The establishment of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) is, without doubt, a pivotal milestone in the history of Christianity in Asia. The FABC emerged from the historic gathering of 180 Asian bishops with Pope Paul VI in Manila in 1970. This meeting marked the beginning of a new consciousness in Asia’s Christian communities.

     The Asian bishops identified several key tasks facing the Church in Asia; their final message spoke of the obligation “to open our minds and hearts to the needs and aspirations of our peoples,” “to be more truly ‘the Church of the poor’ [and] to place ourselves at the side of the multitudes in our continent,” as well as to be “responsive to the needs and demands of men in contemporary society” (ABM 3, 19, 23). To achieve these goals, the bishops affirmed, the Church must harness her energies and focus on “the inculturation of the life and message of the Gospel in Asia” (ABM 24).

     The 1970 Asian Bishops’ statement is pivotal; here one finds for the very first time the word “inculturation” used in an official Church document. It is a crucial insight. Being Church and fulfilling the mandate of genuine evangelization involves rooting the faith in people’s lives and cultures. The entire Church, which now accepts the imperative of inculturation, can thank the Asian bishops and local Churches for their insights and leadership in many areas of inculturating Christian life.

     In subsequent years, the FABC frequently returned to the theme of inculturation. For example, in the first FABC Plenary Assembly (Taiwan, 1974) the bishops stressed the urgent imperative of both building and strengthening each Asian local Church to be “a church incarnate in a people, a church indigenous and inculturated” (FABC I 12).

     This awakening to the pivotal challenge and obligation of inculturating the faith appears in the Asian Colloquium on Ministries in the Church (ACMC) held in Hong Kong (February 27 - March 5, 1977). This FABC-sponsored assembly explored the new ministries needed in Asia’s Christian communities. The final document asserted: “the decisive new phenomenon for Christianity in Asia will be the emergence of genuine Christian communities in Asia—Asian in their way of thinking, praying, living, communicating their own Christ-experience to others…. If the Asian Churches do not discover their own identity, they will have no future” (ACMC 14).

     In this same colloquium the participants noted: “Asian Churches then must become truly Asian in all things. The principle of indigenization and inculturation is at the very root of their coming into their own. The ministry of Asian Churches, if it is to be authentic, must be relevant to Asian societies. This calls on the part of the Churches for originality, creativity and inventiveness, for boldness and courage” (ACMC 26).

     Several additional FABC references and various authors could be cited that clearly affirm the “inculturation imperative”—as envisioned by Asia’s bishops, theologians, religious, and pastoral workers. However, one must recall that inculturation is an ongoing, dynamic commitment. Times and contexts evolve. Thirty-five years have now passed since the Asian bishops assembled in Manila with Pope Paul VI (1970-2005). What is the meaning of the task of rooting the Gospel in Asia—as the pilgrim Church traverses the early years of a new millennium? In brief: Where are we now? What does the future hold? What concrete options for continued growth are open to Asia’s inculturating local Churches?

     This modest presentation you hold in your hands does not emerge from an organized, international, theological colloquium. Rather, it arises inductively from extensive concrete experience of committed action in diverse Asian contexts. Seventeen short reflections, coming from the experience of long-term evangelizers (both Asian nationals and expatriate missioners), explore a variety of specific areas in the life of the Christian community that are appropriate—even urgent—for continued inculturation efforts. The following is a panoramic overview, showing the various areas and naming the authors of each focused reflection:

I.   COMMUNITY LIFE
           (1)   Human Promotion and Justice (A. Rogers)
           (2)   Human Development (D. de Souza)
           (3)   Ecology (M. Ramirez)
           (4)   Public Health (A. Murniati)
           (5)   Cultural Crisis (L. Kleden)

II.   CHRISTIAN FAITH AND LIFE
           (6)   Scripture (M. Ko)
           (7)   Theological Reflection (C. Arévalo)
           (8)   Spirituality (S. Anand)

III.  FORMATION, EDUCATION, MINISTRIES
           (9)    Formation of Clergy and Laity (C. Mateo)
           (10)  Social Communication (F. Eilers)
           (11)  Consecrated Life (S. Canilang)
           (12)  Methods of Evangelization (J. Kroeger)
           (13)  Church Leadership and Governance (O. Quevedo)

IV.  CELEBRATION OF LIFE
           (14)  Life-style (S. Painadath)
           (15)  Liturgy and Sacraments (P. Puthanangady)
           (16)  Feasts and Festivals (A. Tirkey)
           (17)  Art and Architecture (J. Sahi)

     Readers will note the wide variety of authors listed; they are drawn from various countries in Asia. These women and men are all deeply passionate about the urgency of linking the Gospel into Asia’s rich cultures and the building up of truly local Churches.

     Each author approached the specific subject with three distinct questions in mind: (a) Presently, where is the Church in Asia with regard to this area of inculturation? (b) What are some positive orientations (e.g. Church statements, writings, documents) that would encourage Asian Christians to make further inculturation efforts? (c) What are some concrete and practical initiatives whereby Asia’s local Churches could advance the inculturation process?

     These three guide-questions set the parameters for the short reflection pieces. Readers will obviously detect this pattern, but they will also recognize the initiative and creativity of each writer. In addition, the experience of the individual local Churches emerges (e.g. Indonesia, China, India, Philippines, Malaysia, etc.). It is logical to assume that when one writes on a specific area of inculturation, the person’s life experience and community context will enter into the contribution.

     Finally, readers are encouraged to capture the spirit inherent in each of these essays. The authors are to be thanked for their efforts to express how inculturation is progressing and what creative options are open for future action. Truly, the presence of the “befriending Spirit” is at work fostering “the emergence of genuine Christian communities in Asia—Asian in their way of thinking, praying, living, communicating their own Christ-experience to others” (ACMC 14). This writer asserts that because the inculturating Asian Churches are discovering their own identity, they have a bright and hopeful future! JHK*

     *James H. Kroeger, Maryknoll Missioner, is Professor of Systematic Theology, Missiology, and Islamics at the Loyola School of Theology, Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines. He also teaches at the Maryhill School of Theology and the Mother of Life Catechetical Center. Father Kroeger holds Licentiate and Doctorate Degrees in Missiology from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome. Kroeger has served mission in Asia (Philippines and Bangladesh) since 1970. He is President of the Philippine Association of Catholic Missiologists (PACM), Secretary-Convenor of the Asian Missionary Societies Forum (AMSAL), and consultant to the Asian Bishops’ (FABC) Office of Evangelization. His most recent books include: The Future of the Asian Churches (2002) and Becoming Local Church (2003) [Claretian Publications: Quezon City (Manila)]; he also served as a collaborating editor of Rooting Faith in Asia (2005) [Claretian Publications: Bangalore], where a shorter version of these reflections appeared.

    THE ASIAN CONTEXT. The relationship between Inculturation and human promotion—which incorporates the three aspects of Christian charity, namely welfare and compassion, development, and advocacy for social transformation—is best seen in the context of integral evangelization.

     Inculturation is the process of becoming a People of God in Asia; it means we learn to reflect the face of Jesus in an Asian way. Our way of life as individuals and as Church is influenced by the thoughts that go on in our minds, the reflections that flow from our hearts, and the actions that allow others to experience the compassionate love of God our Father.

     Inculturation is the process of communicating the Jesus Experience as Church in Asia; it necessarily includes integral human promotion which has two key dimensions: (1) reading the signs of the times, and (2) responding to the cries of our age. To read the signs demands listening to and understanding the complex and diverse realities of the world of Asia, especially the causes of people’s sorrows and fears; one must penetrate the core of Asians’ religio-cultural heritage that is the source of their joys and hopes.

     Responding to the cries of our age moves us to compassion; our faith urges us to discover new and creative compassionate ways to reach out to meet the cries and pains of the people of Asia and to be in solidarity with them. We reach out in compassion and justice.

