Faith needs to be subjectively appropriated by each Christian. Therefore, Graf deliberately uses the term practical theology instead of pastoral theology, wanting to overcome the overly clerical perspectives on the Church, a characteristic of the traditional manuals of pastoral theology during his time. He emphasized an understanding of practical theology in which the Church as a whole is the acting subject in building herself up18. Evidently, Graf’s approach to pastoral theology was more in line with the later developments in theology. However, as in the previous stage, we note a sense of ‘insecurity’ from certain sectors of the Church, which feared that Graf’s project will result in a loss of clerical authority in the Church. His disciple, Joseph Amberger (1816-1889), while holding on the ecclesial emphasis of his master, practically rejected the concerns of Graf by identifying the ecclesial structure with the clerical hierarchy and thus rejecting his master’s vision of the church as an organism. A natural consequence of this notion of ministry and the Church is that he abandoned the term practical theology and returned to pastoral theology. Though Amberger only practically 14 Cf. Ibid. p. 23. 15 Anton Graf was a disciple of Johann Adam Möhler and Hirscher, representatives of Tübingen School of theology founded by Sebastian von Drey. His most influential work is entitled Critical Presentation of the Situation of Practical Theology Today. Cf. Anton Graf, Kritische Darstellung Des Gegenwärtigen Zustandes Der Praktischen Theologie (Tübingen: 1841). Note he opts for the term practical theology instead of pastoral theology. 16 Möhler writes, "the Church exists through a life directly and continually moved by the divine Spirit, and is maintained and continued by the loving mutual exchange of believers.", Johann Adam Mohler, Unity in the Church or the Principle of Catholicism Presented in the Spirit of the Church Fathers of the First Three Centuries, trans. Peter C. Erb (Washigton: Catholic University of America, 1996), p. 91. [Italics of the author]. 17 Cf. Graf, p. 4ff, quoted in Midali, p. 27. 18 Midali, p. 28. 5 rejected Graf’s project, an explicit rejection of Graf’s approach is seen in the writings of Michael Benger (1822-1870). For Benger, pastoral theology is a “scientific introduction of the pastor to the correct performance of the duties of his office”19, thus returning to the non-scientific, pragmatic understanding of pastoral theology20. What follows from 1860s to 1930s are pragmatic manuals on Catholic pastoral theology21. Between 1930s and 60s, we find a new interest in the pastoral dimension of theology in general and dogmatic theology in particular. The discussions were in the context of the then popular kerygmatic theology. Here, by ‘pastoral dimension’, one understood those dimensions in the theological formation of the pastor, which equip him to fulfil his duty to announce the faith22. Here the term ‘pastoral’ is used in reference to the pastor’s evangelizing task23. In the 1960s and during the Council, intense debate in dogmatic and pastoral theology led to the publication of Handbook of Pastoral Theology. Practical Theology of the Church of Today24. The Handbook wanted not to present mere practical guidelines but to treat fundamental pastoral theology that can re-structure and orient the discussions in the special pastoral theology. Considerable amount of theological discussion happened in order to decide upon the basic theological principle for the entire pastoral reflections. The proposal of Rahner emerged as the dominant principle that set the tone of the work. In line with A. Graf and Arnold, he proposed an ecclesiological understanding of pastoral theology as the self-realization of the Church in the reality of today25. For Rahner, pastoral theology is more than the application of ministerial skills. It needs to have two concerns: One, the structures of the church (rather than merely the study of the activities of the individual ministers) and two, Church’s response to the contemporary needs of the world. Lennan summarizes Rahner’s understanding o pastoral theology as “the theological perception of the present moment in relation to Church’s carrying out its mission”26. For Rahner, ‘everything is practical theology’s subject-matter’27. 19 Michael Benger, Patoraltheologie, 3 Vols (Regensburg: 1861), vol. 1, p. 2, quoted in Midali, p. 34. 20 Benger explicitly stated that “every so-called scientific construction of pastoral work is dangerous and deviant”, Benger, vol. 1, p. 2, quoted in Midali, p. 34. 21 For a long list of selected manuals of the time, see Midali, pp. 34-35. 22 J. A. Jungmann, Die Fohbotschaft Und Unsere Glaubensverkündigung (Regensburg: 1936), pp. 25-27, summarised in Midali, p. 44. 23 It is interesting to note at this point that the theological writings of the Fathers of the Church were not theoretical, theological treatises, but were homilies, arguments against the critics of Christian faith, etc. – all either in view of transmitting faith to the faithful or in response to immediate pastoral needs. 24 Ferdinand Klostermann, Franz Xavier Arnold, Karl Rahner, Viktor Schurr & Leonhard M. Weber, Handbuch Der Pastoraltheologie. Praktische Theologie Der Kirche in Ihrer Gegenwart, vol. 5 vols. (Freiburg: Herder, 1964-1969). 