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TOWARDS?A?MISSION?SPIRITUALITY?
Stephen?Bevans,?SVD?
?
??Introduction:?The?Notion?of?Spirituality?
?
?This?paper?will?focus?on?the?development?of?a?“mission?spirituality.”?As?I?begin,?however,?
I?must?acknowledge?that?to?define?“spirituality”?today?is?a?risky?business.?There?are?in?fact?many?
definitions?of?spirituality,?and?while?all?have?a?lot?in?common?they?differ?among?themselves–
sometimes?very?much.?I’m?sure?not?everyone?will?agree?with?the?definition?or?description?of?
spirituality?out?of?which?I?will?work?here.?Nevertheless,?one?has?to?start?somewhere.?
?As?I?understand?spirituality,?therefore,?I?would?conceive?of?it?as?(1)?a?kind?of?
“framework”?or?“set”?of?values,?symbols,?doctrines,?attitudes?and?practices?which?(2)?persons?or?
a?community?attempt?to?make?their?own?(3)?in?order?to?be?able?to?cope?with?a?particular?
situation,?to?grow?in?the?love?of?God?and?self?transcendence,?and/or?to?accomplish?a?particular?
task?in?life?or?in?the?world.??A?spirituality,?in?other?words,?is?like?a?reservoir?from?which?a?person?
or?a?community?can?draw?to?motivate?action,?to?keep?on?track,?to?bolster?commitment,?to?avoid?
discouragement?when?times?get?rough.?It?is?a?way,?in?still?other?words,?of?tapping?into?the?
infinite,?life‐giving,?refreshing?and?empowering?presence?of?God’s?Spirit,?so?that?people’s?or?a?
community’s?life?can?be?lived?in?grace,?gratitude?and?growth.??
?On?the?one?hand,?everyone?has?a?spirituality–Christian?or?not,?believer?or?not,?pious?or?
not.?A?spirituality–implicit?or?explicit,?cultivated?or?neglected–is?simply?the?way?persons?cope?
with?life.?This?is?true?at?least?as?one?regards?human?existence?from?a?religious?perspective.?
Spiritualities?are?very?personal,?and?everyone?develops?one?in?some?form?or?another.?On?the?
other?hand,?while?allowing?for?individual?differences,?preferences?and?need,?there?are?some?
spiritualities?that?are?systems–particular,?tried‐and‐true?or?freshly?innovative?ways?of?thinking,?
praying,?imagining?and?acting?that?are?developed?to?help?women?and?men?in?particular?
circumstances?find?the?stability?then?need,?the?challenge?they?require,?the?growth?that?they?
seek.?Thus?we?can?speak?about?lay?spirituality,?Precious?Blood?spirituality,?SVD?spirituality,?
Australian?spirituality,?presbyteral?spirituality,?etc.??
?
?Mission?Spirituality?
?
?It?will?be?to?develop?a?spirituality?of?this?latter?type?that?this?essay?will?attempt?to?sketch?
a?framework?of?mission?spirituality.?This?will?be?a?spirituality?for?women?and?men?who?want?to?
grow?and?thrive?in?their?identity?as?people?who?consciously?participate?in?the?mission?of?the?
triune?God,?particularly?insofar?as?such?participation?involves?moving?beyond?their?own?zones?of?
security?in?terms?of?culture,?social?status,?language?and?location.?
?Having?said?this,?however,?I?do?not?believe?that?there?is?a?particular,?“one‐size‐fits‐all”?
mission?spirituality.?Mission?spirituality,?like?mission?itself,?is?always?and?everywhere?a?
contextual?spirituality.?It?will?depend?on?where?a?person?engages?in?mission?(in?affluent?North?
