St. Maximilian Kolbe's missionary heritage

Leon Dyczewski

St. Maximilian Kolbe’s missionary

heritage

Collectanea Theologica 58/Fasciculus specialis, 71-87

1988

C o lle c ta n e a T h e o lo g ic a 58 (1988) fa sc . s p e c ia lis

ST. MAXIMILIAN KOLBE'S MISSIONARY HERITAGE

St. M axim ilian, seeing th e d ev elo p m en t of his K nights of th e Im m acu lata m ovem ent, its p u b lish in g cen tres, and th e m issions in J a p a n , w as d ee p ly co nvin ced th a t all th e se w o rk s w e re in sp ired b y G od H im self, th ro u g h th e m ed iatio n of th e Im m aculate V irgin. H e d id no t w a n t th e w o rks of su ch a d iv in e origin to fail; so h e a sk ed th e F ra n cisc an sem in arian s in Rome; „B rothers, w h en th e n ew s of m y d e a th re a c h e s you, y o u should k n o w th at, b y v irtu e of th is testam en t, y o u a re m y heirs... You should w o rk u n re se rv e d ly , e v e n to sh edd in g y o u r blood if it is n e c essa ry ; an d y o u should sp read th e K nights of th e Im m aculata m o v em en t to th e e n d s of th e e a rth " 1. H ow ever, h e n o t only a sk ed th em to co n tin u e th e w o rk s h e h a d started , b u t also to p e rfe c t a n d d e v e lo p them , since h e th o u g h t th a t „ e v e ry g e n e ra tio n should add its ow n w o rk s to th e w o rk s and a ch ie v e m e n ts of th e p rec e d in g g e n e ra tio n s" 2.

If w e seek to fulfil th e S ain ts tw o po stu lates, le t u s g iv e som e though t to th e questio n s; W h ich ideas, m etho ds and m ean s of w o rk c o n ta in ed in his h e rita g e w e should accept? A nd h o w w e should e n ric h it, so th a t it can rem a in v ita l and fruitful? T h ere is no do u b t th a t m o d ern societies h a v e th e ir problem s, th e ir ach ie v e m e n ts and ideas. N o b o d y w ho w an ts to co n tin u e St. M ax im ilian's w o rk c an be in d ifferen t to them . If h e w e re still alive, h e w ould n o tic e them , ta k e th em to h eart, an d p re p a re him self to d e a l w ith them . I w ould like to consider h e re St. M ax im ilian 's m issio n ary w ork, in o rd er th a t w e m ight co n tin u e an d com plem ent his h e ritag e . W e k n o w th e h isto ry of his w ork, an d it is n o t m y in te n tio n to re c a ll th a t h ere. In ste a d I w ould lik e to p o in t to th e factors, w h ich m ost lik e ly co n ­ trib u te d to th e b eau tifu l a n d qu ick d e v e lo p m en t of th e e v a n g e lic a l seed, sow n b y St. M axim ilian. T h a t seed becam e a „great, stro n g tre e ", w hich, in th e o pinion of th e bisho p of N ag asak i, P aul Jam a- guchi, „gives th e im pressio n of so m ethin g w o nd erfu l to th o se w ho know th e circu m stan ces u n d e r w h ich th is w o rk d e v e lo p e d " 3. A

dis-L EO N DYCZEW SKI O FM C onv., dis-LUBdis-LIN

1 K o n l e r e n c j a (C o n feren ce), R zym (Rom e), 23.05.1933.

2 List d o m ł o d z i e ż y z a k o n n e j w k o l e g i a c h f r a n c i s z k a ń s k ic h (L etter to F ran ­ c is c a n sem in a r ia n s), N a g a s a k i, 28.02.1933.

3 B e a ti l i c a t i o n i s e t c a n o n i s a t i o n i s S e r v i D e l M a x i m il i a n ] M a r i a e K o l b e , s a ­

c e r d o t i s p r o f e s s i O r d n i n i s F ra tru m M i n o r u m C o n v e n t u a l i u m . A l i a e n o v i s s i m a e L it t e r a e P o s t u l a t o r i a e p r o i n t r o d u c t i o n e c u sa e . R om ae, P o s tu la tio G e n er a lis

cussion of th e facto rs w h ich w ere d ecisiv e for th e d e v elo p m en t of St. M ax im ilian's m issio n ary w o rk in d icates at th e sam e tim e a p ro ­ per ap p ro a c h for to d a y 's m issionaries.

1. The m issionary attitude

O ur Lord J e su s C h rist often stre sse d th a t H e w as fulfilling His F a th e r's will; th a t H e p rea c h e d an d co n v e y ed to th e peo p le w h a t He saw w ith H is F a th er, as H e an d th e F a th e r are one; th a t th e F a th er had se n t Him in to th e w orld to red e e m it. H e n c e th e d o ­ cum ents of V a tic a n II call C h rist th e D ivine M issio nary. In order to allo w peo p le to p a rtic ip a te in th e p ro cess of red e e m in g th e w orld, C h rist e sta b lish e d th e C hurch, w hich is su pp osed to proclaim and b e a r w itn ess to God, and to lea d th e w o rld to Him u n til th e end of tim e. So th e C h u rch is also a M issio n ary of th e w orld. It is a lastin g an d „u n iv ersal sa cra m e n t of re d e m p tio n ''4. E v ery o n e w ho b e lie v es in C h rist and b elo n gs to th e C hurch, should te stify to C hrist an d p a rtic ip a te in red eem in g th e w orld. T he b e tte r one u n d e rsta n d s th e se tru th s an d th e m ore d e e p ly h e e x p e rie n c e s them , th e stro n g e r w ill be his d e sire to sp eak ab o u t C h rist and to testify to his m y steries. So m uch th e b e tte r m issio n ary h e w ill be. It seem s th a t one should look for th e d e e p est fo u n d atio n s of St. M axim ilian's m issio n a ry w o rk in his u n d e rsta n d in g an d e x p e rie n c in g of the a b o v e -m en tio n ed th eo lo g ic a l tru th s.

St. M axim ilian in fin itely an d u n re se rv e d ly g a v e him self up to God a n d people. H e w a n te d to fulfil th e D ivine p lan of R edem ption a s p re c ise ly as h e could, th ro u g h th e Im m aculate V irgin. H e a rti­ cu la ted th is in n er a ttitu d e in 1917, w h en h e w as a stu d ent, in th e act of offering him self to th e Im m aculate V irgin. In th e a c t he g iv es up e v e ry th in g in fav o u r of God an d people. His d e sire is on ly to be a m ost p e rfe c t to o l in th e h a n d s of God, in o rd er to fulfil H is p lan s as q u ick ly and as w ell as h e could. So h is p e rc e p tio n of him self as a tool in G od's h an d s is dynam ic, o b lig atin g him to a co n tin u in g p e rfe c tin g b o th of him self and of th e m etho ds and m eans b y w hich th e w orld can b e p e rfe c te d and sanctified as q u ickly as possible, a cco rd in g to G od's plans.

T his co m p lete g iv in g of h im self to G od an d p eo p le th ro u g h th e Im m aculate V irg in h ad in th e case of St. M axim ilian tw o im p o rtan t dim ensions; his d e sire to co n v e rt as m an y p eo p le as he could, all of them , w ith no ex cep tio n , an d e sp e c ia lly those, w h o se w ay to God w as longest; an d his self-forgetfulness, w h e re b y in his m issio n ary a c tiv itie s he refu sed to ta k e h im self into co n sid eratio n. It w as only G od and o th er p eo p le th a t cou n ted : God, w ho is th e w ay, th e tru th an d th e life; and all th o se w ho n e g le c t or m isuse th e d iv in e gifts.