25 Cf. Karl Rahner, Plan Und Aufriβ Eines Handbuches Der Pastoraltheologie, Als Manuscript Gedruckt (Freiburg: 1962). 26 Lennan, ed., p. 172. 27 Karl Rahner, "Practical Theology within the Totality of Theological Disciplines," in Theological Investigations, ed. Karl Rahner (New York: Herder and Herder, 1972), p. 104. Taking this understanding of pastoral theology, the Hanbook 6 The Pastoral Openness of the Church in the Second Vatican Council We find a tension between the clerical and practical paradigms of pastoral theology clashing each other in the Council. While appreciating the pastoral thrust of the document, we also note a strong influence of the clerical understanding of Church’s pastoral ministry in Optatam Totius28. Though there is no mention that priests are the sole agents of pastoral ministry, we find the clerical understanding of the pastoral ministry still popping up. The Council’s new vision of the Church as the people of God inspired the Fathers to develop a more nuanced understanding of the pastoral ministry. Accordingly, all the members of the Church are agents of pastoral ministry. 1985 Synod of bishops exhorted all the faithful to “participation and co-responsibility at all levels”29. If Church is the communion of the people of God, then all the members of the people of God participate in the mission of the Church ‘due to the organic communion that exists among diverse ministries and charisms’30. Collaboration becomes the key dynamics of pastoral practice. Vatican document on the collaboration of the non-ordained faithful in the ministry of the priest emphasizes the importance of collaboration with the laity in pastoral ministry31. If collaboration becomes the way of doing our pastoral ministry, the collaboration with the nonordained lay ministers should be extended to the entire community of faithful. It would be inappropriate to engage in planning the future of our evangelizing ministry without involving the people who would be affected by our decisions. When discussing areas of Church’s engagements with the world at large the way of collaboration needs to be extended to the world. True, evangelizing plans should not be focused solely on the satisfaction of the hearers or pleasing them at a peripheral level32. Nevertheless, the Church has to engage in the lives of others, other cultures and religions, has to give sufficient time for discussions and sharing and included scholarly articles of educationists, psychologist and sociologists. The authors’ contention was that the findings of the secular sciences must be examined from the perspective of theology. 28 Optatam totius no. 19 says, “That pastoral concern which ought to permeate thoroughly the entire training of the students also demands that they be diligently instructed in those matters which are particularly linked to the sacred ministry, especially in catechesis and preaching, in liturgical worship and the administration of the sacraments, in works of charity, in assisting the erring and the unbelieving, and in the other pastoral functions. They are to be carefully instructed in the art of directing souls, whereby they will be able to bring all the sons of the Church first of all to a fully conscious and apostolic Christian life and to the fulfilment of the duties of their state of life.” 29 Extraordinary Synod of Bishops 1985, "A Message to the People of God," Origins 15, no. 27 (1985), p. 449. 30 Cf. Libreria_Editrice_Vaticana, Instruction on Certain Questions Regarding the Collaboration of the Non-Ordained Faithful in the Sacred Ministry of Priest (Vatican: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1997). First paragraph. 31 Ibid. “Theological Principles”, no. 4. See also “Practical Questions”, Article 1. The document also perceives a confusion regarding the term ‘pastoral ministry’ when used to the ministry of the non-ordained faithful. 32 Synod of Bishops, The New Evangelization for the Transmission of Christian Faith. Lineamenta, 2. 7 has to increase mutual appreciation and mutual understanding. This attitude of dialogue is not meant to be one-sided; it should be a collaborative dialogue33. These conversations were taking place among various cultures in India. In fact, the systems of Indian philosophy and religious traditions developed through such a collaborative conversation. Church in India should enter the conversation as a partner. Her presence in these conversations itself is a way of fulfilling her evangelizing task. In short, the Church should extend its ministry to the world through its presence in the world – a presence made felt through its collaboration with the world. Church’s relationship with the world becomes a matter of hot debate in the Council during the discussions of the schemata of Gaudium et spes. As we know, Gaudium et spes is a document, which is the result of the Council itself. It was born of the Council discussions. One instance in this regard is Cardinal Suenens’ intervention in which he made the distinction between Ecclesia ad intra and Ecclesia ad extra. This was quite revolutionary because most of the schemata discussed in the Council were dealing with Ecclesia ad intra, though a few texts could be regarded as discussing the relation between the Church and the world. Even these few texts were prepared from a