Following is the final statement of the Twelfth Plenary of the Federation of Asian Bishops´ Conferences (FABC).
CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP IN ASIA TODAY: SERVICE TO LIFE
Final Statement of the Twelfth FABC Plenary Assembly
October 21-30, 2014, Manila, Philippines
INTRODUCTION
1. To our God of love and life, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we give praise and thanks!
In the same city of Manila, where 45 years ago in the inspiring presence of the revered Pope Paul VI, the dream of actualizing the communion of Asian Churches began, we, the bishops-delegate of twenty-one countries and territories, gather in Manila for the Sixth Plenary Assembly of the Federation of Asian Bishops´ Conferences. We are deeply blessed by the active participation in our Assembly of a number of dedicated lay persons, priests, religious sisters and brothers.*
On this occasion a singular grace for us is likewise the moving presence of Pope Francis. With him we not only celebrate the 45th anniversary of the resolution to form a structure that would later become the FABC, but also the 45th year of Radio Veritas Asia, the 420th year of the Archdiocese of Manila and its 3 historic suffragans, Cebu, Caceres, and Nueva Segovia, and especially the Annual Founding Anniversary Celebration of evangelical Christian and Roman Catholic Charismatic renewal religious movement “Jesus is Lord Church Worldwide”. Indeed these festivities are peak moments of God´s grace to the Church in Asia, in communion with one another and with the Holy Father -- at the service of life.
2. Remembering with gratitude the beginnings of FABC, we are impressed by the vigor of the creative energies that gave birth and life. We also recognize that the history of FABC is but a short chapter in the continuing saga of the Asian Churches´ solicitude for life, whose individual and collective stories are about promises already realized, if yet waiting to be fulfilled.
This remembrance of blessings past is both comfort and strength. For we realize that the spring from which FABC draws its vigor is the God who has blessed us in Jesus Christ with every spiritual blessing (Eph 1:3). We thank our God in our remembrance (Phil 1:3).
A. 45 YEARS OF FABC COMMITMENT TO LIFE
3. Through its past twelve plenary assemblies, FABC tried to discern the current "life-context" of the Asian pastoral situations that inevitably consist of death-dealing as well as life-serving realities. The initial bishops´ meeting in Manila in 1970 already indicated the expectations of Asians for "a better and fuller life for themselves and their children´ (ABM, 10). For this reason, the Church in Asia must foster a threefold dialogue: with the many different faiths of Asia, with the cultures of Asia, and with the poor multitudes of Asia. We believe that fullness of life can be realized "only in and through Christ and his Gospel, and by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit" (FABC 1, 1974).
For the Church and its mission in Asia whose peoples are characterized by traditions of deep religiosity, prayer has to be "the river of life." Prayer is absolutely indispensable if the Christ-life is to indwell Christian participation in life-giving liberation and development (FABC 2, 1978). This inner life of prayer builds the Church into a credible community of faith, rooted in the life of the Trinity and turned resolutely toward the construction of a fully human future for Asian peoples (FABC 3, 1982).
This is why the laity must act as an evangelizing and liberating force in the struggle for fullness of life (FABC IV, 1986). Our unique contribution is our vision of Jesus Christ, and our Christian spirituality manifested through dialogue, discernment and deeds. As Church, we need to walk in compassion and humility, in accompaniment with all the peoples of Asia "as they pray, work, struggle and suffer for a better human life, (in their) search for the meaning of human life and progress" (FABC V, 1990).
Through the years FABC has addressed various concerns that promote social, economic, religious and ecciesial life. Such concerns are: the promotion of justice and integral development particularly in relation to women, migrant workers and indigenous peoples; the building of basic ecciesial communities and basic human communities; the promotion of interreligious dialogue, especially the dialogue of life; leadership formation and specialized formation of priest-formators, youth chaplains, bishops and lay leaders; the conscientization and organization of basic sectors of society; and a more effective use of media for evangelization.
The overall thrust of activities in recent years has been to motivate the Churches of Asia towards "a new way of being Church," a Church that is committed to becoming "a community of communities" and a credible sign of salvation and liberation.
4. Yet on this the 45th anniversary of FABC, we have to confess humbly that the goal of conscientizing the local Churches and building a communion of our Asian Churches is still far from being reached, despite the truly remarkable advances already made in this regard.