America??in?poor?Latin?America?),?when?she?or?he?engages?in?mission?(as?a?newcomer?in?a?
situation?learning?the?language??as?one?begins?to?withdraw?from?one’s?ministry?situation?in?
retirement?),?one’s?experience?(failure??struggle??identifying?with?the?people?in?a?particular?
culture?),?one’s?theological?perspective?(Rahnerian??Process??focused?on?papal?and?magisterial?
teaching?).?Because?of?this?contextual?reality,?therefore,?what?I?will?sketch?here?will?be?more?of?
a?template?or?check?list?towards?a?particular?spirituality?of?mission.?It?will?include?topics?and?
questions?that?I?believe?every?mission?spirituality?must?address,?but?how?they?will?be?articulated?
will?depend?on?a?variety?of?contextual?factors.?One?might?say?that?I?am?presenting?here?a?
number?of?constants?of?spirituality?that?will?vary?with?every?context.?Readers?may?also?
recognize?that?there?are?issues?and?questions?which?are?not?addressed?here.?They?are?certainly?
free?to?add?these?to?the?template.??
?Our?template?will?have?six?sections?corresponding?to?six?questions:?(1)?What?Scripture?
passage(s)?anchor(s)?one’s?mission?spirituality??(2)?Who?are?(is)?one’s?hero(es)/heroine(s)?as?one?
engages?in?mission??(3)?What?are?the?assets?and?liabilities?of?one’s?own?culture?as?one?crosses?
over?to?another?culture?or?context??(4)?What?is?one’s?basic?theological?perspective?as?one?
ministers?in?a?missionary?situation??(5)?What?is?one’s?experience?as?a?missionary??And?(6)??
what?are?some?practices?in?which?one?might?engage?to?deepen?and?develop?one’s?life?in?
mission??The?meaning?of?each?one?of?these?questions?will?be?explained,?followed?by?a?number?
of?possible?ways?they?might?be?answered.?Again,?the?point?is?not?to?offer?a?complete?mission?
spirituality?here,?but?to?engage?the?reader?in?constructing?or?articulating?her?or?his?own.
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?
?I.?Scriptural?Foundations?
?
?Every?spirituality?needs?to?be?rooted?in?Scripture,?and?mission?spirituality?is?no?
exception.?One?needs?to?ask?the?question,?therefore,?what?passage(s),?books,?or?themes?of?
Scripture?are?those?that?ground?one’s?missionary?life.??
?There?may,?of?course,?be?some?passages?that?figure?large?at?certain?times?of?one’s?
missionary?service.?One?may?take?strength?and?inspiration,?for?example,?from?some?of?the?great?
vocation?passages?like?Is?6:1‐8,?Jer?1:4‐10,?Mt?4:18‐22?(the?call?of?Peter?and?Andrew,?James?and?
John),?or?Jesus’?invitation?to?Andrew?and?Peter?to?“come?and?see”?in?Jn?1:35‐39.?One?may?also?
be?buoyed?up?in?difficulty?by?Jeremiah’s?sufferings?in?Jer?38,?by?Jesus’?passion?as?a?consequence?
of?his?own?faithful?missionary?witness?to?the?Reign?of?God,?or?by?Paul’s?being?suspect?by?fellow?
Christians?(Acts?9:23‐30)?or?those?whom?he?had?tried?to?evangelize?(e.g.?Acts?9:19b‐25?or?13:50‐
52).??
?There?may?also?be?passages,?however,?that?can?provide?basic?guidance,?inspiration?and?
direction?to?one’s?work?of?crossing?a?culture,?struggling?with?a?language,?being?accepted?by?a?
people,?bonding?with?the?people?among?whom?one?works.?Paul’s?passionate?statement?that?he?
had?become?a?slave?to?all?so?that?he?could?win?more?of?them?to?Christ–indeed,?that?he?had?
become?“all?things?to?all?people,”?so?that?he?might?“by?all?means?save?some”?(see?1Cor?9:19‐23)?
might?serve?as?the?anchor?and?beacon?for?missionaries?in?a?very?different?culture?from?their?
