HomeArticles*IssuesInculturation and Evangelization in the Spirituality of Unity

Inculturation and Evangelization in the Spirituality of Unity

Here is an excerpt from a talk about the Focolare Movement’s experience in inculturation, given by Fr. Andrew Recepcion, President of the International Association of Catholic Missiologists (IACM) during the meeting of Asian Bishop-friends of the Focolare last June 2017 in Myanmar.

Chiara Lubich in addressing all the Focolare members in Africa on May 12, 1992, indicated the Focolare inculturation that comes from the charism of unity. Before speaking of the process of inculturation itself, Chiara indicates that “a charism contains always in itself something prophetic.” To illustrate the need to go back to the source of the charism of unity that God has given to the Church through her, Chiara used the expression: “to be one with the water that the source has given.” Thus, “water” is used to mean the charism of unity. It is only when one is faithful to the charism of unity can one actually express the depth of spiritual and theological insights and principles that God has given to the Church through this channel of the charism.

“White Light”

Chiara Lubich, when she was in Nairobi, Africa, pointed out the need for “an inculturation of theology” and she used the image of the “white light” to describe the Focolare’s inculturation. It has to be noted at the outset, that Chiara does not speak of a theology of inculturation, however, she speaks of an inculturation of theology. In referring to the inculturation of theology, Chiara says: “This theology is a “white light.” It does not have a color. It does not have a culture. It is instead the exploration of the truths of faith, of God, of God-love, of the Trinity, of Jesus, of the incarnation, of Christ’s death, of the abandonment, and of the Church.”
In other words, for Chiara, “the white light can bring out all the colors in all cultures. Thus, “one can enter deeply into the Other, that is within the other, in the deepest recesses of every human being, because Jesus is Man, and not simply a man, but he is the Man.”
Process of Inculturation from the Spirituality of Unity

We need to go back to the foundation of inculturation as a way of life that entails “making ourselves one or united, with” or “being united deeply with the other” in the spirit of love.

For Chiara, there is a simultaneous process of de-culturation and inculturation:
“In order to de-culturate ourselves, it is necessary to understand well the meaning of “making ourselves” one with the other, which does not simply mean to lose everything, to be nothing for… but also to listen to the other, to bring out the best in the other, so that he or she can express himself or herself; so that the other can enter into the “we”; so that the “we” can contain the other, but in the mutual relationship of being in the other, reciprocal love is realized.”

For Chiara, “to lose everything, that is to be nothing, also means to lose one’s culture, and losing means to set aside.”

She explains further: “One needs to be always detached from one’s culture because it is only in this way that one’s culture may become the culture of the other.” In fact, Chiara understands that “only persons detached from their culture are capable of understanding the others, of understanding how the others think, of appreciating the richness of the others.” The simultaneous process of “de-culturizing and inculturizing” entails losing, and that is, being nothing, which for Chiara “is not the nothing of a dead person, but a nothingness of love.” In this process, however, “it is only the Holy Spirit who can actually make things possible.”

In the experience of inculturation in the spirituality of unity, everything starts by making ourselves one with the other, by putting ourselves in the shoes of the other person.

Chiara Lubich does not speak of a theology of inculturation, however, she speaks of an inculturation of theology.

Evangelization

Underlining the essential connection between inculturation and evangelization, Chiara Lubich points out that “people feel themselves understood in the depths of their being” when evangelization is inculturated.

Pope Francis in Evangelii Gaudium has challenged the Church to prioritize a new evangelization from the optic of missionary discipleship. It is necessary to note that in Pope Francis’ vision of new evangelization, everything starts with a joyful encounter with Jesus, the living Lord! It is very much in the light of Pope’ Francis vision of new evangelization that we can look at the experience of the Focolare Movement, especially from the foundational insights that Chiara Lubich has given the members of the Focolare.