    Obstacles. It seems obvious that the vast majority in the Church in Asia are still not fully aware and do not fully understand the two key documents of the Council, namely Lumen Gentium and Gaudium et Spes. There is therefore an artificial dichotomy between faith and life, between Church and world. There is also the tendency to look for the face of Jesus in the sacramental life of the Church rather than seeing Jesus present as a “sacrament in the world.”

     Since we already have Jesus and his Gospel in the Church, we feel little need to reach out to the World, where the Gospel has to be translated into living for the Kingdom. Thus, evangelization is seen more as conversion to the Church and subsequent membership in the Church, rather than growth in faith and making the Gospel present in the world. Few in the Church are convinced that integral evangelization is about being transformed by the Gospel of Jesus and thus being able to be transformative agents in the world, in order to promote the reign of God. There is often the tendency for the Church to be more “intra-ecclesial” and on a “maintenance mode” rather than to be reaching out to all peoples. There is a lack of awareness and commitment to the “missionary mandate” of the Church.

     With the expansion of globalizing forces there is a tendency of both Church leaders and members to look upon the world with suspicion and fear. The lack of a genuine reflective and critical attitude towards the world creates confusion and uncertainty in the Church. The confines of the Church are more comfortable, especially for the laity; thus, the Church moves away from the social, and especially the political, arena.

     Due to the fact that only a very small minority of Church members is involved in the mission of evangelization in the world, there is also the lack of a proper understanding of human promotion. Catholics do not see charity, coupled with integral human development and social advocacy, as our response to the sorrows and pains of the human family as we journey with all in their joys and hopes.

     While there is a growing awareness and committed action on behalf of justice in society as a whole, there seems to be, on the other hand, a growing indifference to suffering and injustice on the part of many Catholics. This includes the plight of refugees and migrants, drug users and persons with HIV-AIDS, victims of terrorism and unjust wars, and the sufferings of the elderly and marginalized.

    Achievements. There is growing awareness that faith has to be lived in union with God and realized in the love for the self and neighbor with our whole hearts, minds, strength and will. Human promotion is our active involvement in the world in order to link our faith and life. We thank God that the vision of the Church in Asia as “A New Way of Being Church” is making sense to a generation of young people in the Church.

     Human promotion involves “new ways” of showing love, compassion, and mercy through welfare works and charity; it includes the building of sustainable communities through integral human development and ensuring the coming of a just world through advocacy for social transformation. This integral approach incorporates the three-fold dimensions (gender, multi-faith, and ecological) as effective means of human promotion in the context of Asia.

     Over the past decades there have been some significant advances among the laity and religious in the areas of option for the poor and for justice, in the development of new social ministries in the life of the Church, in their involvement with the working world and a commitment to more direct participation in politics.

    PASTORAL-THEOLOGICAL ORIENTATIONS. Asian Christians have several sources of inspiration upon which they can draw as they engage in the mission of human promotion within the Asian context. Some pivotal areas are addressed in the following paragraphs.

     The Church needs constant renewal and an ongoing examination of conscience to be aware of responsibilities she has for the state of the world, especially in Asia (cf. TMA 36). This is true because, as the Asian Synod noted, the Church “lives and fulfils her mission in the actual circumstances of time and place. A critical awareness of the diverse and complex realities of Asia is essential if the People of God on the continent are to respond to God's will for them in the new evangelization. The Synod Fathers insisted that the Church's mission of love and service in Asia is conditioned by two factors: on the one hand, her self-understanding as a community of disciples of Jesus Christ gathered around her Pastors, and on the other hand, the social, political, religious, cultural and economic realities of Asia” (EA 5b).

     The Church, although a tiny minority in the vast Asian continent, will draw upon an “innate spiritual insight and moral wisdom in the Asian soul, and it is the core around which a growing sense of ‘being Asian’ is built. This ‘being Asian’ is best discovered and affirmed, not in confrontation and opposition, but in the spirit of complementarity and harmony. In this framework of complementarity and harmony, the Church can communicate the Gospel in a way which is faithful both to her own Tradition and to the Asian Soul” (EA 6d).

     The Asian bishops in their Seventh FABC Plenary Assembly in Bangkok in 2000 stated: “Renewal for a mission of love and service requires fresh understanding and emphases. As we have been listening to each other we have realized that something new is happening. For thirty years, as we have tried to reformulate our Christian identity in Asia, we have addressed different issues, one after another: evangelization, inculturation, dialogue, the Asian-ness of the Church, justice, the option for the poor, etc. Today, after three decades, we no longer speak of such distinct issues. We are addressing present needs that are massive and increasingly complex. These issues are not separate topics to be discussed, but aspects of an integrated approach to our Mission of Love and Service. We need to feel and act ‘integrally.’ As we face the needs of the 21st century we do so with Asian hearts, in solidarity with the poor and the marginalized, in union with all our Christian brothers and sisters, and by joining hands with all men and women of Asia of many different faiths. Inculturation, dialogue, justice and the option for the poor are aspects of whatever we do” (FABC VII, Part III).

     The Asian bishops in the same assembly noted the importance of involvement in the wide range of human promotion activities. More specifically, they noted: “Advocacy has emerged as a powerful method and means to respond to the issues and challenges that have surfaced at this Seventh Plenary Assembly. Civil society in Asia is already doing it. Bishops have an important role in advocacy and should take it up as a pastoral priority. Based on the ethical and moral imperatives that are found in the social teachings of the Church, the process of advocacy should be articulated effectively. Particularly, the emphasis on the common good could form the basis for advocacy as we join hands with men and women of other faiths. The bishops’ conferences that constitute the FABC should take up advocacy for the common good, depending upon the prevailing circumstances” (FABC VII, Part III.C.5).

     The Church’s commitment to human promotion must issue in specific involvements, because John Paul II has noted that authentic solidarity “is not a feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of so many people, both near and far. On the contrary, it is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good; that is to say to the good of all and of each individual, because we are all really responsible for all” (SRS 38).

    CONCRETE AND PRACTICAL INITIATIVES. Any attempt to link inculturation and human promotion has to be in the context of integral evangelization. One of the concrete ways in which the Church in Asia has attempted to link inculturation and human promotion was at the Seventh FABC Plenary Assembly, when it linked our faith with life under the theme chosen for the assembly: “A Renewed Church: A Mission of Love and Service.” This can serve as the basis for both a critical review of our lives and as a preparation for comprehensive pastoral plans within Asia’s local Churches. Some specific areas of renewal can be mentioned.

    Change in Attitude towards an Openness to the World. Our understanding of inculturation today, as the process of being evangelized and becoming evangelizers as local Church, will require a radical change in attitude. The Church is not yet fully open to the life and problems of the people in the world, because most Catholics do not see this as an integral dimension of their faith. Human promotion is seen as an appendage for the Church, not as the heart of the Gospel of Jesus. A genuine theological shift has yet to take place in the hearts and minds of the majority of the People of God in Asia, to realize that the FABC “triple dialogue” with the poor, cultures and faiths has to necessarily be our prophetic position in Asia.

    Renewed Formative Process that Includes Commitment to our Missionary Vocation of Solidarity. The option for the poor and social advocacy for justice have to be accepted as integral dimensions of the prophetic mission of Christ, who was "sent to preach good news to the poor.” All formation must incorporate such a growth in solidarity that fosters the evangelizing mission of the Church in the context of Asia.

    Emergence of Witnessing Communities within the Church. The Gospel lived and experienced in the three essential and constitutive communities within the People of God (laity, hierarchy, religious) has to become the leaven for the building of the Kingdom of God. The witness of Church, walking compassionately and courageously with the lowly and in defense of human rights then becomes an effective echo of the Gospel and of the voice of the Church. Each group has to reflect the compassionate and courageous face of Jesus in the context of their specific vocation within Asia.