ST. M A X IM IL IA N K O L B E'S H ER ITA G E ₇₃ O w ning such an attitu d e , th e m issio n ary of J a p a n an d th e m a rty r of O św ięcim becam e all th in g s to e v e ry o n e , in a c co rd a n ce w ith St. P aul's w ords, th a t a tru e w itn ess of God is a G reek for th e G reeks, a Rom an for th e R om ans and a J e w for th e Jew s. St. M axi­ m ilian's m issio n ary w o rk b e g a n crossin g th e b o rd ers of n a tio n s an d cultures. This w as a ty p ic a l c h a ra c te ristic of th e w o rld 's g re a te s t m issionaries. T hose w ho m et St. M axim ilian felt th a t h e w as fully d ev o te d to them , th a t all h e w a n te d w as th e ir good, an d th a t he w as re a d y to give his life for them . St. M axim ilian's a ttitu d e of fulfilling G od's m ission an d his spirit of service, m ade th e J a p a n e s e resp o n siv e to him as a p e rso n th ro u g h w hom God w as speaking, e v e n th o u g h th e y did not alw a y s u n d e rsta n d his lan g u a g e n o r th e p e rio d ica l h e edited. Since th e y e x p e rien c e d h is bein g o nly an in ­ te rm e d ia ry b e tw e en th em and God, th e y d id n ot feel th re a te n e d by him. T h ey allow ed him to p ub lish his p eriodical, to bu ild a fria ry and to e sta b lish a school. T h ey e v e n allo w ed his co-w orkers, c iti­ zens of a s ta te allied w ith J a p a n 's enem ies, to sta y in J a p a n d u rin g th e w ar, at a tim e w h en th e y w e re d e p o rtin g or e v e n a rre stin g o th er m issionaries.

2. Affirmative attitude towards the m issionary world

In th e th e o ry and p rac tic e of th e C hurch tw o a ttitu d e s to w ard th e w orld can be d ifferen tiated . O ne of them sees th e C hurch as th e ho ly h isto ry of redem p tio n , d istin ctly cut off from th e w orld w hich is identified w ith evil. T he w orld is th e scene w h e re G od's Kingdom is b ein g realized u n til th e final defeat of evil. T he C hurch h e re is seen like Isra e l in th e O ld T estam ent, chosen b y Y ahw eh, and stan d in g out as d istin ct from all oth er n ations. T he o th er view of th e m utual rela tio n b e tw e en th e C hurch and th e w o rld sees th e w orld affirm atively. It n o tices an d stre sse s th e e x iste n c e of sa n ctity in th e w orld from th e first c re a tiv e act. C hrist re v e a le d and stre n g th e n e d this san ctity, an d it is b ein g com plem ented cease le ssly till th e en d of tim e. The ta sk of th e C hurch is to m ake p e o p le realize th e e x iste n ce of th is san ctity , to testify to it, and to in cre ase it. St. M axim ilian saw th e C hurch and th e w orld in th is affirm ative w ay. H e b eliev ed th a t th e sa n c tity w hich com es from God is con ­ tain e d in th e w orld. B ecause of th is san ctity, th e w o rld develops, is en n o b le d and p erfected. In th e p ro cess of its re tu rn to God, its source, th e w orld becom es e v e r m ore d iv in e 5. This is a ty p ic a lly F ran ciscan w ay of v iew in g th e w orld, w hich for St. F ran cis w as full of G od's goodness, love an d sanctity.

T hese tw o differen t w ay s of v iew in g th e w orld sh ap e different

5 N a s z c e l (Our aim ), in: P is m a (W orks), V .7, p. 411; Ż y c i e B o ż e (D iv in e Life), in: P is m a (W orks), V .7, p. 488.

m o tiv atio n s for th e C h u rch 's m issio n a ry w ork. In th e fo rm er case, such w o rk is u n d e rta k e n first of a ll b e c au se of th e e x iste n c e of evil. T he red em p tio n of p eo p le from e v il an d sin is clo sely co n n ected w ith th e ir e n te rin g th e C hurch, o u tsid e w h ich th e re is no re d e m p ­ tion. T he C h urch is seen h e re first of all as an in stitu tio n ab so lv in g and sav in g people. In th e o th er case, G od's w isdom and sa n c tity a re se en as sp read all ov er th e w o rld am ong all n a tio n s an d r e li­ g ions. H ence e v e n n o n -C h ristian relig io n s can be se en to h a v e m an y

good fea tu re s in th e ir w o rsh ip of God, b o th w ith re sp e c t to its form and content. Such relig io n s a re helpful in d e v e lo p in g h u m an r e li­ giosity, a c h a ra c te ristic basic to th e n a tu re of all h u m an beings. T hey a re certain ly in clu d ed in th e h o ly h isto ry of redem ptio n. The fact th a t C h ristian relig io n is re la tiv e ly lim ited in tim e and space w a rra n ts our tak in g a fav o u ra b le a ttitu d e to w a rd s n o n -C h ristian r e ­ ligions. This w as also affirm ed b y V a tic a n II. The C hurch, reco g n iz­ ing th a t , ,it is m issio n ary an d th a t e v a n g eliz a tio n is th e b asic ta sk of G od's P e o p le"6, u n d e rta k e s th e ev a n g eliz a tio n of th e w o rld n o t so m uch out of fear th a t m illions of p eo p le can be dam ned, b u t p rim a rily out of th e in n er n eed to testify to Him an d to show Him as th e w ay, th e tru th and th e life. In th is w ay, in d iv id u als and n a tio n s w hich still do n o t k n o w H im can fu lly p a rtic ip a te in th e task of redem ption, and th a t w h ich h as a lre a d y begun, can d ev elo p into a m atu re d iv in e life, th e com plete lo v e of G od an d n eig hb our. From th is p o in t of view , it is n o t so m uch th e C h urch w hich is seen as th e w o rld 's m issionary, b ut C h rist him self. A ccordingly, m issio­ n a ry w o rk is n o t co n n ected so m uch w ith ecclesio lo g y (as in th e form er case) b u t w ith C hristology.

St. M axim ilian's m issio n a ry a c tiv itie s a re in th is C h risto c e n tric c u rre n t. T he m ain m otive for h is going to th e F ar East w as a d e sire to testify to his lo v e for G od and his e a rn e s t d esire to b rin g p eop le clo ser to God, b ecau se „o n ly H e is th e so u rce of h a p p in e s s ''7. A nd ,,if on ly one soul achieved... h a p p in e ss" as h e w ro te a fte r four y e a rs in th e J a p a n e s e m ission, „all d ifficulties an d sufferings w ith sto o d so far a re of g re a t v a lu e " 8. H e w a n te d to ro u se relig io u s an d m oral s e n sitiv ity in p e o p le 's souls, to o p en „the e y e s of p e o p le w ho h a v e false n o tio n s of relig io n ", to te a c h „ab o u t th e b e a u ty of h e ro ic v irtu e in p eo p le liv in g in th is w o rld ", to lead „those w ho h o n e stly seek th e truth... so th a t th e y w ould n o t lo se th e ir w a y in th e ir striv in g for th a t m ost im p o rtan t aim ” , to a b so lv e „souls an d like a friend to e n c o u ra g e th em to follow th e w a y of v irtu e ”9.

6 A d g e n t e s d i v i n i t u s , 35.

7 W s p o m n i e n i a c z t e r e c h u b i e g ł y c h lat (M em ories of th e la st fou r y e a r s ), M u g e n z a i n o S e ib o n o K ish i 5 (1934) 130— 1931.

8 Ibid.

9 C o j e s t c e l e m R y c e r s t w a N i e p o k a l a n e j (W hat is th e aim of th e I.M. M o ­ v e m e n t), M u g e n z a i no S e ib o n o K ish i 3 (1932) 121— 122.