We are glad to recall, even if only briefly, the extraordinarily rich story of FABC. It is the story of a listener attentive to the perils of life, to the visions of life, to celebratory songs of life and who wants to share the singular wealth one has, which is the memory of the person named Jesus who is for us the Way, the Truth and the Life.
5. The theme for this Eleventh Plenary Assembly of FABC is most fitting. We take as our theme "Christian Discipleship in Asia Today: Service to Life," in order that we may recommit ourselves to the promotion of life in Asia.
B. A VISION OF LIFE AMID ASIAN REALITIES
6. "Life. Vibrant life pulsating from the fecundity of Asia" (FABC International Theological Colloquium, 1994). How do the disciples of Jesus in Asia view this life that is welling up from the depths of Asian peoples, their histories, their habitats and their cultures? What service can the disciples of Jesus in Asia offer to affirm, enhance, defend and promote this life?
Our response begins with a rapid scan of Asian realities not so much to repeat the already substantive analyses that previous FABC assemblies and a great number of FABC seminars and workshops have done, as simply to situate more clearly the struggle of Asia for life.
7. We turned our attention to whatever threatens, weakens, diminishes and destroys the life of individuals, groups or peoples; whatever devalues human beings, conceived, born, infant, old; whatever socio-cultural, religious, political, economic, or environmental factor that threatens or destroys life in our countries. We identified some of these forces of death at work in Asia. And we concluded that as promoters of life, we could only denounce them.
We were alarmed at how the global economy is ruled by market forces to the detriment of peoples´ real needs. We considered the insecurity and vulnerability of migrants, refugees, the displaced ethnic and indigenous peoples, and the pain and agonies of exploited workers, especially the child laborers in our countries.
We became more aware of the forces of death depriving women and the girl child of their dignity, freedom, personhood and fuller humanity. We realized how the same forces undermine the family, the basic ce o society and the Church, through liberalist, anti-life, anti-child, anti-woman, anti-family policies and values and pose many threats to wholeness of life in the area of health care, especially of the poor.
We recognized the growing violence, terrorism, conflicts and nuclear proliferation fueled by the arms trade and greed for profit, all of which violate people´s rights. They threaten participative democracy, humane governance and a just and peaceful society. We also noted with pain that our sisters and brothers in some countries are still denied their right to religious freedom.
In the area of religious pluralism, we reflected on the growing fundamentalist extremism and fanaticism discriminating and excluding people who belong to other religious traditions, thus destroying the harmony of peoples´ lives and their solidarity already witnessed to in a dialogue of life.
As we reflected on these negative areas, we could not ignore the immense damage to the ecosystem of our planet which offends justice and the rights of people.
We say "no" to these death-dealing forces.
8. In this scenario of shadows, we were also encouraged by areas of light. We became aware of the many signs of hope in the histories and cultures of our peoples, as seen in peoples´ movements and the initiatives of groups, peoples, and the Churches in Asia for the service of life. We identified with great joy these expressions of life powerfully at work in Asia. We resolved to affirm them, encourage them, celebrate them, and unite our efforts to them.
Noteworthy among them are the growing consciousness regarding human dignity and empowerment of the poor, the growing voices of groups and peoples for humanized development, and the cries of the marginalized groups for participatory and democratic governance.
We dwelt also on the movements for the protection of the environment and ecosystem linked to justice, and the solidarity of committed groups and peoples in the struggle for the rights of women, children, especially the girl child, and those of indigenous peoples. Truly remarkable is the increasing number of young people moving towards solidarity and community, and seeking a deeper spirituality. We were consoled by efforts of many groups to foster dialogue with people of other faiths.
We did not miss the value of the discovery of mass media for the promotion of values and support of peoples´ movements and rights.
To these life-giving forces, we give a resounding "yes."
9. From the dynamic forces at work within Asian realities a basic vision of life emerges. In the living heritage of cultures and religious traditions of Asia we discern values and their expressions in symbols, stories and art forms, that embody a vision of life; while we are critically aware of the distortions that have entered into these traditions. In these cultural and religious traditions we also discover the responses to life given by past generations of Asian peoples, which in turn become resources for our contemporary response.