thoroughly Catholic perspective. In most of the documents, we find that “the world was often described as the saeculum with all the negative connotations”. The long and painstaking discussion on the schema for Gaudium et spes34, initially even failed to give a name for the schema. The Fathers were not able to agree on precisely the way Church should approach the world. In fact, ‘the Church did not have a clear strategy with regard to its attitude towards the world’35. It took a long time before the Fathers of the Church became convinced that a document on the Church in the world was a need of the time. Slowly we see that, though the drafts were rejected one after another, Council Fathers became aware of the great importance of this topic. Two important issues to be settled during the discussion of the schemata were the following. a) how to describe an appropriate relation between our life in this world and our life to come eschatologically in the supernatural world. Most of the Fathers trained in the 30s and late 40s were not ready to give up the contemptus mundi-spirituality. Others feared that too much appreciation of the “world” could lead to indifferentism towards divine realities. A second issue, related to the first had to do with the tension between the doctrine and the ‘signs of the times’. Can the ‘signs of the times’ determine the nature of the doctrine? The conservative wing thought 33 Collaborative dialogue, in contrast to competitive dialogue where the dialogue partner is a competitor and tries to win over the other, sees the other as a learning partner. 34 In this discussion on the pastoral approach of Gaudium et spes, I am following very much Mathijs Lamberigts, "From a Church Ad Intra to a Church Ad Extra. The Challenge of Aggiornamento at the Second Vatican Council and Thereafter," Encounter. A Journal of Interdisciplinary Reflections of Faith and Life 2, no. 1 (July 2009). 34-59. 35 Ibid. p. 48. 8 that the laity and the world realities should ‘obey’ the doctrines, while the progressive wing of the Council called for a dialogue with the world. Quite a number of bishops emphasized the need for dialoguing with (-instead of condemning-) most important challenges of the church of the time such as communism and atheism. On the other hand, those suffered under these two problems were surprised to see their colleagues arguing for a dialogue with their oppressors. This called for a self-reflection of the Church: does the Church project the image of a Church identified with the oppressors, or with the afflicted? Is the Church a Church of the poor? Though there was no unanimous agreement among the Fathers, it is quite interesting to note that the image of the Church was discussed in relation to the responses to the world issues. For the first time, we see a Council discussing matters such as discrimination based on race or colour, illiteracy, culture, intellectual indifferentism, challenges of science and industry, advantages and disadvantages of free market, etc. There were comments in the aula that the schema had forgotten the youth, labourers and even the entire women flock. Dr Mathijs Lambrigts, one of the leading historians of Vatican II, notes, “What also became clear, and this should be a lesson for all of us today, the bishops might have similar ideas about the topics related to a Church ad intra, but had different ideas about society because they were members of different societies, different contexts and thus were confronted with different challenges”36. It is worth highlighting what the first footnote of Gaudium et spes explains: the Constitution was termed “pastoral” because, “while resting on doctrinal principles, it seeks to set forth the relation of the church to the world and to the men [sic] of today”37. The first part of the document discusses doctrinal issues with a pastoral perspective, while the second part focuses on questions of modern life. Since they are questions dependent on a particular period in history, the first footnote reminds that both permanent as well as transient issues are discussed in the second part. Reading of the signs of the time does not carry the same permanence as the doctrinal content of the document. However, it is an invitation to learn a methodology - we may call it a pastoral methodology – for such readings in the coming decades and today. Therefore, the document says, “while the teaching presented is that already accepted in the Church, it will have to be pursued further and amplified because it often deals with matters which are subject to continual development38. The approach to pastoral problems needs to take into account this permanent and transient character of Churches pastoral teachings. All the pastoral activities of the Church in the modern world, including the works of evangelization, need to take into account the rather low-key transient character together with the permanency of Church’s offer. 36 Ibid. p. 49. 37 The quote is from Flannery’s translation. 38 Gaudium et spes, 91. 