    Holistic Faith Formation for Personal and Communitarian Transformation. This will be the basis for all in the Church to serve the Gospel and work for integral human promotion so as to be able to journey with those persecuted sectors, the "voiceless” and the “victims of injustices." It is inevitable that this calls for a constant review of our life-options, the use of goods and the manner in which we conduct our structures and institutions. Those who dare to speak to others about justice must, above all, be just in the eyes of others.

    Compassion Flowing from Contemplation of the Face of Jesus. The contemplative dimension in all aspects of life in the Church and in our works allows us to be present to brothers and sisters in a deeper way in the charity of Christ. The various activities, works, and diversity of approaches are the most important means by which the Church carries out her mission of evangelization and human promotion in the world.

    New Ministries for Caring and Social Advocacy. Present economic, cultural, social and political conditions, especially in the context of globalization, require new forms of solidarity and involvement. The Church is challenged to discover new ways of active participation involving the Christian community, and to encourage religious congregations to develop charisms that are more relevant in the context of Asia, particularly in the area of human development and social advocacy.

    Role of the Laity in the Church and in the World. It is imperative that the participation of the laity, especially the women, be given importance in all aspects of Church life. In and through these diverse activities and works, the Asian local Churches will assume a new sense of identity and promote a renewed, co responsible commitment to our common mission of integral evangelization. The FABC vision of “A New Way of Being Church” will take root and bear much fruit!
__________
    Anthony Rogers, a Malaysian De La Salle Brother (FSC), is Executive Secretary of the FABC Office of Human Development.

    THE ASIAN CONTEXT. Inculturation, in simple terms, is the process by which a particular Church expresses its faith and life in and through the local culture. This results in a mutual enrichment: on the one hand, the local culture receives a new dynamism; on the other hand, fresh new ways of understanding and living the Christian faith are opened up.

     Asia's uniqueness consists in its rich cultural diversity and deep religiosity as the cradle of the great world religions. These twin realities coalesce with its widespread poverty and injustice. Asia comprises some of the richest and poorest nations of the world. The unique combination of these realities challenges Christian faith in Asia, "to bring the power of the Gospel into the very heart of [local] culture and [Asian] cultures" (CT 53). In a word, this is the meaning of inculturation of the Church in Asia.

    Inculturation encompasses both personal change and social change. In human development terms, it means, to cite the vision of Paul VI, that on a personal level "being more" human, and on the social level, contributing towards transforming society "from less human conditions to more human conditions" (PP 6, 20).

    The Church in Asia, because of its colonial past and rather strict control by Rome at present, can be considered a "young" Church of the sixteenth century, with the mentality and machinery of an "old" Church that has already grown through centuries of Christianity in Europe. By and large, the Church in Asia is a clone of the Church in Europe from where it came. She is well organized, full of pastoral activity, piety and discipline of which she can be justly proud. However, in many ways, this is a burden rather than a help, because it does not correspond to the needs of the present national or local situations in Asia. The local Churches need more flexibility, more mobility, more of everything that one associates with youth, to get involved in the struggle for a new society in Asia that symbolizes Asia's cultural uniqueness.

    For over fifty years now, as the colonized nations of Asia won their political independence often through liberation struggles, there has been a widespread cultural awakening. Culture is often called a "silent language" because a large part of culture is made up of unconscious and unspoken elements; traditions, attitudes, values, and prejudices are silent. But this great "cultural unconsciousness" in Asia was transformed and galvanized, after political struggles for independence, by certain cultural "irruptions." Some of these were the Afro-Asian Conference (Bandung, Indonesia, 1955) that later became the Non-Aligned Movement. One can also mention the heroic struggle of the Vietnamese people against French colonization and American hegemony, and the "cultural revolution" in China from the mid-1950s to the 1970s.

    Christians in Asia became much more aware of the "inculturation" of other religions like Buddhism. Soon "Independent," "Indigenous," "Pentecostal," "Nationalist" Christian churches began to flourish. These "churches" were often revolts against the rigidity of foreign domination of local Christian churches, especially through foreign funds and missionary personnel. But, the question must be posed: how can these churches that have been, as it were, "inculturated from below" through ordinary people's protest, be assessed in terms of their Christian religious identity?

    PASTORAL-THEOLOGICAL ORIENTATIONS. The challenge of inculturation of the Church in Asia, from the human development perspective, is personal change i.e. becoming better persons, through participation in social change towards a more humane society. While human nature realizes its potentialities by acquiring knowledge, grasping facts, mastering skills, the human person is enriched by self-sacrifice and self-giving. The ideal of life is the liberation of one's transcendent self or "transcendent dimension of the human person" or "spark of God," from the empirical self or the limitations imposed by one's nature. This is personal change according to all the major religions in Asia.

    This capacity for transcendence, however, is limited and even perverted by the structures and institutions of society like governments, laws, and media. The role of the Church in social change is to be "the sign and safeguard of the transcendent dimension of the human person" (GS 76). Inculturation therefore, cannot be reduced to "a simple external adaptation" to the local culture(s), but "the intimate transformation of authentic cultural values through their integration in Christianity in the various human cultures" (1985 Synod of Bishops II.D.4).

    Moreover, all around the world there is a belated acknowledgement that justice can only flourish from within the transformation of culture. The roots of injustice are embedded not only in the economic-political structures but also in cultural values and attitudes.

    Inculturation of the Gospel and the evangelization of culture are two complementary aspects of the Church's one mission. Evangelization of culture aims both at personal change of mentalities, collective attitudes, and ways of life as well as at social change. Inculturation challenges the Church towards "affecting and as it were upsetting, through the power of the Gospel, humankind's criteria of judgment, determining values, points of interest, lines of thought, sources of inspiration and models of life, which are in contrast with the Word of God and the plan of salvation" (EN 19).

    CONCRETE AND PRACTICAL INITIATIVES. There is a sense in which all inculturation is "inculturation from below." Inculturation is essentially a community process. It is not the task of a few experts "selling" it to the people. However, it should not take place in opposition to experts and official representatives of the Church, but rather in collaboration with them. The experts are needed to give the community encouragement and help to make the necessary discernment and the necessary critique of its own culture and promote the discovery of the "seeds of the Word." Experts are also needed to ensure the truly Christian identity of the new creation that inculturation brings into existence.

    The steps to be followed in this process are three. First, identify the aspects of the culture that are in conformity with Gospel values and those aspects not in conformity. Second, choose the method of purifying and elevating a culture according to Gospel values by effecting a change in the world-view and value system that underlie it. This demands an appeal to the opinion leaders of the community, who may not be the official leaders. Third, begin the actual implementation of the plan of action chosen.

    Inculturation is a slow process, requiring patient listening to, explaining and challenging of a culture. The basic community structure, especially where there is widespread participation of the community, can provide a convenient mode for the inculturation process.

    Paul VI has stated: "It is up to the Christian communities to analyze with objectivity the situation which is proper to their own country, to shed on it the light of the Gospel's unalterable words and to draw principles of reflection, norms of judgment and directives of action from the social teachings of the Church…. It is up to these communities with the help of the Holy Spirit, in communion with the bishops who hold responsibility and in dialogue with other Christian brethren and all people of good will, to discern the options and commitments which are called for in order to bring about the social, political and economic changes seen in many cases to be urgently needed" (OA 4).

    The inculturation process will advance through actual involvement in the people's daily struggles of castes, classes and genders, of religions and cultures, of ideologies and spiritualities in the process of creating a new society.
__________
    Desmond de Sousa, an Indian Redemptorist (CSsR), is Executive Secretary of the Ecumenical Coalition on Third World Tourism.

    THE ASIAN CONTEXT. This presentation begins with six short accounts of Church involvement in efforts to link evangelization and ecological concerns; the narratives emerge from Philippine experience, but most probably they are characteristic of similar efforts throughout the local Churches of Asia.

