Pope Benedict XVI’s Missionary Prayer Intention for June
(01 June 2006) : That pastors and the Christian faithful may consider inter-religious
dialogue and the work of inculturation of the Gospel as a daily service to promote
the cause of the evangelization of peoples. The Church cannot forgo her missionary
activity among the peoples of the world. It is the primary task of “Mission to the
Gentiles” to announce that it is in Jesus that people will find meaning in life.
So we, as Christians, need to be oriented to consider inter-religious dialogue and
to the work of inculturation of the Gospel as a daily service and as one promoting
the evangelization of all people. But in all of this service listening will always
play a key part so that we can deeply hear where the people are coming from. An authentic
inculturation of the Gospel has a double aspect. On the one hand, a culture offers
positive values and forms which can enrich the way the Gospel is preached, understood
and lived. On the other hand, the Gospel challenges cultures and requires that some
of the society’s values and forms of behaviour change. Every culture needs to be
purified and transformed by the values that are in the Gospel. In this way the positive
values found in a culture will enrich the way that the Gospel is preached, understood
and lived. Cultures will not be diminished by inculturation but rather prompted to
open itself up to the newness of the truth as in the Gospel.