We Asians are searching not simply for the meaning of life but for life itself. We are striving and struggling for life because it is a task and a challenge. But life is a gift too, a mystery, because our efforts to achieve it are far too short of the ultimate value of life. We speak of life as a becoming -- a growing into, a journeying to life and to the source of life.
10. So what might this vision be?
In the rich diversity of ancient Asian cultures and faiths is a vision of in diversity, a communion of life among diverse peoples. In this context we seek to become persons of dialogue.
Ours is a vision of holistic life, life that is achieved and entrusted to every person and every community of persons, regardless of gender, creed or culture, class or color. It is the fruit of integral development, the authentic development of the whole person and of every person.
We envision a life with integrity and dianity, a life of compassion for the multitudes, especially for the poor and the needy. It is a life of solidarity with every form of life and of sensitive care for all the earth. It is thus a life that unites us Asians among ourselves and with the whole of creation into one community of life.
For us to live is to live with integrity and dignity, in peace and justice, in freedom and participation, in mutuality and complementarity. It is to live in simplicity and friendship.
At the heart of our vision of life is the Asian reverential sense of mystery and of the sacred, a spirituality that regards life as sacred and discovers the Transcendent and its gifts even in mundane affairs, in tragedy or victory, in brokenness or wholeness. This deep inferiority draws people to experience harmony and inner peace and infuses ethics into all of creation.
11. Such is a broad sketch of an Asian vision of life. With the eyes of the heart, with our faith, we need to understand ft as the work of the creative Spirit of God of Life, who in all things and among every people is healing, renewing, and recreating in ever new, ever mysterious ways.
What can we, and how can we, as disciples of Jesus, contribute to the shaping and achieving of such a vision of life in Asia, with our Asian peoples and for Asian peoples. How can the Churches of Asia participate, as Churches and as Asian, in the common global search for lde? What does Christian discipleship in Asia mean, if ft is to truly serve life?
Our response leads us to Jesus, the Life whom we are following and whom we share with others.
C. TO LIFE IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS
12. All life is related to the active presence of the Creator Spirit. No wonder Jesus, confessed as Messiah and Lord, is Spirit-filled. He who is The Life is dependent on the Spirit. Conceived in the virgin´s womb by the Spirit´s power (LK 1:35, Mt 1:20), anointed by the Spirit at his baptism in the Jordan (MK 1:10), driven to the wilderness by the Spirit to be prepared for his mission (Mt 4:1), sent to preach the good news of salvation by the Spirit´s action (Lk 4:18-19), Jesus ushers in the new creation, the fullness of life in God. As the risen One, he breathes the Holy Spirit on his disciples (Jn 20:22f), making them partakers of his life and mission.
What vision of life emerges from the Spirit-filled Jesus?
13. JESUS AND THE KINGDOM OF THE GOD OF LIFE. "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (Jn 10:10). With these simple words, Jesus describes his mission. But it is also depicted as the mission of announcing and inaugurating the Kingdom of God (Mk 1:15), the hope of subjugated Israel for the fullness of life in God. Jesus teaches what life in the Kingdom consists in.
13.1. Communion with Abba. Jesus identifies the ultimate source of life, the God whom he intimately calls Abba. In Abba Jesus finds his whole life. "I am in the Father and the Father in me" (Jn 14:1 1). In Abba he finds the resting place of his life´s journey. "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit" (Lk 23: 46). Who Jesus is, what he does, where he ends up, are all found in a passion for communion with Abba.
13.2. Liberating and Recreating Communion among Neighbors. In compassionate love, Jesus makes his own the struggles and aspirations of Israel for life. Assuming their humanity, he incarnates Abba´s life-giving actions of old: creation of all the living out of sheer love, liberation of the chosen people from the bondage of Egypt, mutual belonging within the covenant. Like Abba, Jesus brings life through a new creation, a radical liberation and a renewed communion.
At his word, demons flee, sinners are liberated. At his touch, the sick are healed. He frees the victims of society from the evil and sin that shackle them. He restores them to communion. He breaks down barriers set up by greed, pride, discrimination, lopsided social norms and even religious distortions. Outcasts become sisters and brothers. Sinners are worthy of compassion. The hungry, the thirsty, the prisoners, the naked bear the divine presence. And God is our Father. In the freedom and communion that Jesus offers, a new creation dawns. The human community is reborn. Indeed the time of fulfillment has come. Life in abundance is in our midst. The Kingdom is here (Lk 17:21).