In 1949, Chiara Lubich made an experience together with Igino Giordani and her first companions, of a special period of collective spiritual illumination. This period was characterized by an intense Christian life nourished by the Word of God, by the reciprocal charity that leads to unity, by the Eucharist received daily, and by an immediate sharing of spiritual light.

With the pact of 1949, one may intuit how for Chiara and her companions, unity is first of all entering into the “womb” of the Father”, which means that unity in the language of collective sanctity, “does not simply imply being a community of persons gathered together, but fused into one even in the diversity and distinction of persons in the image of the Trinity. In fact, it is only Jesus who can take us unto himself. Thus, in Jesus we enter in God, in the Trinity.

It is important to note here that evangelization in the experience of the Focolare Movement is not primarily about doing something together nor having a common project, nor reciting ritual prayers together, but it is fundamentally about being united in Jesus Christ (Jesus Eucharist) through a life rooted in God’s Word (Jesus in the Word) and in reciprocal charity (Jesus in the Neighbor).

The effects of living the Word are shared, communicated, and proclaimed

It is only after a life lived in God’s Word with all its effects, that evangelization as proclamation can follow. It is to be noted that what is being proclaimed is Jesus, the Word of God, for everything in the Gospel is Jesus. It is through the witness of Christian life realized through the fruits or effects of living the Word of God that evangelization can be realized. In a way, we can say that the evangelizer, after having been evangelized, becomes a living word in Jesus, the Word of God. What is important in evangelization is to be another Jesus in the Word for the world.

Jesus Forsaken, the Word per excellence, the Evangelizer per excellence

In the spirituality of unity, the experience of a personal spiritual encounter with Jesus has a name, and this name is Jesus Forsaken. The encounter with Jesus as crucified and forsaken took place through two important episodes in the fledgling community of the Focolare back in 1944. The first episode was when a Capuchin priest brought communion to Dori, one of Chiara’s first companions, who was at home, sick due to an infection. The priest told Chiara that Jesus had suffered most, not in the Garden of Olives but when he cried out: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

After the priest left, Chiara reflected with Dori: “We will choose him as our Ideal and that is the way we will follow him.” The second episode was when Chiara “put her books away in the attic” and eliminated all furniture from their small apartment in Capuchin Square in Trent, Italy, except for one single object on the wall — “a picture portraying Jesus Forsaken” because, as Chiara explained, that it was “to help us realize that He alone had to be the treasure of our existence.” These two episodes helped them make a radical choice of Jesus Forsaken in their lives.

Referring to evangelization in the language of being God’s Word with all its fruits or effects, Chiara looks at Jesus Forsaken as the Word per excellence: “Jesus Forsaken is the Word per excellence, the Word fully explained, the Word completely opened up.” Thus, to evangelize means to be rooted in Jesus Forsaken, that is, to be like him forsaken by living that radical nothingness in order to be everything for God in his will.

By affirming that Jesus Forsaken is the way not only that one can be evangelized, but also how one can be an evangelizer, we can see how evangelization is not fundamentally about conquest, proselytism, forced conversion and baptism, nor about planting the Church, creating programs and activities, but it is essentially about being entirely Christ-like, or in mystical language, about being another Christ who manifests himself in any person who lives the Word, therefore, one who lives the life of the Church. Thus, in Jesus Forsaken, evangelization enters into all areas of humanity.

Conclusion

Inculturation and Evangelization are two fundamental dimensions of the missionary nature of the Church.

The spirituality of unity through the experience of the Focolare Movement contributes to a new understanding and practice of inculturation and evangelization. It is interesting to observe that in the experience of the Focolare, inculturation and evangelization come from the same way of life, from a communitarian holy journey that desires the realization of the prayer of Jesus “that all maybe one” (John 17,21).

Fr. Andrew Gimenez Recepcion

DONATE TO NEW CITY PRESS PH

New City Press Philippines offers all its articles for free; we would appreciate a small donation to help us continue serving you with relevant content.

For donations please click the donate button. 

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here


Must Read