ST. M A X IM IL IA N K O LB E'S H ER ITA G E ₇₅ T he C hristo -cen tric, ra th e r th a n ecclesiological, basis for St. M a­ x im ilian 's m issio n ary w o rk is e v id e n t in th e fact th a t he did not apply to th e C hu rch a u th o ritie s for th e rig h t to organize a ty p ic a lly p a sto ra l in stitutio n . It w as difficult for him to a g ree to th e p rac tic e of d iv id in g m issio n ary te rra in into zones of w o rk a n d influence e a ch u n d e r th e co n tro l of a p a rticu la r o rd er or co n g regation. T h rough his activ itie s h e w an ted n ot so m uch to build up th e C h u rch in th e J a p a n e s e w orld, in o rd er to b rin g C hrist w ith it; ra th e r, on the co n trary , he p re a c h e d C h rist first, and on ly th e n d id h e th in k ab o u t th e C hurch.

St. M axim ilian w as n o t a ty p ic a l m issio n ary of h is tim e, like those w ho defined th e resu lts of th e ir w ork b y th e num b er of e sta b lish e d p a rish e s and th e am o un t of b ap tism al w a te r p o u red on th e heads of „pagans". At e v e ry m om ent h e w as re a d y to give his life to m ak e o th ers accep t God and th e Im m aculate V irgin, bu t h e w as n o t k n o w n as a d isp en ser of baptism . W e do n o t e v e n k n o w if he b aptized one Ja p an e se , a lth o u g h th e re w ere co n v ersio n s du rin g his sta y in J a p a n — h e m entions th em him self. H is m issio n ary w ork resem bles w h at St. Paul say s of him self; „C hrist h a s n o t se n t m e to baptize, but to p rea c h th e G ospel, and n o t in th e w isdom of th e w o rd " 10. St. M axim ilian, lik e P aul th e A postle, w a n te d first of all to p rea c h God to th e w orld, to b e a r w itn ess to Him; h e ceded to o th ers th e g lo ry of so lem nly in co rp o ratin g th e c o n v e rts into th e Church.

St. M axim ilian in his C h risto -cen tric v iew of his m ission w as also M ariological. R ight a fte r C hrist h e w a n te d to show th e w orld th e V irgin M ary as th e one w ho of all p eo p le m ost fully rea liz e d th e id eal of sainthood, and in w hom is accom plished m ost p e rfe c tly th e ta s k of tran sfo rm in g h u m an c re a tu re s into som ethin g G odlike. She is „th e m ost p erfect creature..., th e m ost ad o red of all c re a ­ tu re s " 11. H en ce he show ed h e r as a m odel of hu m an p erfection. At th e sam e tim e h e sh o w ed h e r to b e th e S a v io u r's M o th er and a m ed iatrix b e tw e en H im an d us. H e p rea c h e d h e r m oral b eau ty , h e r m ercy, and pow er. H e p re se n te d h e r as th e w o rld 's g re a te s t m issio n ary — after C hrist. She lead s p eo p le to C h rist b y th e m ost su re and stra ig h t w ay.

B ecause St. M axim ilian 's m issio n ary w ork w as d e e p ly ro o te d in his cult of th e V irg in M ary, w e can say th a t it h ad b e tte r ch a n ce s of success in th e F ar East c o u n tries — w h e re h e h ad alw a y s b een in clin ed to go — as in th e relig io n s of th o se co u n tries th e re is a cult of th e w om an, u n lik e th e N e a r East, w h e re w om an is con ­

1 Cor. 1,17.

11 N i e p o k a l a n e j M i l ic j a (T he K n ig th o o d of th e Im m a cu la te V ir g in ) (M.I.), in:

sid ered inferior to m an an d w h e re e v e n to d a y her social sta tu s and p restig e are low.

3. The testim ony of faith

F aith in Je su s C h rist ta k e s th e sh ap e of im itating Him first of all in His lov e to w a rd s th e F a th e r and all h u m anity . C h ristian ity is sup po sed to rea liz e th e p re se n c e of C h rist's lo v e in th e w orld. This m eans th a t th e tru th of C h ristian ity is n o t p rim a rily th e tru th of a tea c h in g office, as do ctrine, b u t th e tru th of a perso n , e x p re sse d in an act of love. H ence th e C hu rch considers th e p rim a ry m eans of ev a n g eliz a tio n to be: ,,the testim o n y of a tru e an d precise C h ristian life, w hich p e rd u re s in an in se p a rab le com m union w ith God, and at th e sam e tim e in a ferv e n t and u n lim ited sp irit of d e ­ d icatio n to th e o th e rs '’12. So th e m issio n a ry „follow ing th e foo tsteps of his M aster, w ho w as q u iet an d m eek", is su pp o sed to show „that his y o k e is sw eet, an d his b u rd e n light". H e is to testify „to his Lord th ro u g h a tru ly e v a n g e lic a l life, th ro u g h g re a t patien ce, m ild­ ness, g en tleness, th ro u g h a lo v e w h ich is no t h y p o critical, and — in case it is n e c e ssa ry — th ro u g h spillin g his b lo o d "13.

St. M axim ilian w as fully a w a re of th e fact, th a t C h ristian w it­ ness is th e m ost efficient m ethod of ev an gelizing th e w orld, an d he a c ce p ted it as th e basic m eth od of his m issio n ary w ork, consid ering it ty p ic a lly F ranciscan . It consists of th re e elem en ts; a) p rio rity of ex am p le ov er w ord, b) p o v e rty , c) sacrifice and offering oneself for o th ers in e v e ry d a y activ ities. Like th e fo u n d er of his order, St. F ra n ­ cis, he p e rsu a d e d his co -w o rk ers and th e w h ole o rd er th a t p e o p le 's m inds and h e a rts can be b e tte r stim u lated to lo v e God an d n e ig h ­ bo u r by our b ein g tru e w itn esse s of C hrist, th a n b y b eau tifu l se r­ m ons in church. H e ta u g h t th a t „holy p o v e rty is a p o w erfu l capital allow ing one to com pete w ith th e g re a te st fin an cial po w ers", and th a t „in th e w o rk of red em p tio n and sanctification, th e m ost efficient m eans a re th e cross, suffering, sa crifice "14. St. M axim ilian d em anded su ch a ttitu d e s of those, w ho w e re going to u n d e rta k e m issio n ary w ork. In a le tte r to one of th em he w rote: „B rother M arian, w rite to me... if y o u still in ten d to g ive y o u rself up to th e w o rk of th e Im m aculate V irgin, if y o u w ould re a lly lik e to g ive y o u r life to her, to e x h a u st y o u rself c o m p letely and p erh ap s b ec au se of s ta rv a ­ tio n and in co n v en ien ces to le t y o u r life be sh o rten ed , and to expo se y o u rse lf to an e a rly d e a th for th e Im m aculate V irgin? W rite to me, to N iepo kalan ó w ; since b ran c h e s of «The K night» and I. M. are

12 P a u l VI, E v a n g e li i n u n tian di, 41. 13 A d g e n t e s d i v i n i t u s , 24.

ST. M A X IM IL IA N K O L B E'S H ER ITA G E ₇₇ o p enin g in o th er cou ntries, I w ould lik e to k n o w how m an y such «m adm en» as I a re a v a ilab le for th is c a u se " 15.

St. M axim ilian rea liz e d th a t th e F ra n cisc an m etho d of C h ristian w itn ess in its m issio n ary w o rk is n o t easy . Som e of his co -w orkers re tu rn e d from J a p a n to Poland, or w e n t to A m erica, b e c au se th e y w e re n ot ab le to cope w ith th e ta sk s set by th e Saint. H o w ever, h e him self w as faithful to his ideals, an d he p e rsu a d e d F ra n cisc an s e ­ m in arian s th a t „th e re is no m ean s m ore p ro p e r for rem e d y in g th e e v il of our ag e" th a n th e F ra n cisc an m ethod of b e a rin g w itn e s s 16. He spoke to th e y o u n g g e n e ra tio n as if he had an in tu itio n th a t in th e n e a r fu tu re th is m ethod w ould be in d isp en sab le for brin gin g b ack to God th e rich co u n tries of Europe, co u n tries w ith p e rfe c tly dev e lo p e d p ro p ag an d a, w hich n o w w e re b ecom ing secularized. In m odern societies, in w hich th e w ord is p assin g th ro u g h a crisis, b ecau se of its abuse, C h ristian w itn esses a re m ore re a d ily „h eard " th a t tea c h e rs, and e v e n if te a c h e rs a re „heard ", it is b e c au se th e y a re w itn esses first. A lrea d y St. P e ter th e A p ostle saw it, p o in tin g to th e need for a re a l and n o b le C h ristian life, so th a t e v e n those, w ho do n o t b eliev e th e w ord, seein g th is life... w ould be w on over w ith out th e w o rd 17.

