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.