BIBLICAL-

THEOLOGICAL
FOUNDATIONS
 This piece examines
some of the Biblical and
theological bases of the
need for proclamation.
O First: a Central foundation is the
example of Christ who was sent to
evangelize, as well as the Church
which continues his mission and makes
it present. The spirit is upon me,
because he has anointed me. He has
sent me to preach the good news to the
poor (EUAGGELISOMAI), to proclaim
(KERUSSO) release to the captives. . .
And to proclaim the acceptable year of
the Lord (LK. 4:18-19; MK. 1:15, 38).
Jesus also proclaimed by giving
witness (Marturo) to the truth of what
he heard and had seen in the Father.
O Second: another fundamental
motive is the missionary
mandated by which Christ has
commanded his followers to
proclaim his Gospel and all he
taught. All the evangelist
conclude their narration of the
encounter between the Risen
Christ and his disciples with this
commandment; it is also found
in the beginning of the Acts of
the Apostles.
O The different forms of the Missionary
Mandated have some common elements and
some characteristic differences. The universal
dimension is common; mission is to all
peoples. It is also common that those who
are sent will not be alone; Christ remains with
the Church through the power and assistance
of His Spirit. The essential element of the
missionary mandated is the proclamation of
the Word, although every evangelist
emphasizes a different aspect, such as first
proclamation (Mk.), making disciples (Mt.)
witnessing to the mystery of Christ (LK., Acts).
In fact, the apostles considered the ministry
of the word as the most important of all the
apostolic services.
O Third: Jesus Christ has given the Spirit to
his Church; where the Spirit of Jesus is
present, there exist a dynamism towards
the proclamation of the Word. Jesus
himself, when he was anointed by the spirit
during Baptism (Prefiguration of the
future Pentecost according to Leo XIII)
began his ministry by proclaiming the
good news. The Pentecostal event of the
apostles is typical: It is only after the
coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of the
Pentecost that the apostles depart to all
the ends of the earth in order to begin the
great work of the Churchs evangelization
O Proclamation is not a past
event. It is Holy Spirit who,
today just as at the beginning
of the Church, acts in every
evangelizer and places the
words on his lips. It is the Holy
Spirit, though whom the living
voice of the Gospel rings out in
the Church and through her in
the whole world. The Word is
the instrument which the Spirit
utilizes to communicate new
divine life.
O Fourth: another basic tenet is the fact
that the proclaimed and received Word
is the way to faith; it is necessary for
salvation. How are they to believe in
him of whom they have never heard?
And how are they to hear without a
preacher (kerusso) And how can they
preach unless they are sent So faith
comes from what is heard and what is
heard comes through the word of
Christ. The proclamation of the Word of
God aims at conversion, that is to say,
a complete and sincere adherence to
Christ and his Gospel through faith
O Mission, the proclamation of the
Word of God and Faith are three
stages of evangelization. Faith is the
human response to the Word; the
biblical terminology to obey in
faith, is to commit oneself freely to
the Word heard, as truth is
guaranteed by God. The Word not
only leads towards faith in Christ;
this faith unites us with the Spirit,
you who have heard the word of
truth, the Gospel of your salvation,
and have believed in him, were
sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.
O Fifth: if the goal of missionary activity is
the formation of the particular church, one
should not forget that it is the Word that
convokes and forms community. The Lord
Jesus began his Church with the
proclamation of the good news,
inaugurating the Kingdom of Heaven on
earth. The church is the kingdom of Christ
already present in the ministry to
choose the Word of Jesus is to welcome
the Kingdom. After the great
proclamation of Peter on the day of the
Pentecost, conversions followed and the
first communities took shape
O The council chose the meaningful words of
St. Augustine on the missionary activity of
the twelve; they preached the word of
truth and begot churches. An ecclesial
community cannot exist without
sacraments. The sacramental action is
implied in proclamation, because the
sacrament is initiated by the Word of God
and faith as a sign of consent to this Word.
The people of God is to be gathered
primarily by the Word of the living God
The preaching of the Word is required for
the sacramental ministry itself, since the
sacraments re sacraments of faith drawing
origin and nourishment from the Word.
THANK
YOU!!!