9 Gaudium et spes 92 invites both believers and non-believers to dialogue with what the Church proposes in the document. Lamberigts notes a very decisive shift in the approach of the Church here: “a shift from a Church versus world situation to a Church as part of the world situation”. While reflecting on the need for the Church to dialogue with all, the Church expresses the will not to exclude anyone. The Church should dialogue with even those who oppose the church and she should “work together without violence and deceit to build the world in a spirit of genuine peace”39. One can note a clear shift from a contemptus mundi spirituality and theology here. Gaudium et spes expresses Pope John XXIII’s dream of a Church open to the world. The pope was of the contention that we should not be surprised that people go away from the Church when the Church herself keep a distance from the daily lives of the people40. Between Presence and Absence, Self-Renewal and Transformation of the World Below we would like to highlight some of the implications of our discussions on the pastoral presence of the Church in the world. What is there in the Name? Pastoral or Practical? Traditionally we considered ‘systematic theology as the queen bee, and ‘pastoral’ theology as the worker bee’41. Practical theology is an attempt to heal the dichotomy. The aspect of ‘context’ has a weaker function in pastoral theology than in the contextual theology. However, positively, it carries the ecclesial context as equally important as the concrete context of the Church in the world. Pastoral theology, understood as practical theology, has a new pastoral concern to offer, i.e., a concern for the real problems of the people. This concern has two dimensions, according to Lorenzo: first dimension ‘makes the gospel really good news to the people by developing a critical awareness of the socio-political and economic situations’. It calls for a committed and credible response from and witness to gospel. The second aspect of this concern is to ‘bring about redemptive transformation in terms of liberation and humanization permeating through all the spheres of society’42. The first is a ministry of self-transforming presence and the second is a ministry of transformation of the world. The former is a call for introspection and the latter 39 Gaudium et spes, 92. 40 N. METTE, "Die Pastorale Konstitution Über Die Kirche in Der Welt Von Heute Gaudium Et Spes," in Vierzig Jahre Ii. Vatikanum. Zur Wirkungsgeschichte Des Konzilstexte, ed. F.X. BISCHOLF – S. LEIMGRUBER (Würzburg: 2004). pp. 280296, p. 288, quoted in Lamberigts, p. 52. 41 Terry A. Veling, "Catholic Practical Theology. Reflections on an Emerging Field," Compass - A Review of Topical Theology 45, no. 2 (2011), 37. 42 Fernando, 29. 10 is a call for committed action. The notion of re-evangelization calls for both these dimensions. It is an evangelization through an authentic ecclesial presence (which calls for a ‘rebooting’ of the Church with gospel life and presence in us) and an active, committed and transforming evangelical ministry of the Church in the world. Many trends in practical theology with their concern to ground itself in the current realities have made recourse to many empirical sciences such as psychology, sociology, social and developmental psychologies, etc. However, it is important to ask: who sets the agenda of theology? Many have gone to such an extent that the agenda of theology was set by the secular sciences which were detrimental to the primary concerns of theology itself. In this respect, Catholic pastoral/practical theologians opted for a ‘middle way’ by which they are critical of a too contextual approach in theology. Practical theology does not allow the context alone to set the agenda. Its hermeneutics takes the ecclesial concerns seriously while discussing the ‘practicality’ of faith. This again calls for further reflections on what we really mean by ‘practical’. Though both ‘pastoral’ and ‘practical’ have respective advantages and disadvantages, we would opt for ‘pastoral’ in the sense in which Terry Veling calls it. He says, it expresses the Catholic instincts of shepherding. However, it should not be understood merely in clerical sense of the term. It means, “to shepherd each other’s lives, to be pastoral people through and through, filled with God’s love and mercy. That’s much more poetic than being ‘practical’”43 . What is needed is a broader understanding of the ministry in the Church, which in turn results from a broader understanding of the Church, which is open to the world. In the context of India, the notion of ‘pastoral’ is no more an intra-ecclesial activity; it is Church’s openness to the multitudes of cultures and religions; its concern and involvement in the everyday realities of poverty, discrimination and injustice. The Church in India cannot shy away from these realities. Instead, she needs to be ‘pastorally open to the world’. This is an important way through which her pastoral presence itself becomes an evangelizing presence – a presence that invites people to the compassionate love of the Father and transforming their lives into Jesus Christ through the working of the Spirit. Theoretical and Practical Has ‘Practical theology’ the connotation of making theology practical, which is otherwise abstract and of little use? Generally, people like things that are workable and effective, not those things which needs to be made workable. We do not like to place theology in this category. Any method or discipline in theology, if it is to be genuine and authentic, needs to be rooted in 43 Veling, 35. 