854. By her very mission, “the Church . . . travels the same journey as all humanity and shares the same earthly lot with the world: she is to be a leaven and, as it were, the soul of human society in its renewal by Christ and transformation into the family of God.”351 Missionary endeavor requires patience. It begins with the proclamation of the Gospel to peoples and groups who do not yet believe in Christ,352 continues with the establishment of Christian communities that are “a sign of God’s presence in the world,”353 and leads to the foundation of local churches.354 It must involve a process of inculturation if the Gospel is to take flesh in each people’s culture.355 There will be times of defeat. “With regard to individuals, groups, and peoples it is only by degrees that [the Church] touches and penetrates them and so receives them into a fullness which is Catholic.”356
Aprofunde seus conhecimentos
95. “…Born of the Virgin Mary”: Why is Mary truly the Mother of God?
289. When does the Church oblige her members to participate at Holy Mass?
229. Why are the sacraments efficacious?
372. What is the moral conscience?
186. How do Bishops exercise their ministry of sanctification?
351. What are the sacramentals?
545. Why is our prayer efficacious?
Acesse nossos estudos biblicos:
What can we learn about divine wrath and protection of the righteous from the book of Nahum?
Who was Hezekiah in the Bible and how does his story teach us about the importance of trusting God?
What does the Bible teach about God’s final judgment, and what does Malachi 3:18 tell us about it?
What can we learn about divine justice from the Lord’s vengeance mentioned in Abdias 1:15?
What is the role of the Holy Spirit in the sanctification of the Christian?