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I?am?highly?indebted?to?my?friend?and?confrere?Larry?Nemer,?SVD?for?the?development?of?this?paper.?It?
was?in?conversation?with?him?that?the?ideas?in?it?have?taken?shape,?even?though,?of?course,?I?am?responsible?for?its?
concrete?development.?Larry?referred?to?the?groundbreaking?work?on?mission?spirituality?by?Michael?C.?Reilly?
entitled?Spirituality?for?Mission:?Historical,?Theological?and?Cultural?Factors?for?a?Present‐Day?Missionary?
Spirituality?(Maryknoll,?NY:?Orbis?Books,?1978).?
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own.?One?of?my?own?inspiring?passages?is?that?of?Jn?10:10–the?reason?for?my?ministry,?the?
reason?for?witnessing?to?and?proclaiming?Christ,?is?to?bring,?like?Jesus,?abundant?life?to?the?
world.?One?missionary?in?a?course?on?missionary?spirituality,?my?colleague?Larry?Nemer?relates,?
chose?as?a?foundational?passage?the?story?of?the?wedding?at?Cana?in?the?second?chapter?of?
John’s?gospel:?the?missionary,?this?person?explained,?is?like?water,?but?at?the?word?of?Jesus?and?
in?his?hands?he?or?she?can?be?transformed?into?rich,?joy‐giving?wine.?The?movement?of?the?Acts?
of?the?Apostles?has?always?struck?me?as?a?marvelous?story?of?missionary?spirituality.?It?is?the?
Spirit?(the?primary?agent?of?mission?as?Paul?VI?and?John?Paul?II?have?characterized?her?[see?EN?
75?and?RM?30])?that?challenges,?calls,?pushes?the?church?beyond?the?boundaries?of?their?
understanding?of?the?gospel?to?include?all?peoples?and?all?cultures?in?the?plan?of?salvation.?It?is?
precisely?this?move?of?the?Spirit?that?calls?the?Jesus?Community?to?be?church.?
?There?is?no?“normative”?passage?of?Scripture?for?a?mission?spirituality.?One?reason?for?
this,?as?I’ve?said,?is?the?changing?context?of?one’s?missionary?service.?Another?reason?is?that?the?
entire?body?of?Scripture–Old?and?New?Testaments,?but?especially?the?New–is?the?result?of?
Israel’s?and?the?church’s?reflection?on?the?mission?in?which?they?have?been?called?to?engage.?
The?reader?might?pause?here?and?reflect?on?the?scriptural?foundations?for?her?or?his?own?
missionary?spirituality.?
?
?II.?Missionary?Heroes/Heroines?
?
?Particularly?in?the?last?decade?or?so,?I?have?become?more?and?more?convinced?of?the?
importance?of?the?example?of?the?saints?for?my?own?spiritual?life.?Back?in?1997?I?was?given?an?
autographed?copy?of?Robert?Ellsberg’s?marvelous?All?Saints,?in?which?he?sketches?the?life?of?a?
“saint”?(canonized?or?otherwise,?Christian?or?otherwise)?for?every?day.
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?For?the?next?ten?years?I?
read?one?of?Ellsberg’s?sketches?every?day;?I?have?not?done?so?for?a?few?years,?moving?on?to?
something?else?for?my?daily?reading.?But?I?know?soon?I?will?go?back?to?it?again.?There?is?
something?powerful?about?being?in?touch?with?that?great?“cloud?of?witnesses”?(Heb?12:1)?of?our?
faith,?and?I?have?been?greatly?nourished?in?my?faith?and?ministry?by?women?and?men?like?John?
Main,?Cardinal?Newman,?Martin?Luther?King,?Jr.,?Mary?Mackillop,?Mary?Ward,?Mahatma?Gandhi?
and?Pandita?Ramabai.?
?A?second?element?of?a?mission?spirituality,?I?believe,?is?a?rootedness?in?those?women?and?
men?who?have?gone?before?us,?set?amazing?examples,?set?standards,?have?helped?us?see?our?
own?humanness?as?we?struggle?and?celebrate?our?participation?in?God’s?mission.?Perhaps?our?
heroes?/?heroines?are?the?founders?of?our?own?missionary?congregation:?Gaspar?del?Bufalo,?in?
your?case?as?Missionaries?of?the?Precious?Blood;?Arnold?Janssen?in?my?own?as?a?Divine?Word?