11 concrete realities. In that case, we need to ask: to what extent do we call pastoral theology as practical and how far is it related to theory? Terry Veling and some recent pastoral/practical theologians have taken up this question. In today’s world, ‘practical’ is often understood independent of ‘theory’. There is a ‘fatal split’44 between the two, as David Tracy calls it. The split has taken us to a very pragmatic understanding of ‘practical’ in today’s culture. As Veling describes it, Unlike theory, or in contrast to theory, we typically associate the word ‘practical’ with things that are useful, workable, feasible, doable, realistic, sensible, functional, pragmatic, applied, hands-on, effective, relevant. These ‘practical’ words carry a positive content for our modern ears. We like to feel useful and productive. We like things that are relevant and applicable. Theology would lose its very soul if it were reduced to this understanding of the word ‘practical’45. This approach to ‘practical’ can be very detrimental to the very theological project. Lineamenta 2 alludes to this concern when it says that we must not consider transmission of faith “as a matter of researching an effective plan of communication and even less analytically concentrating on the hearers, for example, the young”. Early Christian theology might shed light on the approach we need to follow. It was less concerned in developing conceptual theories and more concerned with promotion of a Christian life of excellence. However, theory does have a purpose. What was the purpose of the theory? “Knowing the truth implied ‘loving it, wanting it, and being transformed by it.’ Theory was not opposed to practice. Rather, theology was an exercise of life ‘nurtured through prayer, reflection, and the study of God’s word”46. Theology is about practice of faith rather than theory of faith. Abraham Joshua Heschel, a leading Jewish theologian of the twentieth century and observer at Vatican II, speaks about the character of theology beyond written stipulations”: ‘If God were a theory, the study of theology would be a way to understand him’47. Since God is not a theory, our method of doing theology needs to take course other than mere studying God as a theory, but practising the ‘way’ of God, His desires, concerns and will. Practical theology calls us to work at this level. Theory was meant 44 David Tracy, "On Theological Education: A Reflection," in Theological Literacy for the Twenty-First Century, ed. Rodney L. Petersen & Nancy M. Rourke (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002), p. 15, quoted in Veling, p. 37. 45 Veling, 37. 46 Ibid.37, summarised from Ellen Charry, By the Renewing of Your Minds: The Pastoral Function of Christian Doctrine (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997), pp. 19. 236. 47 Abraham Joshua Heschel, God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1955), p. 281, summarized in Veling, 38. 12 not simply to communicate a ready-made knowledge but to trans/form them. The goal of the teachings of the Fathers was “to change people’s way of living and of seeing the world”48. Jean-Luc Marion, while reflecting phenomenologically on St. Augustine, says that God cannot be ‘grasped’ or comprehended within the phenomenon. God is not an object but a Givenness in the phenomenon. Since Givenness can be confused with a datum (donnée) given and hence, a metaphysics of presence, Marion prefers to call Given (donné). God is encountered either as a ‘given’ transcendence (not a reality humans ‘capture’ with their capacity) or as interior intimo meo, as radical immanence (more radical than the realm of human consciousness). In Marion’s words, “God adheres only to transcendence and not, more essentially, to radical immanence— under the figure of the interior intimo meo”49. However, there is no split between the transcendent and the given. No ‘given’ would appear without giving itself or finding itself given. It is presence because the Given has given itself (not an apriori ‘cause’ when considered in phenomenological thinking) but less than the substantial presence (in terms of a metaphysics of presence) because it is given. In this sense, Marion says, we can still keep speaking bout ‘presence’ (présence)50. Marion, a practising French Catholic, represents how the cross-section of today’s world looks at all our truth claims in the evangelizing process. Much of the energies of Christian evangelization are spent in establishing the ‘conditions of possibility’ of our articles of faith (modernity). However, the post-modern thinkers and contemporary phenomenologists explore “the conditions of the impossible, that is, of the way in which the impossible – which has been expressly banned in modernity - is possible”51. Once we recognize the possibility of the impossible, then we need to be humble in all our evangelizing activities. This is in perfect continuity with the Augustinian notion of the incomprehensibility of God and his recourse to analogies. To translate Augustine and Marion to our evangelizing activities means to recognize that the mysteries of God I proclaim are ‘given’ to me, which calls from my part a response. Of course, the response and my proclamation of 48 Pierre Hadot, What Is Ancient Philosophy? (Cambridge, Mass: Belknap Press of Harvard University, 2002), p. 176, quoted in Veling, p. 36. 