    Sister Marimil S. Lobregat, FMM, a Filipina religious, under the auspices of the Religious of the Good Shepherd in Manila, teaches socially involved religious and laity a bio-spiritual exercise, known as Shibashi. The goal of this activity is to assist socio-pastoral workers to sustain and generate even more energy for their mission.

    Asia is home to many ashrams and Zen meditation centers. In the Philippines, for example, there are eco-sites that become retreat or learning centers for developing a sacred relationship with the environment. One's ecological consciousness may be awakened in the Cosmic Garden of the Maryknoll Sisters in Baguio, in the Ecozolic Center of the Columban Fathers in Silang, Cavite, in the Ecological Garden of the Benedictine Sisters in Tagaytay City, or in the eco-life-style site of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, an indigenous group of religious sisters in the Cordilleras region.

    Gatherings of inter-university and inter-sectoral youth such as the Kilusan para sa Kinabukasan ng Kabataan have an ecological focus. The youth gather to plant trees and to celebrate through rituals their connectedness with all elements of life—earth, fire, water, and air. After such encounters, young people become highly creative.

    The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary have established a bio-gas system. This effort heals the earth and causes organic herbal plants, flowers and vegetables to grow. They also produce honey. As one lives with them, one gets a sense of the natural flow of the cycle of life. As an expression of ecological and cosmic consciousness, their novitiate gives evidence of nature’s abundance, of creativity, and of communion. Their liturgies are replete with their own arts and crafts, their chants and dances, their own unique expressions of God’s presence among His people. Their ecological life-style is healing the consumeristic and materialistic attitude of today's world of economic globalization.

    A young Redemptorist priest inspired people in a remote village of Surigao del Norte, Mindanao, Philippines to organize themselves to protect, conserve, manage and develop their environment. They have planted the sturdiest trees of the Philippines, and these have become magnificent forests, where springs provide cool, clear and refreshing waters whose sounds create a symphony with the songs of birds, insects and the rustling of leaves. Sustained by an eco-spirituality, the people have been able to apprehend powerful illegal loggers who are a threat to their forests and their lives. Fortunately, they have been able to secure the support of their town mayor and an ecumenical group.

    On the level of graduate education, the Asian Social Institute in Manila offers a doctoral program in Applied Cosmic Anthropology; its curriculum employs elements from the physical, human, and social sciences as well as from creation spirituality. It aims to foster a holistic approach to social transformation. It considers both the intangible and tangible elements for a life geared to transformative approaches. Courses such as “Introduction to Creation Spirituality,” “Asian Values and Creation Spirituality,” “Harmonizing Ecology and Technology” and “Spiritual Expressions of Cosmic Consciousness” all make up the subject cluster for this Creation Spirituality Course.

    PASTORAL-THEOLOGICAL ORIENTATIONS. For guidance in the area of theological reflection on ecological questions, one can turn to a variety of Church documents. Pope Paul VI wrote in Evangelii Nuntiandi that it is essential “to evangelize man’s culture and cultures … always taking the person as one’s starting point and always coming back to the relationships of people among themselves and with God…. Therefore, every effort must be made to ensure a full evangelization of culture, or more correctly of cultures. They have to be regenerated by an encounter with the Gospel” (EN 20). It is such a transformative vision that undergirds Church involvement in the field of ecology.

    In his 1987 encyclical letter on social concerns, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, Pope John Paul II wrote: “Today perhaps more than in the past, people are realizing that they are linked together by a common destiny, which is to be constructed together, if catastrophe for all is to be avoided.” The pope continued, “the idea is slowly emerging that the good to which we all are called and the happiness to which we aspire cannot be obtained without an effort and commitment on the part of all, nobody excluded, and the consequent renouncing of personal selfishness.” Then he noted: “Among today’s positive signs we must also mention is a greater realization of the limits of available resources, and of the need to respect the integrity and the cycles of nature and to take them into account when planning for development, rather than sacrificing them to certain demagogic ideas about the latter. Today this is called ecological concern” (SRS 26).

    One of the most enlightened documents on ecology came from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines in 1988; entitled “What Is Happening to Our Beautiful Land?” This pastoral letter addresses ecological concerns. The bishops began: “The Philippines is now at a critical point in its history…. One does not need to be an expert to see what is happening and to be profoundly troubled by it…. At this point in the history of our country, it is crucial that people motivated by religious faith develop a deep appreciation for the fragility of our islands’ life-systems and take steps to defend the Earth. It is a matter of life and death.”

    The Second Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP II) in 1991 contained some very positive orientations on the environment and ecological issues. The Council Acts noted that every Christian is called by faith to practice “stewardship of God's creation" (PCP-II 79). The Council also added that “moral issues are involved“ when fishing, mining and logging are done with “inadequate safeguards for ecological integrity" (PCP-II 321). Furthermore, the Council provided a moral principle: “The sovereignty granted to us by the Creator is not a license to misuse God’s creation. We are but stewards of creation, not its absolute master. And stewards are accountable to the Creator and giver of all good things” (PCP-II 324).

    CONCRETE AND PRACTICAL INITIATIVES. Turning our thoughts to some concrete actions and practical options, I begin by noting that we Asians need to touch base with our Oriental philosophies and our indigenous religious traditions that speak of harmony with creation. If there is something common in the whole of Asia, it is the recognition that life in all its diverse forms needs balance and harmony, so that every life-force will bring well-being to all. This basic character of Oriental socio-religious culture addresses a concern for ecology. One discovers deep Oriental wisdom embedded in the bio-spiritual exercises of Aikido from Japan, Tai-Chi from China, and Yoga from India. Their world-view holds that the way one breathes and lives contains a path to health, life and holistic being. They promote a consciousness of the interconnectedness of the wholeness of all life forms. Christians can recall the Genesis story of how God breathed life into all of creation. The psalmist says: “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord” (Ps. 150:6).

    The Philippine bishops’ pastoral letter on ecology quoted above contains some very concrete and apropos advice about putting an ecological vision into practice. The bishops stated: “In light of this vision we recommend action in the following areas: (a) Be aware of what is happening in your area…. Use your influence within your family and community to develop this awareness…. (b) Like every other group, the Church as a community is called to conversion around this, the ultimate pro-life issue…. There is a great need for a Filipino theology of creation which will be sensitive to our unique living world, our diverse cultures, and our religious heritage…. (c) We ask the government not to pursue short-term economic gains at the expense of long-term ecological damage…. (d) Non-governmental organizations have a very important role to play in developing a widespread ecological awareness among people.”

    Finally, I see some additional concrete responses that Christians can make. I would recommend the following: (1) Children and youth activities in schools, in movements and organizations should include excursions to nature areas and sponsor activities wherein the young will experience God in nature. (2) Reflection on the Gospel should teach us how to appreciate Jesus’ sensitivity to nature in our own particular culture. (3) Church agents should promote a heightened ecological consciousness and eco-spirituality in seminaries, schools, Church organizations and especially in Basic Christian Communities. (4) Oriental wisdom, particularly “the way of the breath as a path to life, health, and being,” can be integrated in our prayer rituals and liturgies. (5) Seminars may be designed and given to motivate NGOs, Church groups, students, and people in media to be committed to total human development, linking ecological concerns with issues of justice and peace.
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    Mina M. Ramirez, a Filipina lay-woman, is Dean of the Graduate School of the Asian Social Institute in Manila.

    THE ASIAN CONTEXT. This reflection is written from the perspective of an Indonesian woman; it begins by narrating three experiences in various localities in Indonesia that are related to questions of public health and the responses given by Church workers.

    When the SARS virus (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) was rampant here in Asia, I was invited to give a talk in Batam, a small island of Indonesia. I was replacing one of resource persons who did not arrive; she informed the body that she did not want to get SARS, because Batam Island is near Singapore, one of the countries hit by SARS. On my way to Batam, I met many people using facial masks to cover their nose and mouth. Many Indonesians were in a panic faced with this reality. The World Health Organization (WHO) cautioned governments about the epidemic. However, in fact, SARS is not the main public health problem in Indonesia; the real difficulties are disease and the lack of nutritious food, especially for women and children.