Missionary.?Perhaps?the?great?missionaries?of?the?past?might?offer?us?guidance?and?inspiration:?
Charles?de?Foucauld,?for?example,?or?Alopen?of?East?Syria,?or?Matteo?Ricci,?or?Mary?Magdelene?
the?Apostle?to?the?Apostles.?Perhaps?it?could?be?missionaries?who?are?also?heroes?and?heroines?
from?our?own?culture:?an?Oscar?Romero?from?Latin?America,?an?Alessandro?Valignano?from?
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Robert?Ellsberg,?All?Saints:?Daily?Reflections?on?Saints,?Prophets,?and?Witnesses?for?Our?Time?(New?York:?
Crossroad,?1997).?
Italy,?a?Lorenzo?Ruiz?from?the?Philippines,?a?Samuel?Ajajyi?Crowther?from?Nigeria.?Or?perhaps?
our?models?for?mission?are?senior?members?of?our?congregation?with?whom?we?have?worked.?I?
think?of?a?German?SVD?by?the?name?of?Fritz?Scharpf?from?whom?I?learned?so?much?as?a?young?
missionary?in?the?Philippines,?or?my?former?teacher?and?then?colleague?Bernhard?Raas?from?
Switzerland.?
?Once?again,?it?might?be?good?for?the?reader?to?pause?here?and?think?about?the?great?
women?and?men?who?have?influenced?him?or?her?in?their?lives,?who?have?lent?them?inspiration?
or?perhaps?a?sympathetic,?listening?ear.?These?are?the?agents?of?the?Spirit?who?shape?our?
missionary?spirituality.?
?
?III.?Cultural?Assets?and?Liabilities?
?
?We?are?all?unique?individuals,?with?individual?strengths?and?weaknesses,?and?the?
development?and?cultivation?of?a?mission?spirituality?is?to?bolster?and?harness?those?strengths?
and,?if?possible,?blunt?those?weaknesses.?But?we?are?more?than?individuals.?We?are?people?of?a?
particular?time?and?generation.?We?are?shaped?by?our?families?and?by?our?social?class?and?
education.?And?we?are?formed?and?deformed?by?the?culture?in?which?we?find?our?identity.?
?Culture?is?more?than?practices?and?cuisine.?It?is?even?more?than?values?and?attitudes.?
Culture?shapes?the?way?that?we?view–or,?even?better,?construct–our?world?and?our?very?selves.?
Westerners?really?do?see?themselves?first?as?individuals?and?only?subsequently?related?to?
others–even?family.?Latin?Americans,?Africans?and?Asians?(if?I?can?venture?to?say?it)?really?do?not?
see?themselves?first?as?individuals,?but?as?vitally?connected?to?family,?community,?tribe.?What?is?
the?“truth”?here??Is?the?best?form?of?organization?of?society?hierarchical??Or?is?it?democratic??
There?is?no?objective?answer?to?this.??
?Culture?is?not?something?that?we?can?just?take?off?or?put?on.?While?we?can?acculturate?
ourselves?to?various?new?circumstances,?from?the?first?moment?of?our?lives?we?have?been?
enculturated?within?our?own?culture?by?our?family,?our?friends,?our?language,?the?media?which?
surrounds?us.?While?there?are?some?people?who?are?truly?bi‐cultural,?and?some?people?who?do?
manage?to?acculturate?to?a?remarkable?degree,?most?of?us–the?vast?majority?of?us–never?really?
move?out?of?our?original?culture.??
?This?is?why?knowing?who?we?are?as?cultural?beings–as?Italians,?as?Germans,?as?Polish,?as?
U.?S.?Americans,?as?Chileans,?as?Indians–is?so?important.?Each?of?us?brings?a?good?amount?of?
cultural?baggage?to?mission,?and?we?need?to?be?aware?of?how?that?baggage?can?sustain?us?or?
how,?as?Latin?names?baggage,?it?is?impedimenta,?or?a?real?liability?in?our?cross‐cultural?ministry.??