T he a ttitu d e of b e a rin g w itness, in w hich th e sp irit of F ran ciscan p o v e rty is stressed , is d esira b le in th e w ork of e v a n g eliz a tio n for se v era l reaso n s, e sp e c ia lly th e follow ing tw o: first, it disp els th e doubts w ith th o se w ho a re th e su b ject of th e w ork, and w ho m ay fear th a t th e w o rk w ill be follow ed b y n ew form s of co n tro l an d b y lim iting th e ir freedom ; and second, if m issio n aries live in p o v erty , it b rin g s th em closer to th e m asses, w h ich a re m ost p ro n e to be secularized. T hese tw o p h en o m en a e n a b le ties of m u tual tru st, h elp and c o o p eratio n in m an y fields b e tw e en th e m ission aries and th e people th e y se rv e to b e form ed. A w itn ess to p o v e rty c e rta in ly opens th e w ay for th e G od's W o rd to p e n e tra te hum an souls. St. M axim ilian n o ticed th e s e b lesse d re su lts of th e F ra n cisc an a ttitu d e of C h ristian w itn ess as soon as he b eg an h is m issio n ary w ork in Jap an . A fter a few m onths' w o rk in N ag asak i h e w ro te to F a th er F lorian K oziura: „If w e could afford an y com fort, w e ju st w ould n ot be able to w ork. But w ith o u t it, e v e ry b o d y h elps us, and our m ost pro ficient in te rp re te r is now P ro fesso r Yam aki, a Ja p a n e se , b o rn a P ro te sta n t M e th o d ist"18. In an a rticle pu b lish ed in th e „M isje K a­ to lickie" („C atholic M issions") m onthly, St. M axim ilian stre sse d th a t

15 List d o b ra ta k l e r y k a M a r ia n a W ó j c i k a w e F r y b u r g u (Letter to B rother M arian W ó jc ik in F reib urg), A s y ż (A s sissi), 26.01.1930.

16 D o m ł o d z i e ż y z a k o n n e j w k o l e g i a c h i r a n c i s z k a ń s k i c h (Letter to F ra n cis­ can sem in a ria n s), N a g a s a k i, 28.02.1933.

17 Cf. 1 P. 3,1.

18 D o o. F lori ana K o z i u r y (L etter to F ather F lo ria n K oziu ra), N a g a s a k i, 9.12.1930.

th e sim ple w ay of life of th e friars in N agasaki, as d escrib ed by c o rre sp o n d en ts in th e lo cal n o n -C h ristian n e w sp a p e r w on th e fav o u r of th e lo cal public to w a rd s th e F ra n cisc an com m unity. O n th e basis of th e ir fav o u rab le a ttitu d e m inds and h e a rts o p en ed to th e ,,seed of G od's W o rd " sow n b y th e m issio n aries19.

4. Modern m eans of evangelization

T hro u g h o u t th e ages th e C h u rch h as w o rked o ut th re e ty p e s of fo u n d atio n s and m eans for its m issio n a ry w ork. T h ey a re th e follow ­ ing: an o rganized p lace for relig io u s cult; schools; and hospitals. M issionaries, w h e re v e r th e y cam e, first of all w ould build a t le a st a sm all chapel. A ro u n d it th e y w ould assem ble th e first C h ristian parish, so th a t it w ould be th e b eg in n in g of a d ev elo p in g y ou ng Church. T h ey w ould o rg an ize schools, as w ell as m edical and social program s. M issio nary w o rk in th e p erio d b e tw e en th e tw o W orld W ars w as b ased on th ese th re e foundations, and it is still th e sam e now. T he low er the lev e l of civ ilizatio n or s ta te of d ev elo pm en t at w hich a c o u n try finds itself, th e e a sie r th e ta sk of o rganizing schools an d h o sp itals is for th e C hurch. It is m uch m ore difficult to do so in m o d ern co u n tries w h ere th e sta te ta k e s o v er th e e d u c a ­ tion system and schools, as w ell as th e sy stem of social an d m e­ dical care. M ain tain in g C atholic schools and h o sp ita ls in such a m o dern s ta te becom es so e x p e n siv e th a t th e C hurch is n o t able to su p p o rt th em w ith its ow n m eans.

A p p reciatin g th e im p o rtan ce of th e ab o v e m en tio n ed m eans of evan g elizatio n , St. M axim ilian n o n e th e less sought o th er m eans — those resu ltin g from th e d e v elo p m en t of te c h n o lo g y an d th e m ass- -media. U sing th em for th e ev an g eliz a tio n of th e w o rld w as n ot som eth in g co m p letely n e w in th e w o rk of th e C h urch in th e 1930s. T he C hurch a lre a d y u sed th e p rin te d w o rd on a la rg e scale. T here w ere g re a t publish in g h o u ses b o th in th e e sta b lish e d C h ristian w orld and in th e m ission countries. W h a t w as n ew w as St. M axim i­ lian 's o pen a ttitu d e to w a rd s m o d ern m edia, as w ell as th e p rin cip les accord ing to w hich he u sed m edia in ev an g elizatio n .

a) T he a ttitu d e of b o th th e c le rg y and th e la ity to w a rd s te c h ­ nical in v en tio n s and m o d ern o rg an izatio n h as alw ay s b een divided. Γη th e p erio d b e tw e en th e W a rs a co n sid erab le nu m ber of clerg y d isa p p ro v e d of them , th in k in g th a t th e y w e re u sed for sow ing u n b elief and doubt, for p ro p a g a tin g loose m orals, for fulfilling p e o p le 's lo w est d esires an d d riv es. In short, th e w o rld w ould be b e tte r if m ass-m edia did n o t d ev elo p so rap id ly ; in fact it w ould be b e tte r if m ass-m edia d id n o t e x ist at all. St. M axim ilian belo ng ed

19 J a p o ń s k i N i e p o k a l a n ó w r o z r a s t a się... (The J a p a n e s e N ie p o k a la n ó w g r o w s...), M isje K a to lic k ie 51 (1932) 280—-283.

ST. M A X IM IL IA N K O L B E'S H ER ITA G E ₇₉ to those, w ho a p p ro v ed of th e p ro g ress in tec h n o lo g y an d m ass­ -m edia. H e th o u g h t th a t a ll in v en tio n s, inclu d ing th o se in th e fie ld of m ass-m edia, a re beneficial. T heir u ltim ate sou rce is in G od's wisdom , and th e y ought to s e rv e Him. If th e y do not, it is n o t th e ir fault, but th a t of th e p eo p le w ho u se them . T hose p eo p le a re fre q u e n tly in d ifferen t or e v e n h o stile to God. This kind of p e o p le sh ou ld sim ply be o u td istan ced in usin g tec h n ica l and o rg an izatio n al achiev em en ts. O n th e grou n d s of such sim ple rea so n in g St. M axi­ m ilian fo rm u lated the follow ing rule: ,,Let all m eans, all in v e n tio n s in m achines or w ork system s, first of all serv e th e cau se of sa n c ­ tify in g souls th ro u g h th e Im m aculate V irg in "20. F ollow ing th is rule, he su ccessfu lly used an a lre a d y trie d m edium to e v a n g eliz e th e w orld, n am ely th e press. H e atte m p te d to use th e radio , w h ich w a s becom ing p o p u lar at th a t tim e, an d e v e n m en tio n ed tele v isio n w hich w as in its in itial stages. Since h e w a n te d to m ak e his co -w o rk e rs and th e M.I. m em bers w ell-disposed to w a rd all te c h n ica l and o rg a ­ nizatio n al possibilities, h e g a v e them , as it w ere in testa m e n t, an o rd er to use for e v an g elizatio n of th e w orld e v e ry th in g th a t ,,ever is in v en te d for en lig h te n in g m inds and inflam ing h e a rts " 21. T his o rd er is e sp e c ia lly tim ely to d ay , w h en th e tran sm issio n of th o u g h t b y m eans of w o rd alo n e is becom ing inefficient an d useless. V isu a l tran sm issio n is becom ing e v e r m ore prom inent. Pope Paul VI, n o ticin g an d stre ssin g th e im p o rtan ce of th is change, said th a t a ,,p ic tu re civilization" is b e in g d ev elo p ed w hich re q u ire s th e C hurch to u se such m eans of p rea c h in g th e G ospel as a re a v a ila b le in th is civ ilizatio n 22. T h ey include, am ong others: film, th e a tre , te le ­ vision, v id eo -record ers. W e can be su re th a t St. M axim ilian w ould u se them .