    Novi is a ten-year old girl child. One day, she came home early from school. When her mother asked her why she came home, she only cried. The same pattern repeated itself daily for about two weeks. Tina, Novi’s mother, came to my Women’s Crisis Center and told of her experience. Our official counselor, a midwife, talked to Tina and arranged to visit Novi’s school. She learned that Novi was reprimanded daily by her teacher. When our counselor asked why, she was told that Novi is lagging very far behind her friends and that she always sleeps in the classroom. Novi had grown and developed, but consistently lacked nutritious food. Now Novi can no longer go to the common school; she needs help in a special school. Novi is one of thousands of Indonesian children who lack nutritious food during their early growth period (under five years old).

    This next experience took place in the 1970s, when my pastoral work team visited a village called Turi to do training for family income generation. Suti, one of our trainees told me that she could not continue her participation in this seminar because she felt unhealthy. Valentine, a member of our team who is a midwife, immediately examined her. She found out that Suti had been bleeding for a week. When Valentine investigated further, she discovered that Suti was one of hundreds of victims of contraceptive user failure. Suti was forced by a government official from the family planning center to use contraception, even though she is a widow and has entered menopause. She was forced to be one of the “hundred target group” of contraception users. Suti was not given the opportunity to explain her situation to the government official; she was forced to have an IUD inserted in her vagina. First she suffered with the IUD and then it was changed with an implant. Her body rejected it; she experienced continuous bleeding. Valentine took Suti immediately to the hospital in the city; Suti needed emergency help for her serious situation.

    The three experiences narrated above are illustrations of our basic health pastoral work in Indonesia. As in other Asian countries, Catholic schools, hospitals and clinics are very prevalent in the society. Ordinary people trust and like to be cared for in the Catholic schools and hospitals. In addition to hospital institutions, the Indonesian Catholic Church provides many local health clinics in grass-roots areas for supporting public health. PERDHAKI is the name of the Indonesian Catholic Church’s institution for the Pastoral Health Care Apostolate.

    FAITH REFLECTION ON EXPERIENCE. Before proceeding further, I want to clarify how I understand “inculturation.” I see inculturation linked with the emergence of the “local Church.” The Second Vatican Council was an historical milestone, providing guidelines for social change. The Church has a universal mission, but it also recognizes that all people have their own culture. During the period of colonialism many peoples were controlled and never allowed to fully appreciate their own cultural richness. The independence movement liberated many countries from colonial control. This “foreign” control had spilled over into religion; “pagan” was the term used for many things that were rooted in the local culture. The growth of the local Church has resulted in songs and dances based on culture; these were developed for the liturgy. However, greater depth has to be achieved. Inculturation based on Christian faith must also relate the Church’s mission with local culture. This means that faith is to reach all levels of society; it means including community health programs within the Church’s mission of integral evangelization.

    Inculturation in the area of health also means we must talk about human life and death. Human health cannot be separated from food, nutrition, medicine, and the natural environment. There is a rhythm of life in human experience; thus, health, human realities, and all human problems are interrelated. In addition, they cannot be separated from culture and its social-cultural-political construction.

    Women are closely integrated into this reality; they have a pivotal role in supporting public health challenges; women are the “back-bone” of any public health initiative. Women bear a huge responsibility for family and public health matters. Since ancient times, the Indonesian people have entrusted to women the care of family health. When the mother of a family is healthy, this means she has the energy to take care of her family and to influence public health matters. It is a reality that in an agricultural society like Indonesia, women have a pivotal role in community health regulation. Their authority to manage the family’s health is closely related with the management of food, nutrition and medicines.

    In Indonesia today women and men do not get the same treatment. Women’s subordinate position often pushes them into poverty; they often lack nutritious food, equal education, and their reproductive rights are abused. The mother of a family has to take care of her family’s health, but she gets the last food; she is expected to be responsible for limiting the birth of children. In some cases it can be said that the state controls the body of Indonesian women.

    A TRULY HUMAN LIFE. The stories about SARS, Novi and Suti mentioned above represent many common human life problems in Indonesia. Where can one look for guidance and direction? What action can be taken? Will it truly be effective? I will cite one example. In October 1990 Father Gregorius Utomo and I (both alumni of the Maryknoll School of Theology) organized a farmer’s meeting at the national level; this gathering was held in Ganjuran, Jogyakarta. Based on the participants’ reflections, we all agreed to develop small communities all over Indonesia that would respond to human health issues. It was a type of peoples’ movement. The motivation was based on culture; the desired outcome was socio-cultural change for a more healthy, more human, life.

    The Ganjuran meeting in October 1990 was the beginning of an awareness movement for the people in the grass-roots. This movement raised people’s consciousness that human life is threatened by ecological destruction of the soil, forest, seeds, food, and herbs. Our rivers, seas and sources of water are becoming polluted. All these situations are closely related with people’s health (as illustrated by my opening stories). People are becoming aware that they have to organize themselves to solve these problems. The existence of women’s groups in the grass-roots becomes an opportunity to support the women’s movement engaged in ecological healing and the issue of human health. The campaign envisions and supports the growth of small communities on the grass-roots level. Some of the movement’s activities are the following:

    (1) Formation of a Community of Organic Farming. These groups seek to provide secure food materials. They plant local seeds of rice, vegetables, and fruits. They use natural fertilizers and natural pesticides. Small market centers for their products are growing all over Indonesia. This is one effort to protect human health.

    (2) Establishment of Community Health Centers. In these centers people can get natural medicine made from local herbs. Several hundreds of such centers provide natural medicine for preventing and curing people’s illnesses. In addition, these centers provide traditional medicinal treatments. In this area Indonesia is very rich with traditional healers. Recently, people have returned to the use of traditional medicine as preventive methods for family health.

    (3) Information Campaign to Assist Women. Regarding health questions and women’s concerns in particular, small groups have been organized to disseminate information about reproductive rights, health care, and birth regulation decisions. The objective of the movement is to open women’s hearts and minds so they can have control over what happens to their own bodies. Woman empowerment in health issues is a very important aspect of life.

    (4) An Interfaith Approach to Community Issues. Finally I want to note that our grass-roots approaches to inculturated health care seek to honor pluralistic values. Everyone must bear mutual respect for others, respect in all aspects of human life. Faith is a transcendent personal relationship; it is a universal experience. How every person implements one’s faith will differ, depending on one’s locality. Every one lives in a community with specific life regulations, including ways to maintain life. No body and no one country has right to control another. We Christians have to reflect deeply on both the local and global role of the Catholic Church in the vast arena of human health and authentic development.
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    Augustina Nunuk Murniati, an Indonesian laywoman, is a member of the National Commission on Anti-Violence against Women.

    THE ASIAN CONTEXT. In many countries in Asia local cultures are undergoing rapid changes because of modern transportation and telecommunication. For example, small villages on the islands of Flores, Timor, Sumba, Kalimantan and on other islands in Indonesia, as well as rural communities in India and China can no longer isolate themselves from global modern influences which invade everyone’s consciousness everyday through radio and television. New ideas and values challenge the traditional worldviews and value systems; this bombardment can result in a kind of cultural crisis.

    It is helpful to understand culture in the widest sense as the total complex of socially transmitted beliefs and values, behavior patterns and institutions, and all other products of human creativity. This definition actually describes culture on three levels. On the first level, culture is regarded as a collection of physical things produced by people who live together in a certain society: houses, clothes, temples, sculptures, paintings, books, rice fields, cars, factories, and so on. On a deeper level one finds symbols, systems of knowledge, patterns of behavior, traditions, and social institutions, which govern the life of people in a society. Finally, on the deepest level, however, every culture has what Paul Ricoeur calls an "ethico-mythical nucleus," which is a complex of the most fundamental beliefs and values that functions as a central point of reference and a source of inspiration for people in a particular society. It is called "ethico-mythical" because very often this nucleus is not formulated in a systematic doctrine, but rather told in myths and stories which contain basic models for human life. No culture can survive and flourish without an ethico-mythical nucleus. To use a metaphor from physics, it is the atomic nucleus of culture which governs all cultural activities and movements.