It?is?important?to?understand?and?believe?that?every?culture?is?both?good?and?bad?in?itself,?and?
that?every?culture?offers?opportunities?and?impediments?for?growth?in?another?culture?or?
situation.?No?culture?is?all?good.?No?culture?is?all?bad.??
?As?a?U.?S.?American,?for?example,?I?bring?a?confidence?to?my?ministry?that?is?supported?
by?a?Yankee?“can?do”?attitude.?I?bring?a?sense?of?equality?of?all?peoples?that?can?help?me?build?a?
strong?sense?of?participation?among?the?people?where?I?work.?I?can?easily?work?for?a?strong,?
well‐educated?laity.?As?a?member?of?an?affluent,?powerful?nation?I?have?a?confidence?in?myself?
and?in?my?worldview,?and?a?confidence?in?the?capacities?of?others.?But?such?confidence?and?
surety?can?border?on?the?arrogant.?My?sense?of?equality?and?participation?might?trample?on?
people’s?sensitivities?about?distinct,?important?and?even?sacred?roles?in?a?particular?society.?My?
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affluence?can?allow?me?to?live?in?a?way?that?actually?separates?me?from?the?people?among?
whom?I?minister.?I?speak?with?a?frankness?that?my?countrymen?admire,?but?which?often?can?be?
insulting?to?the?men?and?women?who?are?my?hosts.?
?So?part?of?my?spirituality?is?to?recognize?who?I?am?as?a?cultural?being?and?make?sure?that?
my?identity?does?not?get?in?the?way?of?God’s?work.?I?can?never?slough?off?that?identity,?but?I?can?
temper?it?quite?a?bit,?and?use?its?positive?aspects?for?good.?Working?with?my?identity?surely?
needs?to?find?itself?into?my?prayer?life;?it?certainly?points?to?ways?that?I?can?practice?real?“self?
denial”?for?the?sake?of?my?ministry.?Once?again,?readers?might?want?to?pause?here?to?take?their?
own?“cultural?inventory.”?
?
?IV.?Theological?Perspectives?
?
?Every?Christian?is?a?theologian.?We?may?not?recognize?that?fact.?We?may?deny?that?we?
think?theologically–that?we?operate?pastorally?rather?than?theologically.?But?that?very?denial?is?
already?a?kind?of?theology?in?itself.?Our?theology?may?be?highly?developed?and?articulated,?or?it?
may?not?be,?but?when?we?understand?that?the?basic?dynamic?of?theologizing?is?simply?part?of?
faith,?we?see?how?inescapable?it?is.?The?mark?of?a?good?pastor,?as?spiritual?writer?Henri?Nouwen?
suggests,?is?how?conscious?she?or?he?is?of?that?dynamic?in?her?or?his?life.
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?Our?theology?shapes?our?world,?and?provides?the?framework?for?our?spirituality.?
Depending?on?our?understanding?of?God?(judge,?father,?friend,?Mystery),?of?Jesus?(emphasis?on?
his?human?nature,?emphasis?on?his?divine?nature),?of?Mary?(model?disciple,?the?way?to?a?
basically?angry?God),?the?church?(missionary?community,?hierarchical?community)?we?get?
energy?for?ministry,?make?time?for?prayer,?feel?challenged,?intimidated?or?discouraged.??
?Cuban?American?church?historian?Justo?L.?González?speaks?about?three?basic?types?of?
theology?which?can?shape?the?way?we?look?at?the?world?and?do?ministry.