b) U sing th e n ew m ass-m edia, St. M axim ilian w a n te d to reach as larg e a public as possible, and first of all th o se w ho w e re fa r from God or did n o t k n o w Him at all. H e a d ju ste d th e co n tents, language, ty p o g ra p h y and d istrib u tio n of his p erio d ical to th e need s and lev el of th e a v e ra g e read er. H e ask ed th e re a d e rs to w rite articles. T o g eth er w ith his co -w orkers he w en t out to th e stre e ts and railw a y stations; h e w e n t in to th e country,· h e g a v e a w a y his p erio d icals to e v e ry o n e he met. H e w id ely ap p lied th e m ethod of looking for custom er, w ith o u t w a itin g for th em to com e to him.

c) St. M axim ilian so ug h t to org an ize a larg e and dynam ic e v a n ­ g elizatio n cen ter, w h ich w ould m ak e u se of v a rio u s m ass-m edia. H e th o ught this w as m ore im p o rtan t th a n building larg e and m ag n i­ ficent ch urches. T h at is w h y in N ag asak i h e o rg an ized a p rin tin g

20 D o r y c e r z y i r y c e r e k N i e p o k a l a n e j (To th e K n ig h ts of th e Im m a cu la te V irg in ), R y c er z N ie p o k a la n e j 16 (1937) 353— 355.

21 List d o o. F loriana K o z i u r y (Letter to F ath er F lo ria n K oziura), M u g e n z a i no S on o, 21.12.1931.

office b efore e sta b lish in g a public ch ap el and a school. H e th o ught th a t th e s e social c e n te rs of m ass-com m unications could p lay a great role in th e e v an g elizin g w o rk in th e m o dern w orld, and th a t th eir em p lo y ees w e re tru e m issionaries. A dm ittedly, a m issio n ary of pen, of radio, or te le v isio n does n ot e v a lu a te th e fruits of his w o rk by ,,the am o u n t of issu ed b ap tism al c ertificates, b u t h e is an e d u c a to r of th e public, sh ap es opinions, tem p e rs h a tre d for C atholicism , clears up and g rad u a lly rem o v es from m inds m u sty p reju d ice s and rep ro a c h es, g rad u a lly d isp oses p eo p le to lo y a lty to w a rd th e C hurch, and also in th e co u rse of tim e (shorter or longer) to w a rd a d isp o si­ tio n of tru s t an d u ltim ate w illin g n ess to becom e m ore closely a c q u ain te d w ith th e religion. T his m issio n ary ro u te is long, b u t it lead s m asses, n o t o nly in d iv id u a ls" 23.

d) St. M axim ilian did no t w a n t th o se w ho e v a n g eliz e th e w orld by m ean s of m ass-m edia to c o n stitu te an iso lated group. H e w a n te d them to feel d eep bonds w ith th e p eo p le to w hom th e y w e re com m u­ n ica tin g n ew s an d ideas. H e w a n te d th em to k n o w an d u n d e rsta n d th eir problem s. H ence h e su g g ested th a t th e p eo p le w o rk in g for th e press, radio, tele v isio n an d film should ,,go an d g et clo ser to th e sou ls th ro u g h relig io u s e x ercises, m issions, le c tu re s and confessions, th ro u g h org an izin g and v isitin g M.I.2". T h en ,,they w ill le a rn b e tte r w h a t an d how th e y should w rite for th e c o u n try an d for th e n e ig h ­ b o u rh o o d at th e m om ent. M o reo v er, o rally th e y w ill be able to p e n e tra te into th e h e a rts m ore in te n s e ly ”24.

e) M ass-m edia should p re s e n t th e good side of social life, at th e sam e tim e as it c le a rly fo rm u lates C h ristian p rin cip les of conduct. G iving ad v ice to ,,M ały D ziennik" (,,The L ittle D aily") St. M axim i­ lian fo rm u lated th is p rin cip le in th e follow ing w ay. „Stress and p raise th e good m ore th a n po in t to th e e v il — so th a t good ex am p le m ight be a ttrac tiv e . H ow ev er, if one m ust d ra w th e a tte n tio n of th e s o c ie ty or of th e a u th o ritie s to an evil, it should be do n e g e n tly and w ith lo v e to w a rd s th e ev ild o ers. O ne should n o t e x a g g e ra te or go into d etails ab o u t ev il m ore th a n is n e c e ssa ry to re m e d y it" 25.

T o day th e C hurch fully reco m m en d s St. M axim ilian's a ttitu d e to w a rd s m ass-m edia, b e c au se it th in k s th a t „th ese m edia h a rn e sse d to se rv e th e G ospel, la rg e ly sp read listen in g to G od's W o rd and th e y b rin g the m essag e of red em p tio n to m illions of people. The C hurch w ould be g u ilty b efo re th e Lord if it did n ot use th o se pow erful aids w hich a re b ein g c o n sta n tly im proved and p erfected

23 S p r a w o z d a n i e z p r a c y za r o k 1934 (The a n n u a l rep ort of 1934), W ia d o ­ m o śc i z P ro w in cji OO. F r a n c isz k a n ó w w P o ls c e 5 (1935) 24— 25, 27.

24 List d o o. F loriana K o z i u r y (L etter to F ath er F lo ria n K oziura), M u g en za i n o S on o, 2.12.1931.

25 D y r e k t y w a d la ,,M a l e g o D z ie n n ik a " (D irectio n s for th e ,,M ały D zien n ik " — T h e L ittle D a ily ). Z a p is k i (N o tes), N ie p o k a la n ó w 1936.

ST. M A X IM IL IA N K O L B E'S H ER ITA G E ₃₁ by th e hu m an m in d ”26. Pope Paul VI calls th em ,,the m odern p u lp it of th e w orld". T hrou g h th em C h rist can sp eak to th e m asses m ore e fficien tly to d ay . T h ey can be c e rta in ly inclu d ed in th e F ra n cisc an m odel of m ission w h ich h as alw ay s b een disp osed to w a rd s th e m asses. In th e p ast th e F ran ciscan s b u ilt larg e G othic c h u rch es a n d p rea c h e d in tow n sq u ares to re a c h as m an y p eo p le as th e y could w ith th e G od's W ord. T oday th e y h a v e to u se m ass-m edia. This m eans of p rea c h in g th e G ospel is g iv en to th e O rd er b y te c h n o lo ­ gical and o rg an izatio n al dev elo p m en t. T he E vangelical m essage w hich is d eliv e re d , h o w ev er, w ill p e n e tra te th e con sciences of th e p eople listen in g only if th is m essage is su p p o rte d by th e C h ristian w itn ess of th o se who use m o d ern m edia.