    In the course of history, however, this ethico-mythical nucleus can be destroyed by war, by the moral and spiritual decline of the leaders who do not live according to the inspiration of these fundamental values, or because of the clash with foreign dominant values which cannot be integrated. This is probably the secret behind the fall of the great ancient cultures of Egypt, Babylonia, the Incas, and so on. A successful encounter between different cultures, on the contrary, would result in a creative transformation.

    What actually happens when local and traditional cultures in Asia are confronted with modern influences in the global world today? To answer this question, one must elucidate some characteristics of pre-modern and modern cultural paradigms in order to see better the possible encounter and even clash between them. [This presentation will skip the post-modern paradigm in order to avoid an overly complicated discussion.]

    According to the pre-modern worldview, the universe is a cosmos, in which everything has its meaning and role within the harmony with the whole. This cosmos is sacred; people live in the awareness of their close proximity to the Holy. Community is conceived as a living organism with its own unity and order. A person realizes himself or herself by participating in the community in harmony with nature. Individuality, in the modern sense of the word, has not yet emerged. A human being is a micro-cosmos within a macro-cosmos. Religiosity is based on human awareness of the union with the sacred cosmos and the Holy.

    The modern paradigm, on the contrary, is commenced by the birth of a rational and autonomous subject. In front of this subject, the universe becomes an object, a disenchanted universe, which can be exploited and dominated. The most spectacular manifestation of this domination is science and technology. Society is no longer an organism, but an organization based on a Social Contract (Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau). The ideal self-realization is the promotion of the individual as a unique and autonomous ego. Religiosity is based on a personal relationship with God.

    In these two great paradigms one observes different views concerning the world, the human person, community or society, and religiosity. They are intricately related to one another in such a way that change in one aspect will certainly have its repercussions in others. For example, one cannot change the vision of the world from a sacred cosmos to a disenchanted universe without the transformation of the human person into an autonomous subject, the transformation of society from organism to organization, and the transformation of the cosmic religiosity to personal belief.

    In the encounter and confrontation between these two paradigms, the identity of local or traditional cultures is challenged; this results in a certain crisis. Several consequences may follow. First, modern influence prevails and the local culture is suppressed. Secondly, people within that particular culture may close themselves off in a kind of ghetto in order to preserve their culture and to avoid foreign influence. Thirdly, people may also live in a kind of cultural schizophrenia because they cannot integrate various cultural influences in their lives. Finally, there may be a creative cultural transformation, which might be the best outcome.

    HISTORICAL CONTEXT. Faith is never lived in a cultural vacuum. So, when the Christian missionaries came in large numbers from Europe to Asia in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, they came with modern presuppositions. However, when people in India, Indonesia, the Philippines and elsewhere received the Gospel, they received it with their worldview and cultural heritage. Consciously or unconsciously, the missionaries from Europe had come to mission countries from a position of superiority. First, there was political superiority; they came from the colonizing to the colonized countries. Secondly, there was cultural superiority; they came from the developed to the so-called under-developed countries [though they met some very developed cultures and civilizations, e.g. Japan, China, India]; they arrived with the presuppositions that the modern worldview was the best viable paradigm for the future of humankind. Thirdly one notes economic superiority; they came from rich to poorer countries. Finally, the missionaries held to religious superiority; they came with a strong conviction about extra ecclesia nulla salus (outside the Church there is no salvation).

    Within this presupposition of superiority, the missionaries proclaimed the Gospel and baptized people, but they also promoted education, social and economic welfare. The prime aim of mission was plantatio ecclesiae (planting the Church). Since the model of the Church was the one they knew in Europe at that time, plantatio ecclesiae was actually transplantatio ecclesiae (transplantation of the Church). Of course, one must add that a number of missionaries paid much attention to language and cultural studies; the experiment of inculturation goes back to Matteo Ricci in the sixteenth century in China. What has been described here was the general tendency.

    In the process of transplantatio ecclesiae the missionaries taught Christian doctrines formulated in a Western philosophical framework; they built churches according to European architecture. They introduced Gregorian chant, German and Spanish songs; they celebrated liturgy in the Latin Rite. In addition, they promoted education according to European systems. The Church was thus planted, but in many cases it remained a foreign entity.

    Only after the Second Vatican Council did the idea of adaptation and later inculturation come to the fore. The Asian Bishops' Meeting used the word “inculturation” for the first time in their final statement in Manila in 1970; since then it has been used more and more in the later FABC documents. In the Asian Colloquium on Ministries in the Church (1977) one reads: "the decisive new phenomenon for Christianity in Asia will be the emergence of genuine Christian communities in Asia—Asian in their way of thinking, praying, living, communicating their own Christ-experience to others” (ACMC 14).

    PASTORAL-THEOLOGICAL ORIENTATIONS. Inculturation has its theological foundation in the mystery of the Incarnation. The living Word of God with its redeeming power has to be incarnated again in local cultures; the Church has to grow and to have its roots in the local soil. According to the Asian bishops, the way of inculturation is dialogue, a dialogue between Gospel and the Asian reality. In their analysis of Asian reality, the bishops describe this continent as the cradle of great religions; they indicate the plurality of cultures and mention the reality of the poor and marginalized who form the bulk of Asian peoples. As a consequence, the bishops propose a threefold dialogue, namely, dialogue with people of other religions, with cultures, and with the poor and marginalized.

    Religions. Interreligious dialogue can take various forms which together may constitute a “virtual circle.” The first form is dialogue of life where people of various religions live together in the same society with tolerance and respect for each other. Secondly, through a dialogue of action they collaborate on some concrete projects such as helping the victims of a natural disaster, promoting human rights, improving education for poor children and so on. Thirdly, people of different religions can also pray together and share their faith; for example, after the big riot in Jakarta on May 13-15, 1998, where 1,190 people were killed, women activists of different religions (Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism) organized several prayer meetings where they openly denounced the acts of violence and prayed together for justice, reconciliation and peace in a wounded nation. Finally, there can be dialogue on the theological or doctrinal level. Here one very often finds institutional obstacles. For this reason a group of Islamic, Christian, Hindu and Buddhist theologians in some countries could form a forum of interfaith dialogue, where each participant is supposed to speak from his or her own personal reflection without officially representing any institution. In brief, dialogue of life and action paves the way for theological dialogue. In its turn, theological dialogue should enlighten and promote dialogue of life and action.

    Cultures. It has been noted earlier that only after Vatican II has there been a great movement of inculturation in order to incarnate the Gospel message into different languages and cultures. People now hear the Gospel in their own language, they sing their songs, they dance and celebrate their life of faith according to their own culture. In this way Christian faith slowly gets rooted in the culture and a genuine local church is formed.

    The inculturation of theology, however, is more difficult. It is a long-term project. Only from the authentic praxis of faith can there follow an indigenous and original theological reflection, because theology is nothing else but a critical reflection on the life of faith. Orthopraxis comes first; then authentic theology follows! In other words, the main agent of the development of the local Church is not the theologian, but the local Christian community that celebrates the joys and sorrows of its life according to the inspiration of the Gospel.

    How can one envision the relation between the particularity of the local Church and the catholicity of the universal Church? First of all, what Catholics call "universal Church" is the ecclesia ecclesiarum (Church of Churches), the communion of Christian communities in the Lord. One can use the paradigm of art in order to better understand the relation between particularity and universality. If someone simply copies the work of another artist, he or she is not a real artist but an imitator. It is a paradoxical truth of art that the more unique and original a work of art is, the more universal value it has. The same thing can be said about the particularity and universality of the Church. The more authentic and original the life of faith is in the local Churches, the more universal (catholic) value does it contribute to the communion of the Church. If, however, the local Church simply imitates what is done in Rome, then it is an imitation Church, not yet an authentic Church rooted in the local soil.