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?González?speaks?first?
of?“Type?A”?theology?which?has?its?source?in?the?North?African?Roman?lawyer?Tertullian?in?the?
third?century,?and?emphasizes?order?and,?to?a?certain?extent,?law.?God?is?the?lawgiver;?human?
sin?is?disobedience;?Jesus?came?to?bring?the?new?law?and?to?mend?the?gap?between?humanity?
and?God?by?his?obedience?unto?death.?“Type?B”?theology?goes?back?to?Origen,?the?great?scholar?
of?Alexandria?in?Egypt.?Steeped?in?Platonic?philosophy,?the?focus?of?this?type?of?theology?is?the?
mind’s?search?for?the?truth,?experimenting,?even?risking,?using?every?rational?and?cultural?
means?possible.?In?this?type,?God?is?the?One,?the?contemplation?of?whom?humanity?failed?to?
sustain?and?so?needs?to?work?its?way?back?to;?Jesus?is?the?visible?form?of?God,?who?helps?us?
toward?the?goal?of?contemplation.?“Type?C”?theology?has?its?model?in?the?Syrian?bishop?and?
pastor?Irenaeus,?exile?and?missionary?to?the?frontiers?of?the?Roman?Empire?in?Lyons?in?Gaul?
(today’s?France).?This?is?a?pastoral?theology,?rooted?in?experience.?For?Irenaeus,?God?is?the?great?
Shepherd,?who?fondly?cares?for?his?sheep.?God?did?not?make?the?world?perfect,?as?Tertullian?
conceived?of?creation;?nor?did?human?souls?exist?before?creation?in?rapt?contemplation?of?the?
3
See?Henri?Nouwen,?In?the?Name?of?Jesus:?Reflections?on?Christian?Leadership?in?the?Future?(New?York:?
Crossroad,?1989).?
4
Justo?L.?González,?Christian?Thought?Revisited:?Three?Types?of?Theology?(Maryknoll,?NY:?Orbis?Books,?
1999).
Godhead,?only?to?be?distracted?and?fall?into?bodiliness.?Rather,?humanity?was?created?imperfect?
but?eminently?perfectible,?and?Jesus?shows?us?the?way?to?achieve?our?full?identity?as?made?in?
God’s?image?and?likeness.?Each?type?certainly?implies?a?distinct?spirituality:?Type?A?might?
emphasize?a?spirituality?of?strict?discipline;?Type?B?might?conceive?spirituality?as?a?journey?in?
dialogue?with?the?world’s?many?cultures;?Type?C?might?conceive?spirituality?in?terms?of?a?
relationship?that?needs?to?be?cultivated.?My?own?sense?that?Christians?today?still?fall?within?one?
of?these?types,?and?this?does?indeed?affect?and?form?their?spirituality–in?this?case,?how?they?
cope?with?cultural?difference,?with?struggle?and?failure,?with?poverty?or?affluence.?
?As?our?theology?becomes?more?and?more?conscious?and?explicit,?it?can?become?more?
and?more?consistent?and?self‐critical.?This?is?why?the?development?of?a?mission?spirituality?is?so?
closely?connected?with?the?articulation?and?critique?of?one’s?“operative?theology.”?Is?doctrine?
conceived?more?in?the?line?of?Type?A,?and?so?will?breach?no?compromise?as?it?is?proclaimed?
cross‐culturally??Is?God?a?“fellow?sufferer?who?understands,”?as?Alfred?North?Whitehead?once?
put?it?and?which?jibes?with?Irenaeus’?image?of?a?shepherd?God??Is?clarity?on?Jesus’?divinity?not?
all?that?important,?as?we?struggle?to?understand?the?truth?of?Revelation?in?other?religions??What?
kind?of?God?will?understand?our?failures?in?mission??What?kind?of?church?will?encourage?
grassroots?participation??These?are?theological?positions?we?need?to?sort?out?to?help?us?and?
guide?us?in?our?cross‐cultural,?missionary?journey.?
?
?V.?Mission?Experiences?
?
