Mission and Identity of the People of God: An Outgoing Church Called to Service of the Kingdom
The relevance of the ecclesiological issues raised by our welcome impression of Pope Francis leads us to an understanding of the Church, of its mission and its identity, in the perspective of 'going out' and the call to the Kingdom of God. It is God who calls us and points us to a new hori...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Print Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
[2018]
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| In: |
Concilium
Year: 2018, Issue: 3, Pages: 23-31 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Catholic church
/ People of God
/ Kingdom of God (motif)
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| IxTheo Classification: | KDB Roman Catholic Church NBN Ecclesiology |
| Further subjects: | B
Church
B Kingdom of God B People of God |
| Summary: | The relevance of the ecclesiological issues raised by our welcome impression of Pope Francis leads us to an understanding of the Church, of its mission and its identity, in the perspective of 'going out' and the call to the Kingdom of God. It is God who calls us and points us to a new horizon at the same time as he invites us to build a new world requiring changes in attitude and an openness to this new life that is freely offered to us. This Church that is born from Christ and is a mystery that directs us to salvation is also the people of God and, as a people, journeys as a pilgrim in history towards the ultimate Kingdom. It is therefore a mission for all of us. This article has three parts. We begin by looking at the urgent tasks of the present, the situations and conditions in which we can hear the call to our mission. I introduce some of these issues in order subsequently to stress some features of the ecclesiology of the people of God, a key feature of Vatican II and one to which Francis has returned in his dealings with the Church. Finally, we shall discuss the laity, a topic that has been quite prominent recently, which deserves further consideration in view of the challenge to break with the clericalising structure that prevents the laity from exercising their mission. My intention is to offer a short, challenging reflection that throws out some questions. |
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| ISSN: | 0010-5236 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Concilium
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