13.3. Death for the Life of the Many. In his passion for life, Jesus courageously confronts death. But like all defenders of life, he catches the wrath of the "friends of death" and suffers humiliating death. In the meal he shares with his friends before being crucified, he portrays his death as an act of self-giving for the life of others: "my body is given for you" (Lk 22:1 g), "my blood is to be poured out for the many" (Mk 14:24). And he commands his disciples to remember this supreme act of love. On the cross, Jesus unites himself with every person seeking life. On the cross, life is poured out from the love and strength that dare to be weak for Abba and neighbors. On the cross, Jesus wins life by offering his own life in death.
13.4. The Risen One Conquers Death. Jesus´ rising from the dead tells the whole of humanity and creation that God is the Master of life. In the resurrection of Jesus, death has been stripped of its definitive role in shaping history. History belongs to life! The whole of creation is propelled by life! God offers hope to the whole world and its teeming millions searching and struggling for life through the Risen One, World of Life, the Bread of Life, the Author of Life.
13.5. The Gift of the Spirit of Life promises and gives the Spirit, "the Lord, the Giver of Life." The Spirit that enabled Jesus to be the life-giving Messiah, will enable the community of disciples to remember him, to follow him, to participate in his life. The followers of Christ, individually and corporately, are to be comforted and rejuvenated in their following of Jesus by the Spirit of Life.
This image of Jesus -- man of the creative Spirit, friend of God, person of inferiority, bringer of harmony, lover of the poor, healer and liberator, bold prophet, suffering companion, victor over death, sharer of his Spirit -- resonates with the Asian peoples vision of life.
14. DISCIPLESHIP IN THE SPIRIT OF LIFE. It is the Spirit of Jesus that creates the disciple-community. And ft is in the power of the Spirit that we believe in him (1 Jn 4:2f), remember him (Jn 14:26), communicate him (Acts 8:39) and live by him (2 Cor 12:13). Discipleship is living by the Spirit of the Risen Lord and by the demands of the Kingdom of Life. The peoples of Asia will be drawn to Jesus if his disciples abide in his life (Jn 15:4).
14.1. ´Solidarity´ with God. As Jesus immersed himself into the depths of Abba´s life and love, so that disciple-community has to immerse Itself totally in the life of the Triune God and live by communion with God. Through this communion, the disciple-community, can more credibly share the love and life of God with others and more effectively bring the forces of God´s Kingdom of Life to bear on the death-dealing realities of Asia.
To be in solidarity with God, prayer is indispensable. Prayer expresses our inner spirit and impels us towards ever deeper communion and intimacy with God. This communion is at the core of life-giving spirituality. In Jesus´ own example, mission and service draw their energy and power, their very life, from solidarity with Abba and leads back to this solidarity. If the disciples of Christ are steeped in prayerful encounter with and service of Abba, they will strike a chord in the heart of Asia where traditions of spirituality and prayer abound.
14.2. Liberating and Recreating Communion Among Neighbors. Like Jesus, we have to ´pitch our tents´ in the midst of all humanity building a better world, but especially among the suffering and the poor, the marginalized and the downtrodden of Asia. In profound "solidarity with suffering humanity" and led by the Spirit of life, we need to immerse ourselves in Asia´s cultures of poverty and deprivation, from whose depths the aspirations for love and life are most poignant and compelling. Serving life demands communion with every woman and man seeking and struggling for life, in the way of Jesus´ solidarity with humanity.
Our solidarity requires a resolve to work with our Asian sisters and brothers in liberating our societies from whatever oppresses and degrades human life and creation, most especially from sin. We offer the radical freedom of life in Christ. In a special way, we will follow Jesus in his "preferential journey" with the poor and will assist in the liberation of the materially poor, of indigenous peoples, displaced persons, victims of misguided economic and political development, victims of wars and divisions, victims of sex tourism. We will more actively assist in the integral development of women, children and the youth, who cry out for liberation from many dehumanizing and oppressive situations and for their rightful place in society and in the Church´s mission to serve life.