?Once?again,?a?spirituality?is?never?developed?in?the?abstract.?Spirituality?is?always?rooted?
in?concrete?circumstances,?and?concrete?experiences.?If?a?missionary?is?struggling?with?learning?
a?language,?for?example,?his?struggle?will?precipitate?a?certain?kind?of?prayer?(abandonment,?for?
patience),?a?certain?kind?of?asceticism?(study,?humility?in?seeming?like?a?child,?risking?sounding?
awkward,?being?corrected),?the?importance?of?certain?Scripture?passages?(e.g.?Mk?10:13‐16,?
about?becoming?a?little?child;?Jn?3:3?about?being?born?again),?the?significance?of?certain?
missionaries?from?tradition?(Cyril?and?Methodius?and?their?important?translation?of?the?Bible,?
Matteo?Ricci?in?China).?If?a?missionary?has?been?threatened?with?violence?or?death,?or?has?
experienced?failure,?or?has?after?a?long?time?been?finally?accepted?by?the?people,?all?of?these?
experiences?will?shape?one’s?spiritual?life.?
?It?will?be?important?for?missionaries?to?share?their?experiences?so?as?to?be?able?to?be?
aware?of?and?articulate?them?better.?Such?effort?doesn’t?need?to?stop?when?a?missionary?
returns?home.?In?fact,?it?is?crucial?that?her?or?his?experiences?be?told,?and?be?appreciated.?The?
search?for?such?a?support?group?and?regular?attendance?at?its?meetings?will?be?another?way?of?
cultivating?a?mission?spirituality.?
?
?
?VI.?Practices?
?
?Finally,?although?we?have?already?spoken?about?them?above,?a?mission?spirituality?is?
cultivated?by?commitment?to?certain?basic?practices.?Contemporary?theology?has?rediscovered?
7
the?importance?of?frequently?repeated?actions,?actions?which?create?habits.
5
?As?we?commit?
ourselves?to?particular?times?and?forms?of?prayer,?to?ascetical?practices,?to?regular?forms?of?
behavior,?we?are?shaped?by?them?in?overt?and?quite?subtle?ways.?
?Any?kind?of?spirituality?involves?the?practice?of?regular?prayer.?That?goes?without?saying.?
A?mission?spirituality,?however,?would?make?sure?that?the?content?of?that?prayer?is?one?that?
reaches?out?to?all?the?world.?It?might?be?one?that?uses?the?newspaper?as?a?basic?prayerbook.?It?
is?also?a?prayer?that?constantly?calls?to?mind?the?people?whom?are?served,?with?all?their?cultural?
richness.?It?will?be?a?prayer?of?kenosis?or?self‐emptying.?It?will?be?a?prayer?that,?where?
appropriate,?will?use?the?forms?and?content?of?the?other?faiths?among?whom?missionaries?work.?
?A?mission?spirituality?will?practice?a?simplicity?of?life,?in?solidarity?with?the?poor?of?the?
world.?This?may?be?a?real?challenge?to?those?of?us?from?more?affluent?countries,?but?it?is?
essential.?
?The?spirituality?that?we?are?reflecting?on?here?might?practice?two?kinds?of?asceticism.?
One?would?be?a?kind?of?“asceticism?of?risk.”?By?this?I?do?not?mean?putting?oneself?in?undue?
danger,?courting?violence?or?death?for?no?good?reason.?This?may?be?necessary,?certainly?(I?think?
of?missionaries?like?Dorothy?Stang?in?Brazil),?but?this?is?not?what?I?mean?here.?I?mean?rather?a?
practice?of?choosing?to?be?stretched?in?everyday?matters–in?terms?of?language,?perhaps,?or?in?
terms?of?pastoral?assignments,?the?kind?of?things?one?reads.?My?experience?is?that?often?in?
cross‐cultural?situations?we?opt?to?spend?time?with?our?own?cultural?or?language?groups,?in?our?
presbyteries?and?convents,?eating?familiar?food.?This?“asceticism?of?risk”?would?be?an?option?to?
move?beyond?our?comfort?zones–perhaps?not?all?the?time,?but?certainly?some?of?the?time.??