    On the other hand, every culture contains elements of alienation, the elements which enslave people and which do not promote the well-being of humanity. The message of the Gospel is, therefore, a prophetic criticism and spiritual contribution to the life of a particular culture so that culture may become the celebration of human life before God.

    The Poor and Marginalized. In many parts of Asia Christians live among the great mass of very poor people. Mission among the poor means being in solidarity with them, participating in their life and their struggle for a just and humane society. From their part the poor offer an opportunity to undergo a radical conversion. Aloysius Pieris asserts that the poor (the destitute, dispossessed, displaced and discriminated) who form the bulk of Asian peoples, plus their specific brand of cosmic religiosity constitute a school where many Christian activists re-educate themselves in the art of speaking the language of God's reign, which is the language of liberation which God speaks through Jesus. Often, neither the academic nor the pastoral magisterium is conversant with this evangelical idiom.

    Inculturation denotes a cultural transformation of faith, which is at the same time a redemptive innovation of culture. It is through inculturation that faith and culture collaborate to overcome cultural crisis. Then and only then, the local Church discovers its own identity as fully indigenous and authentically Christian.

    It is important to note that human identity and social identity are always a narrative identity. People understand themselves in the framework of a story. In the process of inculturation, people begin to tell their own stories and weave them together with the story of Jesus as their model. In this way the Christian communities in Asia will be able to change the “Asian Drama of Suffering” into the “Asian Good News of Salvation.”
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    Leo Kleden, a Divine Word Missionary (SVD) from Indonesia, serves on the SVD General Council in Rome.

    THE ASIAN CONTEXT. “Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart” (Jer. 15:16).

    One evident characteristic of the Catholic Church in the last few decades is the Biblical renewal movement. With Vatican II the Word of God returns gradually to its central place in the life of the Church after centuries of exile. This is especially true for the Church in the West. In the younger Churches in Asia, one would rather speak of a new epiphany of the Word, a discovery of the Bible; this is because in the history of evangelization in Asia, Scripture never played a prominent role.

    The great epoch of evangelization in Asia, between the 1600s and 1800s, coincided with the rigid period of the Counter-reformation. The most important book of faith was not the Bible, but the Catechism. Most missionaries shared the then common mentality that the Bible must be read with special care by only a few. Access to the Bible by the faithful was indirect and mediated by the clergy in pastoral ministry and in the liturgy. Therefore, from its very beginning in Asia, the Catholic Church was known more for its magnificent organizational structures and efficiency, works of charity, splendid churches, great missionary figures, European style of religious practices, and less for its spirituality and sacred books.

    For Asian peoples, however, religious literature is much more important than any Westerner could imagine. All great Asian religions can boast of sacred books with elevated teaching and refined philosophy. The spread of a religion depends very much on the diffusion of its Scriptures. The spread of Buddhism in China is a witness to this. Even within the Catholic Church there is a significant example: the foundation of Christianity in Korea was not laid by foreign missionaries, but by the study of Christian books brought into the country from China by Korean converts.

    Vatican II was a turning point. The Bible was handed over to Asians in a new way. The encounter with the sacred texts has become more immediate and intense, more frequent and vital. In this new encounter, Christians in Asia discover the marvels of the Bible. They realize with surprise that it is very near to their own mentality, their way of thinking and of expressing themselves. They feel at home with its narrative style, parables and metaphors, concise oracles of the prophets, poetic prayers, and especially its wisdom reflections. These are the same means used in the ancient writings to communicate experience and wisdom of life.

    The Bible opens up a great display of symbols and images before the Asian reader, a lively intertwining of words and silence, of time and space. One hears the voice of God, of humans, of nature, of the whole cosmos; one feels drawn into the mysterious harmony, while the heart longs for the infinite, for fullness. This is exactly what Asians expect from divine revelation.

    No one is surprised that in the few decades since Vatican II, all Churches in Asia have witnessed an increase of initiatives around the Word of God. Where the Bible has the central place one observes a real vitality and a growth in quality in all aspects of the ecclesial community.

    PASTORAL-THEOLOGICAL ORIENTATIONS. “He is … like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old” (Mt. 13:52).

    The concept of inculturation supposes a mutual interaction of the Gospel and culture which brings out from the treasures of both “what is new and what is old” under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

    Every culture in its own way, is a bearer of the universal values established by God and is open to His Word. In effect, the Word of God is a seed which extracts from the earth where it is planted the elements useful for its growth and fruitfulness (cf. Ad Gentes 22). Consequently, inculturation of the Bible should not be considered a one-way process. It involves “mutual enrichment.” On one hand, the Word of God, which transcends all cultures, must take root in a variety of terrains and transform them. On the other hand, the treasures contained in diverse cultures allow the Word of God to produce new fruits. Thus, cultures can become hermeneutical criteria in understanding the biblical message.

    The foundation is solid, the aim is clear, but the realization is difficult and the process complex. Speaking specifically of countries of recent evangelization such as many of those in Asia, a document of the Pontifical Biblical Commission entitled The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church (1993) states: “Missionaries cannot help bring the Word of God in the form in which it has been inculturated in their own country of origin. New local churches have to make every effort to convert this foreign form of biblical inculturation into another form more closely corresponding to the culture of their own land” (Section IV.B on “Inculturation”).

    Facing the paradox that the Word of God has aroused the least response in Asia, the most religious continent of the world, another recent Vatican document Towards a Pastoral Approach to Culture, issued by the Pontifical Council for Cultures (1999) asks: “Is that not chiefly because Christianity is still perceived there as a foreign religion introduced by Westerners, which has not been sufficiently adapted, thought through and lived in the cultures of Asia?” (TPAC 20).

    Various Assemblies of the FABC from 1974 onwards and particularly the Synod of Asian Bishops (1998) launched the challenge of a change of vision: Jesus is not foreign to Asia. The post-synodal document Ecclesia in Asia states firmly that the Church in Asia has to rediscover, with greater awareness, “the Asian roots of Christianity” (EA 4a). “It was in fact in Asia that God revealed and fulfilled his saving purpose from the beginning” (EA 1a). “Jesus Christ the Savior … took flesh as an Asian!” (EA 1a). Therefore, inculturation of the Gospel in Asia “involves rediscovering the Asian countenance of Jesus“ (EA 20h).

    In the search for the Asian countenance of Jesus, inculturation of the Bible is essential. Acknowledging that “the Word of God has an inherent power to touch the hearts of people” (EA 22d), the Synod Fathers stressed particularly ‘the importance of the biblical word in passing on the message of salvation to the peoples of Asia, where the transmitted word is so important in preserving and communicating religious experience” (EA 22d). Moreover, almost all biblical texts are formed and written in Asia, and “the narrative style found in many books of the Bible has an affinity with the religious texts typical of Asia” (EA 22d). There is no doubt Asia can become “the land of a bountiful harvest” (EA 4d) for the Word of God.

    CONCRETE AND PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. “Your word is a lamp for my feet” (Ps. 119:105).

    The renewed awareness of the closeness of the biblical text to the Asian mentality should stimulate all to make a paradigm shift and implement initiatives of inculturation of the Bible so that the Word of God may truly touch the hearts of Asians. How can this be promoted? Here are some suggestions.

    (1) Translation and diffusion of the Scriptures is the basic step for facilitating an effective encounter with the sacred text. Today the Bible is translated in many Asian languages, but there is still much room for developing the dynamics of inculturation in this field. (2) Actualization of the Word of God consists in applying the texts to life-situations of Asians so that they can be experienced as life-giving Good News. The Word of God, set in a more explicit relationship with the ways of feeling, thinking and self-expression of Asian cultures, can shed light on many current issues in this continent; some examples are the youth, women, family, the poor, migrants, Christians as a minority, and the area of interreligious dialogue. This actualization is best achieved within the Basic Ecclesial communities. Since BECs “grappled with life-issues in the light of the Word of God, they are able to appropriate personally for themselves the meaning of the Word of God and recognize its concrete challenges and demands” (FABC Theses on the Local Church [TLC] 9.1).

