In his invention at the 25th Synod of Bishops, Fr General Adolfo Nicolás, superior general of the Society of Jesus, told the Synod that “a New Evangelisation has to learn something from the First Evangelisation, from the things we did well and from the mistakes we committed as well as the insufficiencies we suffered in our desire to communicate the Gospel”.
Stressing that that he was formed in a tradition that encourages finding God in all things, he said “God is present and active in every human community, even if we do not readily see the how or the depth of this presence.”
But, he added, “I am afraid that we, missionaries, have not done it with sufficient depth.”
Fr Nicolás, who spent most of his priesthood in Japan and in other parts of Asia, said that the Church has seen mostly Western, European signs of Faith and Sanctity. “We have not entered with sufficient depth into the cultures where the Gospel was proclaimed in order to see that part of the Kingdom of God that was already there, rooted and active in the hearts and relationships of people. We have not been very willing to find the “surprise factor” in the work of the Holy Spirit, who makes the seed grow even while the farmer is asleep or the missionary is absent.”
He added: “By not paying sufficient attention to how God was present and had been working in the peoples we encountered, we missed important clues, insights and discoveries.”
“The fullness of Christ needs the contribution of all peoples and all cultures,” he said before listing some lessons we can learn from the past that can be of great help in any New Evangelisation. One of these is that “the most credible message is the one that comes from our life, totally taken and guided by the Gospel of Jesus Christ”.
In some reflections on the Synod of Bishops published in the Jesuit Curia website, Fr Nicolás said “The reality around us has become much more complex than we can face individually, and the original challenge of our Mission to serve souls and the Church continues and grows in poignancy. It is my hope that Jesuits will respond to the new challenges with the depth that comes from our appropriation of Ignatian spirituality and from a serious study of our times.”
Asked for signs of what he would consider “Asian” holiness, Fr General replied, “filial piety, that at times reaches heroic levels; the totally centred quest for the Absolute and the great respect for those involved in the quest; compassion as a way of life, out of a deep awareness of human brokenness and fragility; detachment and renunciation; tolerance, generosity to and acceptance of others, open-mindedness; reverence, courtesy, attention to the needs of others; etc.
“Summing up, maybe we can say that if our eyes were open to what God is doing in people (and peoples!) we would be able to see much more Holiness around us and many of us would feel challenged to live the Life of God in new ways that might be more adapted to the way we really are, or the way God wants us to be.”
To read the full text of Fr General’s intervention, click here.
To read Fr General’s reflections on the Synod of Bishops on the Jesuit Curia website, click here.