?A?second?kind?of?ascetical?practice?would?be?in?the?area?of?learning?to?listen?rather?than?
to?talk.?This?is?hard?work.?So?often?missionaries?occupy?a?position?of?power?and?prestige.?From?
this?position,?however,?they?often?talk?too?much,?and?too?soon.?A?common?saying?in?the?
Philippines?where?I?worked?as?a?missionary?years?ago?was?that?the?new?missionary?should?not?
say?anything?for?at?least?six?months?to?a?year.?Then?he?might?venture?a?humble?opinion?once?in?
a?while.?But?the?main?thing?is?to?listen,?to?observe.?To?learn?to?really?hear?what?is?being?said–so?
often?“between?the?lines”–to?learn?to?really?see?what?is?going?on?in?an?unfamiliar?context–this?is?
a?major?exercise?in?self?denial.?But?it?will?pay?large?dividends?in?the?future.?
?Finally,?although?I?am?sure?there?are?other?practices?that?missionaries?could?engage?in,?it?
is?important?to?have?a?mentor,?a?spiritual?director,?someone?to?talk?to.?Larry?Nemer?lays?down?
the?qualities?of?such?a?person.?The?mentor/director?should?first?be?one?who?can?listen?with?an?
understanding?heart:?“someone?who?has?time–someone?who?is?willing?to?make?[the?
missionary’s]?experience?the?priority?of?the?moment.”?Second,?the?person?needs?to?have?
wisdom?and?experience,?and?so?able?to?advise?the?missionary?on?the?“right?way”?to?do?
something?or?other?in?a?particular?culture.?Third,?the?director/mentor?should?be?someone?who?
is?“serene,?self‐confident?and?not?surprised?by?anything.”
6
?Our?mission?spirituality?needs?to?be?
developed?in?dialogue,?in?real?honest?and?openness.?
5
See,?for?example,?Miroslav?Volf?and?Dorothy?C.?Bass,?eds.,?Practicing?Theology:?Beliefs?and?Practices?in?
Christian?Life?(Grand?Rapids,?MI:?William?B.?Eerdmans?Publishing?Company,?2002).?
6
Larry?Nemer,?“The?Issues?and?Challenges?of?Cross‐Cultural?Mission?in?Promoting?theMissionofthe
Church,”Unpublishedpresentation.
?It?might?make?sense?at?this?point?for?the?reader?to?reflect?whether?there?might?be?any?
other?practices?that?would?promote?a?spirituality?that?will?sustain?and?inspire?the?hard?but?
amazing?work?of?mission.?
?
?Conclusion?
?
?What?I?have?tried?to?do?in?these?reflections?is?to?lay?out?a?template?within?which?men?
and?women?in?various?stages?of?missionary?service–preparation,?newly‐arrived,?veteran?
workers,?those?who?have?returned?home?or?who?are?retired–can?cultivate?a?spirituality?that?can?
sustain?them,?challenge?them,?console?them,?deepen?them.?Like?spirituality?in?general,?there?is?
not?one?that?works?for?everyone.?And?yet,?any?mission?spirituality?needs?to?be?rooted?in?
Scripture,?in?the?Christian?Tradition,?and?in?human?experience.?As?one?works?to?discover?how?
Scripture?can?inspire,?how?Tradition?can?challenge?and?anchor,?and?how?human?experience?can?
continuously?challenge,?one?will?develop?a?mission?spirituality?suited?for?one’s?particular?
situation,?and?therefore?conforming?to?the?mind?of?Christ.?
?
Discussion?questions?
?
Professor?Bevans?presented?a?template?or?framework?for?a?missionary?spirituality?that?includes:?
?Scriptural?foundation?
?Missionary?heroes?and?heroines?
?Cultural?assets?and?liabilities?
?Theological?perspective?
?Mission?experience?
?Missionary?practice?
We?will?discuss?just?three:?
1)Is?there?a?scripture?passage?that?defines?or?is?foundational?to?your?personal?missionary?
spirituality??
?
2)Who?are?your?missionary?heroes?or?heroines??
?
?
3)Tell?a?story?or?give?an?example?of?your?missionary?practice.?
?
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