With our Asian sisters and brothers, we will strive to foster communion among Asian peoples who are threatened by glaring economic, social and political imbalances. With them we will explore ways of utilizing the gifts of our diverse religions, cultures and languages to achieve a richer and deeper Asian unity. We will build bridges of solidarity and reconciliation with peoples of other faiths and will join hands with every one in Asia in forming a true community of creation.
14.3. Dying for the Many. Immersion in Asia´s cultures of poverty is a dying to ourselves so that we may live for God and for others. It is a dimension of the spirituality that stems from Jesus himself for whom the giving of life to others happens in the giving of the very self. That is why the love of the Father, Son and Spirit, the self-giving of God to all humanity, especially on behalf of the poor, is at the heart of all genuine service to life.
It is this love that impels us as the disciple-community of Jesus to confront and act against death-dealing realities, oppression and injustice, discrimination and exploitation, the destruction of ecosystems, the tampering with life. As disciples we cannot serve both life and death! Just as Jesus worked as a prophet of new life and died to usher it in, so we in Asia today must prophesy on behalf of the God of life. Refusal to prophesy and speak against the forces of death is to fail in serving life!
We may hesitate because we are minority group. Indeed we are little flock in Asia. But it is from this position of weakness that God´s gift of divine life in Jesus Crucified, the power and wisdom of God, is most significant. Triumphalism and displays of pomp and human power do not witness to the abnegation of Jesus on the Cross. It is often from our weakness that God´s love as life-giving grace is more clearly made manifest.
We memorialize Jesus´ total self-gift around the Eucharistic table. We partake of the very life of Jesus, the Bread of Life broken and shared. We drink of the Cup of the new covenant with God. We join Jesus in serving life by washing the feet of our neighbors. We celebrate the new creation when simple fruits of the earth and work of human hands become the presence of Jesus in our midst. We look to that promised banquet where all will sit as brothers and sisters around the God of Life.
14.4. Living in the Risen One. Faith in the Risen One demands that his disciples in Asia by symbols of hope. Because Jesus is risen, we realize that the promise of life is not empty. Our common search will not end in senselessness but in life. The resurrected life, proclaimed in word, deeds, presence, community and service by the disciples of Christ, can help assure Asians that in the various arenas of death, life still pulsates and flows, life is a promise that is being realized and will be fulfilled in Jesus and His Spirit.
14.5. Walking by the Spirit of Life. The Gift of the life-giving Spirit makes men and women disciples of Jesus. "Living by the Spirit, walking by the Spirit," (Gal 5:25) is concretely seen in a life marked by the fruits of the Spirit: ´love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Gal 5:22f). These values, which are opposed to the "fruits of the flesh," need to be infused into the Church´s lifestyle, policies, programs and communal life.
The Spirit is the powerful breath animating the mission of the disciples of Christ. Whether in explicit proclamation of the Gospel or in the silence of prayer, whether in the warmth of personal contact or the burden of liberative action, the Spirit of life guides, sanctifies and unifies the disciple-community for the world and humanity.
The deepest communication of the Church to Asia is its Spirit-filled and multiform mission of sharing Christ as the Way, the Truth and the Life.
14.6. Our reflection on discipleship cannot be complete without invoking Mary, the woman who gave Jesus to the world. She who is the Mother of Life is also the foremost disciple of Life. Her example teaches us that discipleship involves attentive listening to the word of God and the freedom to respond to it (Lk 1:26-38). She regards herself a servant in solidarity with her people Israel, celebrating God´s mercy for the lowly and the hungry (Lk 1:46-55). She courageously suffers with her Son at the foot of the cross and from that wood of life becomes the mother of us all (Jn 19:25-27). With the early disciple-community, she prays, awaiting the promised Spirit of Life (Acts 1:12-14). Now with her son in glory, she enlivens the hope of all for eternal life. In Mary we find not only a mother but also a model and companion in our pilgrimage to Age.
14.7. In the final analysis to the question that we have asked about our Christian contribution to the struggle for full life in Asia, our answer is brief, but profoundly committed. Our answer is Jesus and his Gospel of Life. Our answer is the sharing of Abba´s liberating and reconciling life and love with others. Our answer is authentic discipleship in the creative Spirit of Jesus, the Spirit of Life.