5. Social work

A cts of th e A p o stles tells u s th a t C hrist, th e m ost p e rfe c t ex am p le of a m issionary, did n o t lim it H is m ission to preach in g , b u t „H e w alk ed do ing good and h e a lin g e v e ry b o d y ”27. T he G ospels d escrib e n u m ero u s cases in w hich H is d eep co n cern ab o u t th e te m ­ p oral good of H is p eo p le is show n. H e ta u g h t th e unknow ing, com ­ forted th e w orried, re s to re d sight to th e blind, h e a rin g to th e deaf, sp e ec h to th e m ute. H e opposed th e w ro ng s d o n e to h e lp le ss w idow s, H e fed th e h u n g ry m asses, th a t follow ed Him, so th a t th e y w ould n ot faint on th e ir w ay. From e a rlie s t tim es H is follow ers an d d isci­ p les w an ted to im itate Him in th is resp e c t too. C hurch d o cum en ts stre ss th a t m issionaries, if th e y w a n t to be tru e to th e G ospel th e y p re a c h m ust first of all be tru e to its fu n d am en tal p rin cip le — th e p rin cip le of love. U ltim ately C h ristia n ity is th e relig io n of lo ve for G od and neighbour. H en ce a m issio n ary can n o t be in d ifferen t to th e co n d itio n s in w hich p eo p le live.

St. M axim ilian w as n o t v e ry a c tiv e in th e field of c h a rita b le a n d social w ork, but h e w as se n sitiv e to m aterial p o v e rty and social h u m iliatio n aro un d him. H e h a n d e d this sen sib ility d o w n to his co- -w orkers, of w hom B rother Zeno Ż ebrow ski becam e th e forem o st w itness. T he latte r, th ro u g h h is c h a rita b le and social w ork, becam e a n o th e r p illar of th e m ission in Ja p an . B rother Zeno to o k ca re of th e hom eless, th e poor, th e ill, th e d ep ressed , th e unem ployed , a n d th o se w ho w e re affected b y n a tu ra l calam ities. H e g av e th em clothes, food, m edicine, good w ords, faith, h ope and love. F or th o se m ost se v e re ly in n eed B rother Zeno e sta b lish e d o rp h an a g e s and n u rsin g hom es. H e organ ized a n d su p p o rte d th o se w ho co uld w ork; h e fought for th e ir p ro p er rig h ts, jo in in g them in oppositio n to p o ­ v e rty and social deg rad atio n . H e m an ag ed to a c tiv a te th e d e e p e s t

26 P a u l VI, E v a n g e li i n u n tia n d i, 45. 27 A c ts 10,38.

reso u rc es of th e good b o th in th e poo r and in th e ric h who, th an k s to his w o rd s an d deeds, sh a re d th e ir w e a lth w ith th o se w ho w ere in need.

C h aritab le and social w ork b ecam e — alo ngsid e th e p u blishin g a p o sto la te — an im p o rta n t c h a ra c te ristic of th e F ra n cisc an m ission in Ja p an , and p e rh a p s it w as th e m ain re a so n w h y th is m ission d e v e lo p e d so quickly.

It is in d isp en sab le to co m plem ent e v a n g eliz a tio n w ith c h a ri­ tab le an d social w ork, b e c au se a p e rso n to w hom th e G ospel is p reach ed , is n o t an a b stra c t being. H e or she is a p e rso n in v o lv ed in econ om ical and social problem s. E van g elizatio n w ould n o t b e com plete — as Paul VI said — „w ith o u t tak in g in to c o n sid eratio n th e m u tu al re la tio n w h ich c o n sta n tly occurs b e tw e e n th e G ospel and an a c tu a l p e rso n a l an d social life of a m an "28. O ne can n o t grow beautiful flo w ers of relig io n an d m o rals w h e re th e re is a p le n titu d e of h unger, un em p loy m en t, ig n o ra n c e and social injustice. A m is­ sio n a ry m ust n o tic e th e s e w eed s and e ra d ic a te them .

6. The attitude of dialogue and ecum enism

P eop le to d a y a re a w a re th a t an a ttitu d e of dialo g u e is in d is­ pensable. H arm o n y am ong indiv id u als, natio ns, relig io n s a n d cu l­ tu res w ould n o t be po ssible w ith o u t it. Such d ialo g u e is becom ing e v e n m ore n ecessary , as m utu al rela tio n s b e tw e en p e o p le in cre ase and living space dim inishes.

A lth o ug h St. M axim ilian did no t w rite abo ut th e a ttitu d e of dialogue, h e p ossessed such an attitu d e . H e m anifested it in se v e ra l w ays: lo ok in g for co n tacts w ith p eo p le of o th er creeds, o th e r religio ns, oth er outloo k s on life; in h is ab ility to m ain ta in th e s e contacts; in g ain in g v e ry n u m ero u s co-w orkers; and in th e p o sitiv e ap p ro a c h of his perio d icals, w h ere one does n o t find n e g a tiv e opinions abo u t th eir creeds, relig io n s or cultures.

T he co n v ictio n th a t C h rist is th e so u rce of life an d th e aim of e v e ry p e rso n an d of w h ole n atio n s, and th a t th e ir c u ltu re springs from th e sam e so u rce — from G od's w isdom — is th e fo u n d atio n of th e a ttitu d e of dialogue. T he sam e e te rn a l W o rd is reflected , a lth o u g h n o t to th e sam e e x te n t, in e v e ry culture. A m issio n ary m ust ad m it th is p lu ralism a n d in a d ialo g u e w ith p e o p le of o th e r relig io n s and cu ltu res he should n o tice and accep t w h a t is „ tru e and h o ly " in th em 29.

E v ery relig io n g iv es a n sw e rs to th e fu n d am en tal q u estions: W h o is m an? W h a t is th e m ean ing of h um an life? W h a t h a p p e n s to a p e rso n after death? W h at is th e good? From w h ere do es e v il

28 P a u l VI, E v a n g e li i n u n tia n d i, 29. 2> N o s t r a a e t a t e , 2.

ST. M A X IM IL IA N K O L B E'S H ER ITA G E ₈₃ come? W h a t is th e w ay to happin ess? O nly a d ialo g u e b e tw e en people of d ifferen t relig io n s c a n allo w us to find th e rig h t an sw ers to th e se qu estions. M oreover, o nly th ro u g h d ialo g u e can C h ristian hum anism , e n ric h e d by C hrist, p e rfe c t th a t hum anism w h ich is form ed on th e basis of m an 's n a tu ra l d e sire s an d p h ilo so ph ical r e ­ flection. O n ly th ro u g h d ialo g u e can th e C hurch b en efit from th e e x p e rien c e of an c ie n t cu ltu res and ab so rb th eir tre a s u re s into its life. To th is e n d th e C hurch e n c o u ra g e s m issio naries an d religio us institu tes.

D ialogue ro o te d in a c o n sid e ratio n of hum an problem s and G od's m y ste rie s lead s p eo p le of different relig io n s and cu ltu res to th e sam e u n d e rsta n d in g of God and hum an ity . It g u a ra n te e s p eace in th e w orld. D ialogue b e tw e en C hristians, w hich is ro o te d in th eir com m on se arc h for a d e e p e r and clo ser bond w ith C hrist, lea d s all C hristian s to an e v e r n ew u n d e rsta n d in g of th e m y ste ry of C hrist and to new form s of unit^ w ith Him. This dialo gu e w e call ecum enism .

T he D ecree abo u t th e C h u rch 's m ission w o rk e n c o u ra g e s C a­ tholics to „co o p erate in a b ro th e rly w a y w ith th e se p a ra te d b ro ­ thers, acco rd in g to th e norm s set b y th e D ecree about ecum enism , to g eth e r, in face of th e natio n s, b e lie v in g in God an d J e su s C hrist, and by a c o o p eratio n in th e social and tec h n ica l as w ell as in th e c u ltu ral and relig io u s fields, b u t e x clu d in g an y shade of indifferen ce and confusion of n atio n s as w ell as of m orbid com petition. Let th em c o o p e ra te first of all for C hrist, th e ir com m on Lord; le t H is nam e u n ite th em ”30.

T he a ttitu d e of dialog u e an d ecum enism m ake it e a sie r for a m issio n ary to join in th e c u ltu ral and social life of a g iv en cou ntry, to liv e w ith th e n a tio n a l and relig io u s trad itio n s, to p a rtic ip a te in solving to p ical problem s.