49 Jean-Luc Marion, In Excess: Studies of Saturated Phenomena, trans. R. Horner & V. Berraud (New York: Fordham University Press, 2002), 24 50 Here we are following the argument of Marion in In Excess… Cf. Ibid. p. 24. 51 Caputo, "Philosophy and Prophetic Postmodernism: Toward a Catholic Postmodernity," p. 562. See also Marion & Derrida, "On the Gift: A Discussion between Jacques Derrida and Jean-Luc Marion, Moderated by Richard Kearney," in God, the Gift and Postmodernism, ed. John D. Caputo & Michael J. Scanlon (Bloomington: Indian University Press, 1999), pp. 54-78. 13 what is ‘given’ to me cannot be any way I like. I should carefully respond to and proclaim what is given to me52. This ‘given’ and response together constitute an event, which we are really involved in. Phenomenologically speaking, we really get involved in what we experience. It is certainly the presence of the divine mystery, but we have not comprehended it. Our proclamation of the mystery and the dialogue with whom we proclaim opens up new vistas of the mystery. This certainly involves the risk of going beyond the security of what we have already experienced, but certainly a risk worth taking. A harmony between our awareness of the incomprehensible and the faith experience can create more sustainable fruits. An example can be drawn from our present system of catechesis. Our catechesis imparts correct teaching to our students (in modernist terms) and we are satisfied when they score good marks in catechism exams. However, the day after their graduation from the catechism programme or the moment they stand on their own feet, we see them least concerned about the values we taught. Our catechesis need to bring them to an awareness of the Excess in the given (Marion) and a humble journey in faith experience. The ‘chasm’ which St. Ephrem speaks of in the Orient and his recourse to experiential and poetic language of types and symbols in theology (analogous to Augustine’s analogies) can guide us in developing such pastoral approaches. Coming back to our discussions on practical in practical/pastoral theology, we should not be satisfied by simply applying what is ‘given’. Practical theology is not merely applied theology – applying other disciplines such as dogmatic theology, Scripture, etc. Unlike the traditional pastoral and practical theologians, the contemporary practical theologians claim to do constructive theology, not merely applying the findings of other disciplines. Pastoral/practical theologians “attempt to deal with issues that are a part of life in the world, not to solve abstract theoretical problems”53. Our faithful need to be trained in constructing their life of faith through an experientially theological journey. Conclusion One of the legacies of Vatican II is the shift of emphasis from a theologia universalis to a living theology, that is, a theology that lives in the lives of the people. Pastoral theology is practical in 52 Since I have not chosen what is ‘given’ but in a way imposed on me, the ‘given’ determines my response. I cannot be qualified as the author of the response in its strict terms. I depend very much on the given. ‘Datum’ happens to be as an event’. We do not go further into the phenomenological discussions on how the phenomenon is itself the ‘First Philosophy’ for Marion. Cf. Marion, pp. 25-27. Marion does not say that theology and phenomenology are identical and can be interchangeably use. However, the latter can shed light on the former. 53 Tony, "What Is Practical Theology? Part I," i.html, 2005), accessed on 5 June 2012. (http://theoblogy.blogspot.in/2005/02/what-is-practical-theology-part- 14 the sense that it is a practice of life in Christ. “It is not so much to ask about the ways that theology can be made practical; rather, it is to ask how the practices of my life can be made theological”54. It is a life authentically lived in the world and, thus, inviting people outside the fold of the visible Church to enter into dialogue with the Christian ways of living. Since our faith is a ‘given’, we leave the Holy Spirit to shower the same ‘givenness’ in those who engage in dialogue with our Christian way of life. The greatest challenge for us is not a right means of communication of Christian gospel but a right witness of life in us as Church. Reevangelization should address this question of Church’s credibility as a living organism of faith we proclaim. We need to continually ask both individually and as Church: What presence of faith/Jesus Christ do we represent or present ourselves before the world? In our evangelizing ministry, we need to be humble enough to accept that the Church is on the way or on pilgrimage. It is not simply is but is called to continually ‘happening anew’. Church is instituted by Christ to continue the Christ event but constituted by the Holy Spirit to historically actualize what she is already drawn into. Church’s sacramental life attests to this fact. We need not feel insecure, looking at the miles ahead in this process. Instead, we need to have an Augustinian restlessness that can be the energy of hope to constantly strive for a more authentic evangelizing presence in the world. Tony Neelankavil Marymatha Major Seminary, Thrissur e-mail: [email protected] 54 Veling, 37.