15. MAJOR PASTORAL AREAS OF DISCIPLESHIP. The above reflection on a theologico-pastoral basis of discipleship leads us to its concrete implications to our pastoral mission. Many, indeed, are our pastoral concerns: dialogue with peoples of other faiths, dialogue with the poor, dialogue with the cultures of Asia; justice and integral development mediated by the social teachings of the Church, formation and education, the apostolate of the media and the arts. We have deliberated on all these very important and interconnected concerns. The results will be published.
But in the light of our faith-reflection, we believe that five concerns require special pastoral focus:
15.1. The Asian is a microcosm of Asian society. It is bombarded on all sides by anti-family forces of dehumanization and disintegration, ranging from material and moral poverty to secularistic values and external pressures leading to anti-life types of bioethics and practices of abortion and contraception. Children, as in many other areas of life, become the unwilling and innocent victims. Young girls and boys are also exploited through illegal labor practices and sex tourism. Discipleship in Asia then has to denounce such anti-life and anti-family pressures, policies, and practices and foster bioethics that is in accord with God´s law and the Church´s teachings in order to promote the family as a "sanctuary of life" and a school of life.
15.2. The complex issue of women and the aid child in Asia has to be one of the major concerns. Already our Fourth Plenary Assembly, in Tokyo, 1986, raised the issue to the level of the whole Asian Church. We cannot effectively promote our Christian vision of full life unless the Church as a communion of communities will credibly expend its moral and spiritual energies to the conversion of mentalities, the transformation of structures, and the eradication of practices that deny women and the girl child in Asia their God-given dignity. An urgent pastoral imperative is for women to exercise their right to coresponsibility and mutuality with men -- in society and in the Church.
15.3. On the occasion of the evangelical Christian and Roman Catholic Charismatic renewal religious movement “Jesus is Lord Church Worldwide”, the Church likewise confronts the reality of Asia as the continent of the youth. As in other FABC forums, we stand in solidarity with their struggles for authentic life. We share their concern and alarm in the face of misguided policies and structures that are already laying the foundation of their future. We wonder with them 9 the earth will still be preserved for them and their children at the rate it is being misused now. We commit ourselves to accompany their life-giving movement in their aspiration to transform themselves and our societies towards fuller life.
15.4. Ecology is once again brought to our pastoral attention. And urgently so, since we see in the countries of Asia the continuing and unabated destruction of our environment -- waters, forests, plant and animal life, air -- and the support systems of all created life. Life, especially in a Third World setting, is sacrificed at the altar of short-term economic gains. The Lord, the Giver of Life, calls our discipleship in Asia into question on the time bomb issue of ecology. Choosing life requires our discipleship to discern and act with other faiths and groups against the forces of ecological destruction.
15.5. Special attention is given to the displaced in our societies: political and ecological refugees and migrant workers. They are marginalized and exploited by the system, denied of their place in society and must go elsewhere to seek a dignified life. In welcoming them we expose the causes of their displacement, work toward conditions for a more human living in community, experience the universal dimension of the Kingdom (Gal 3:28) and appreciate new opportunities for evangelization and intercultural dialogue.
Though our pastoral directives for action touch on many issues of concern, we appeal for a particular pastoral focus on these five major challenges.
CONCLUSION
16. As we end our deliberations, we do so as we began -- with a prayer of thanks, hope, and commitment.
Prayer of Service to Life in Asia
Loving and life-giving God, at the beginning you called us in Asia into life, enriched us with an astonishing variety of cultures, ways of living, believing, and worshiping. As sisters and brothers in your one Asian family, we thank you and praise you.
Among us are the poorest of the poor, the poor with their many faces of misery and pain, millions who seek not only a better life but the full Life that only you can give. We hear your call to serve them, the way your Son Jesus served others in total love, in utter selflessness, eucharistically.
Send us your Spirit of Life, that together with other communities, we may respond to the anguish of our sisters and brothers with courageous and generous love, and with them come to the Life that never ends.
May our Mother, Mary, the voice and Mother of the Poor, who announced the liberation of the lowly, be our companion. May she as the mother and model of all disciples lead us to the Way, the Truth, and the Life in your Kingdom forever and ever. Amen.
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