7. Inculturation

T he last c h a ra c te ristic of m issio n ary w o rk w hich should be d is­ cussed h e re is in cu ltu ratio n . In cu ltu ra tio n is th e e n tra n c e of th e C h ristian m essage w ith its u n d e rsta n d in g of God, th e C hurch, w ith its v a rio u s gifts, like grace, th e h o ly sacram en ts, w ith its cult of God and its norm s of conduct, into th e co n c re te c u ltu re of a n a ­ tion. C h ristian ity e n te rs into th is cultu re, b rin g in g into it som e­ thing th a t it n e v e r had, and g iving it a n ew p e rsp e c tiv e for developm en t, w ith o u t d e stro y in g a n y of th e im p o rtan t v a lu e s p ro p er to th a t culture. Pope Pius XII e x p re sse d th is re a lity v iv id ly : „W hen th e G ospel is a c cep ted by v ario u s rac e s" — he w ro te in Evangelii

praecones — „it does n o t d e stro y or re s tra in an y th in g th a t is good,

p ra ise w o rth y an d beautiful, an d w hich th e y h a d a c h ie v e d w ith th e p o w e r of th eir n a tiv e gen ius and n a tu ra l abilities. W h e n th e C hurch calls and lead s a trib e to a h ig h er lev e l of p erfectio n an d to a m ore c u ltu ra l life u n d er th e in sp iratio n of th e C h ristian religion, it does n o t act as a lu m b e rja c k w ho cu ts dow n w ith o u t choosing, and d e v a sta te s th e lu x u ria n t wood. It ra th e r acts lik e a g a rd e n e r w ho g rafts a cu ltiv a te d shoot on a n a tu ra l tre e , so th a t la te r noble and ju ic y fruit can g ro w an d rip e n on it" 31.

C onscious of th e fact th a t it m ust b rin g th e lig h t of th e G ospel to all natio n s, an d th a t it m ust g iv e th e life b ro u g h t b y J e su s C hrist to e v e ry nation, th e C h u rch also realizes th a t it should com e into th e c u ltu re of e v e ry n a tio n in such a w a y th a t does no v io len ce to th a t n a tio n 's id en tity . W e can ta k e from th a t c u ltu re e v e ry th in g th a t is n o t c o n tra ry to C h rist's teach in g . This m ode of d iv in e life com ing into hum an life w as show n b y C h rist Him self. Com ing into th e w orld in o rd er to red e e m all people, C h rist In c a rn a te e n te re d th e co n c re te conditio ns of th e Je w ish nation. His e n tra n c e into th e Je w ish n atio n can be se en u n d e r tw o aspects: th e first on e is d e ­ scrib ed by St. Paul in th e follow ing w ay : J e su s C hrist, b ein g th e Son of God, „d ep riv ed H im self of e v ery th in g , assum ing th e sh ap e of a S ervan t, as H e becam e like u s " 32 n ot o n ly b y nam e, b u t in fact, e x p e rie n c e d ,,in e v e ry th in g to our likeness, b u t in s in ''33. T he second sta g e is C h rist's a c ce p tan c e of th e w hole c u ltu re of Isra e l a n d His a c tiv e h elp in solving th e problem s of th a t n ation.

Likew ise to d a y C h rist w an ts to com e into p a rtic u la r n a tio n s in th e s e tw o w ays. F ulfilling th is id ea l of C h rist th e C h urch does not id en tify itself w ith an y p a rtic u la r culture, „even w ith th e cu ltu re of th e W e st w ith w hich its h isto ry is so clo sely c o n n e c te d ”34. M issio n aries com ing to a n a tio n should „d eprive th em se lv e s" of e v e ry th in g th a t m ight co n stitu te an o b stacle in th e ir co n tacts w ith th e n atives. It m ay in clu d e b eh a v io u r p a tte rn s, social activities, h a b its an d custom s, p reju d ice s b ro u g h t from th e ir ow n culture. It m ay be th e feelin g of s u p e rio rity re su ltin g from th e econom ic and cu ltu ral im p o rtan ce of th e ir ow n coun try. A m issio n ary m ust give up m uch of w h at w as e sse n tia l in his ow n c o u n try and he m ust be v e ry hum ble, so th a t h e can a ccep t th e w a y of life w hich is p re ­ v a le n t in th e c o u n try to w hich h e h a s com e w ith G od's W ord.

A djusting itself to th e local culture, th e C h urch re q u ire s also th a t th e y o u n g C h ristian com m unity a d ju st itself to G od's W o rd — an d som etim es to do so at all costs. C h rist d em and s H is n ew fo llo w ers to give up m uch, sell m uch, an d to b u y „th e n ew p recio us p e a r l”. This m ay m ean th a t th e y m ust ren o u n c e po ly g am y w h en th a t

31 P i u s XII, E v a n g e li i p r a e c o n e s , 89. 32 Phil. 2,7.

33 H ebr. 4,15.

ST. M A X IM IL IA N K O LB E'S H E R ITA G E ₈₅ p rev a ils in th eir cultu re, or adm it e q u al rig h ts for th e m an and w om an, or re je c t re v e n g e as a p rin c ip le of conduct, or le a v e tem p les fre q u e n te d b y m an y g en eratio n s, fo rsakin g th e feasts to w hich th eir fam ily h isto ry is related . This m eans th a t e n te rin g a culture, th e C hurch c a n n o t give up th e tru th s an d norm s e sse n tia l for C h ris­ tianity . The co re of th ese tru th s an d norm s is th e sam e, irre sp e c tiv e of th e c u ltu re and th e latitu d e in w h ich a C hurch develops.

Thanks to th e fact th a t th e C h urch is o pen to e v e ry c u ltu re and th a t it sim u ltaneo u sly in all p laces p rea c h e s th e sam e and in v io lab le tru th of God, C hrist can be re c e iv e d and w o rsh ip p ed in e v e ry n a tio n in slig h tly d ifferen t w ay. E very cu ltu re e x p e rien c e s H is p re ­ sen ce in its ow n w ay, b u t for all c u ltu res H e is th e sam e w ay and tru th and life. H ence th e C hurch is th e sam e e v e ry w h ere , a lth o u g h in e v e ry n a tio n it is a little different. W h a t is u n iv ersa l in it is divine; and w h at is p a rticu la r is hum an. It is a continuin g in c a rn a ­ tion of C hrist in h um an life after th e m odel of in ca rn atio n th a t h a p p e n ed in th e Je w ish nation.

T he e n tra n c e of C h ristian ity into a n a tio n and its cu ltu re c re a te s a n ew c o n te x t for th e div in e life. In th is co n te x t dogm as are fo r­ m ulated in a w a y w hich is clo sest to th e w a y th a t n a tio n p e rc e iv e s the reality . The form s of co n tact w ith God stem from th e e x p e rie n ­ ces and b e h a v io u r of th a t nation. H ence to o btain tru e A frican C hristian p ray e rs, it is no t en o u g h to sim ply tra n sla te G rego rian hym ns, th e b rev ia ry , F ra n cisc an ro sa ry or songs to th e H oly V irg in sung in Ita ly or in Poland into one of th e A frican lan gu ages. This is insufficient. Such a p ra y e r m ight be alien to th e spirit of th e A frican culture. To be tru ly A frican, it should arise from th e ev e n ts, ex p erien ces, problem s, sp irit an d lan g u a g e of th o se nations. T he m ost m atu re C h ristian life in a n a tio n w h ich becom es C h ristian can be only c re a te d b y th e natives. O nly th e y can u n ite th e ir cu ltu re w ith th e C h ristian faith co m p letely and crea tiv e ly . St. M axim ilian u n derstoo d th is v e ry w ell, and he did not im pose th e E urop ean religious form s up on th e Ja p an e se . H e m ade effo rts to en ab le th e n a tiv e s to ta k e over th e e v an g elizatio n of Ja p an . W h en th e P ro ­ vincial F a th e r A nselm K ubit w as going to e sta b lish a se p a ra te p rovince of th e O rd er in Ja p an , St. M axim ilian opposed it. H e felt th a t a new province, co n sistin g m ain ly of E uropeans, should n ot be e stab lished , since th e y w ere an alien b o d y in th e J a p a n e s e society. A bout th is p roblem he w ro te to th e P ro v in cial in th e follow ing m anner; ,,I do n ot th in k it e x p e d ie n t to e sta b lish a P ro v in ce of th e O rd er h e re w ith our fath e rs an d b ro th ers. W e are ra th e r th e seed for form ing n a tiv e relig io us in our spirit. A nd only th e y w ill d ev e lo p th e a c tio n " 35.

35 List d o o. A n z s l m a K u b i t a (Lotter to F ather A n z e lm K ubit), N a g a s a k i, 3.11.1934.

In c u ltu ra tio n is n o t a sp o n tan eo u s, blind process. It should be p rec e d e d by a d eta ile d stu d y of th e h isto ry , law , custom s, and p ro cesses going on in th e nation, and by looking for an a n sw e r to th e q u estio n w h y th e y a re going on. This la tte r is m ost im portant, since k n o w in g th e cau ses an d m echanism s of th e ch an ges going on in th e c u ltu re in qu estio n allow s one to jo in in th em and to con trol th eir developm ent. O ne m ust k n o w in w hich d irectio n h e should lead, in w h a t w ays, an d w ith w h a t tem po, so th a t th e n a tiv e cu ltu re w ill n o t be d estro y ed , an d e s p e c ia lly th a t n ew sufferings w ill n o t be caused. In cu ltu ra tio n is a su b tle gam e of co u rag e and w isdom , in ­ itia tiv e and intellig en ce, c re a tiv e fan ta sy and com m on sense, stro ng reso lu tio n and in ex h a u stib le p atien ce, g re a t re sp e c t for o n e's own cu lture, and hum ility to accep t som eone e ls e ’s. It p ro g re sses best w hen th e follow ing ru le is k ep t: faithful to C h rist and to th e p a r­ tic u la r culture, tru stin g alw ay s in th e in fluence of th e H oly Spirit.

8. Conclusions

A p re se n ta tio n of th e m issio n ary h e rita g e of St. M axim ilian in th e lig h t of re s e a rc h and th e c o n te m p o ra ry situ atio n of th e C hurch w ould n o t be com plete if w e did n ot try to form ulate a few p o s tu ­ lates for th e m issio n ary a c tiv itie s of th e C hurch.

A. In dev elo p in g c o u n tries th e nu m b er of C hristian s is e v e r in ­ creasing. In 1960 48,5% of all th e w o rld 's C atholics liv ed in th e c o u n tries of Asia, A frica, O ceania, and Latin A m erica; in 1984 a lre a d y 58% ; and in 2000 p ro b ab ly 70% of th e w o rld 's C atholics will live th e re 3*. The old C h ristian co u n tries w ill c o n stitu te a m i­ n o rity in th e C atholic C hurch. O ur O rd er should h a v e a sh a re in the dev elo p m en t of th e y o u n g C hurch, and a lre a d y to d a y our a tte n ­ tion should be d raw n first of all to India, C hina and Brasil. W h y to th ese countries? 1° T he p o p u latio n of th e s e co u n tries a lre ad y co n stitu te s m ore th a n half of th e w o rld 's population , and th e y still show a g re a t dem o g raph ic v ita lity . So in th e fu tu re th e y w ill decide about ,,the face of th e w orld". This face w ill be th e m ore beautiful, the m ore stro n g ly it can be sh ap ed b y C hrist. 2° T h ey a re co u n tries open to C h ristian ity , e sp ec ially India. 3° If in St. M axim ilian's m issio­

n a ry w o rk one can see a m essag e of D ivine P rovid ence, th e n this P ro v id en ce d irected him c o n sta n tly to w a rd s India and China, b ut did n o t allo w him to d ev e lo p his m issio n ary w ork in th o se co u n ­ tries, lea v in g them as a task for his sp iritu al heirs. H e in d icated th e d irectio n for d e v elo p in g our m issions.

B. In th e co u n tries w ith g re a t p o p u latio n s an d high b irth -rates, w hich at th e sam e tim e a re q u ick ly m odernized, th e m ission w o rk

86 J. M i t t e r h ö f f e r , D er M i s s io n s b e g r i f f : W e r d e n u n d W a n d e l , T h e o ­ lo g is c h -p r a k tis c h e Q u a rta lsch rift 132 (1984) 255.

S T . M A X IM IL IA N K O L B E'S H ER ITA G E ₈₇ should be b ased on: a. c re a tin g c e n te rs of social com m unications; b. o rg anizin g and d ire c tin g c h a rita b le an d social w ork. The choice of th e s e m eans of ev a n g eliz a tio n is ju stified by tw o pheno m en a: 1° U sing m ath em atical term s w e can say th a t th e am ou nt of c h u rch es and chap els w ill g ro w in a rith m e tic a l p rog ression , w h e re as th e p o p u latio n w ill grow in geo m etrical prog ressio n. T he re su lt of th is difference is such th a t m ore and m ore m em bers of th e y o u n g g e n e ra tio n w ill n o t h a v e access to G od's W ord. It can on ly be m ade a ccessible if w e proclaim it th ro u g h th e press, radio, telev isio n , cassettes, film. M oreover, th e y o u n g g e n e ra tio n in th o se co u n tries e a g e rly u ses th is kind of m ass-m edia. 2° A h igh b irth -ra te m akes a m u ltitu d e of ch ild ren and y o u n g p e o p le liv e in th e co nd ition s of m aterial, social and often m oral p o v e rty . W o rk to w a rd th e ir b e tte rm e n t and lib e ratio n from p e n u ry and social d e g ra d a tio n is th e ta sk of th e F ran ciscan O rd er in th e m odern w orld. A F ra n cisc an should sh a re his life w ith th e le a st ones of th is w orld.

C. W ith o u t q u estio n in g th e p rio rity of th e d iv in e fac to r (the charism a) in p e o p le going to th e m issions, one can n o t to d ay u n d e r­

e stim a te th e h u m an factor, n a m e ly a v e rsa tile p re p a ra tio n for m issio n ary w ork. To m ake such a p re p a ra tio n possible, an in te r­ n a tio n a l m ission c en ter should be estab lish ed . T he c e n te r w ould h a v e th e follow ing tasks: a. in ten sify in g a m issio nary sp irit on th e basis of th e re c e n t d ocum ents of th e A postolic See; b. in tro d u cin g m issio n aries to th e c u ltu re an d c u rre n t problem s of th e m ission countries; c. e sta b lish in g p e rso n a l c o n tacts w ith fu tu re co-w orkers; d. in stru ctin g th e m issio n aries in v ario u s form s of p a sto ra l and social w o rk w hich a re po ssib le in th e m ission areas; e. te a c h in g th e la n ­ g u ages of th e m ission c o u n tries and on e global lan g u ag e; f. d e ­ v elo p in g a d ista n c e from o n e's ow n c u ltu re, and th e relig io u s a ttitu ­ des p e c u liar to one's ow n nation; g. form ing an a ttitu d e of dialogue; h. d e v elo p in g a se n sitiv ity to n ew problem s, so th a t th e m issio naries can u n d e rsta n d them an d shap e th e ir d e v e lo p m en ta l p ro cesses in th e spirit of th e G ospel. T he p ro b lem of peace, for exam p le, so c u rre n t and so m uch discu ssed to d ay , could be solv ed b e c au se of a fea r of w ar, or a feelin g of th re a t. O n th e o th er hand, a w hole p e a ce in itia tiv e could also re s u lt from a v isio n of h um an b ro th e r­ ho o d am ong all p eo p les — th e visio n of an agape, in w h ose c en ter is C hrist.