    The Church can promote (3) an Asian approach to the Bible; listening to the Word of God should go beyond academic analysis and exegesis of the scriptural texts. Asian biblical scholars have to localize hermeneutical sensitivities, based on the “innate spiritual insight and moral wisdom of the Asian soul” (EA 6d), and elaborate adequate methods and models of reading the Bible. For example, in many of the Asian religious traditions, scripture is not so much read but chanted. This is a unique mechanism for “tasting the word” and letting it echo internally as well as externally. (4) Asian readers tend to learn their sacred text by heart, repeating it, meditating on it, until it reveals its profound meaning, producing the effect of “enlightenment” and “awakening” in them. They are more open to intuit the infinite. From the material aspect of the written word, they desire to go to what is unwritten and unexpressed, from what is audible to silence.

    Moreover, (5) Asians have a great capacity for association. Reading the Bible, they can easily recall thoughts and traditions of their culture, thus witnessing the harmony and communicability between various experiences of truth and wisdom. (6) In the area of Biblical formation, one notes: “In the past, formation often followed the style, methods and programs imported from the West” (EA 22e). Hopefully, the Church in Asia will develop a biblical formation program more intensive and more adequate to its social-cultural context. Though cultivating the scientific quality of biblical studies, Asian Christians should not ignore the formation for the biblical apostolate and biblical spirituality.
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    Maria Ko, an FMA sister from Hong Kong, teaches sacred scripture at the Auxilium in Rome.

    THE ASIAN CONTEXT. There is an enormous cultural diversity among Asia’s four billion people; therefore, it is impossible to briefly describe where the Church in Asia is with regard to the task of inculturation of theology. Concomitantly, it becomes necessary to ask each major cultural area to describe its interests, concerns, projects, and experiences.

    There is a marked diversity between “South Asia” and “East Asia.” This fact has been recognized in various international bodies (e.g. FABC, International Theological Commission, etc.). Thus, efforts to understand Church realities must incorporate views and experiences from “joss stick” areas (e.g. India, Sri Lanka, etc.) as well as the “chopstick” cultural regions (e.g. Korea, Japan, etc.). And yet, since there is so large a diversity, no one can speak with any “authority” except for one’s own immediate circle of labor and of contacts.

    One can validly assert that there has been much greater and explicit inculturation work in theology from the “joss stick culture” area. Some of the work is quite wide and deep in character (e.g. S. Amalorpavadass, F. Wilfred, M. Amaladoss, S. Rayan, A. Pieris). Other names need to be added to the list (e.g. Protestant theologians and other “South Asian” theologians writing from the European academe).

    The South Asian theologians write from their different context, with its own particular concerns (e.g. Indian situations of poverty and injustice), interreligious dialogue (based on concrete experience), and culture change as it is taking place in various sectors in South Asia (considerably different in character and concrete consequences from the cultural shifts in East and Southeast Asia).

    In East and Southeast Asia, the “Christian areas" are mostly in the Philippines and -South Korea. Places that are in "contact with Western theology but Chinese-speaking" are areas like Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Simply to name the places is already to name the considerable cultural differences. There have been significant beginnings in inculturated theological reflection in each of these areas, for sure. Personally, I know much only on the Roman Catholic side and this from the Philippines and, to a lesser extent, Indonesia. As examples, one could cite two recent contributions: “The Craft of Contextual Theology” by D. Pilario [Chakana 1:1 (2003)]; The Rise of Filipino Theology by D. Tesoro and J. Jose [Paulines, 2004]. Finally, I note that in the Protestant churches and communities much has also been done, but unfortunately I myself do not know the details of this work.

    In the Philippines, and this may be true in many Asian local Churches, inculturation concerns have centered mainly on social issues: development and liberation themes (including a "theology of struggle," political ideologies, and societal change), BECs, popular religion and devotional life, the Church and the culture of the poor, feminism, youth, and the like. Considerable effort has been made to link biblical study and reflection with social issues. Some Christological studies have been done, many of them linked once again with theologies of social renewal and liberation of the poor. Yet, I do not know personally of any major Christological or Trinitarian work of “envergure.” In brief, most work focuses on the discernment of “the concrete mission of the Church” (as is done in other Asian countries mutatis mutandis).

    PASTORAL-THEOLOGICAL ORIENTATIONS. The theological work fostered by the FABC through its assemblies, workshops, and pastoral meetings is now of considerable volume and "weight." This whole backlog of reflection needs perhaps more formal study and more careful theological evaluation. The FABC in some ways has been "a major theological locus" of Asian theological work in the last thirty years. Its over-arching “inculturation concern” has been, to my understanding, the more down-to-earth specification of the concrete mission of the Church, here and now in Asia. Yet, as situations “mutate” (even as viruses do), the inculturation process has to be modified.

    The great variety of workshops sponsored by the seven (now nine) “offices” of the FABC (e.g. concerning social justice and its issues, integrity of creation, education, evangelization-in-the-concrete) always results in a concrete effort at theological reflection. Look at every “final statement” of these workshops and judge whether this is not true (see FABC Papers 100 by J. Kroeger which is a Comprehensive Index of FABC reflection extending from 1976-2001). One will quickly see that the overall concern has been “specifying the mission of our local Asian Churches” in each one of these areas of evangelization.

    There have been pivotal persons working within the FABC to promote the emergence of the “Asian face” of the Church. I would single out the behind-the-scenes labors of Maryknoll Father Edward Malone, the FABC "OlC" (officer-in-charge) of activities and projects under the FABC Secretary-General. He has done massive work, which, now that he has served over thirty years, deserves explicit recognition. One could also mention the wide variety of doctoral dissertations on FABC subjects (some authors: C. Putranta, P. Handoko, L. Nemet, L. Thuma, M. Quatra, H. Punda Panda, J. Yun-ka Tan, and E. Chia).

    Some things I have indicated earlier already elucidate these FABC “pastoral-theological orientations.” I ask if it is possible, following on the steps of these theologians and the FABC activities to draw a "master chart" of important concerns of the FABC assemblies and workshops. Can we all look at the FABC Papers in a more systematic way to see what future theological reflection (as inculturation work) is waiting to be done? What are the truly "burning issues" as experienced at present in the various Asian areas?

    Then, in a longer view, what themes have the FABC and Ecclesia in Asia indicated as areas for deeper, wider, more long-range study and reflection? I believe "the Asian understanding of the nature of God" is such a theme, as would be an effort to further "truly Asian Christological reflection."

    "Being Church in Asia" has been a very explicit FABC concern from the beginning. This interest and concern is ongoing. We can encourage further study on this. Much field work, leading to experience and reflection on what is actually taking place is needed in much more differentiated areas (e.g. urban populations as displaced from rural traditional sub-cultures; women in the present period of rapid change; the indigenous communities; the "post modern" young people, etc.). Sociological and anthropological studies must first provide factual material from which to work. Once more, we are in the area of the mission of the Church, as concretely understood as possible. "Being Church in Asia" has been FABC's great focus from the beginning. In this focus a perseverance of labor is both mandatory and—has been and will be—fruitful.

    CONCRETE AND PASTORAL INITIATIVES. Adding to some ideas already outlined in the previous section, I suggest that in each country or major cultural area, a meeting of deans and professors of theological institutions, with a good number of bishops who are really interested, and lay people from the academe, from government and NGO sectors, from parishes, from professional sectors—but people with some knowledge of theological work and concerns—could meet and brainstorm on the matter of "ongoing theological reflection" and "being Church in Asia."

    These not too large (personnel-wise) brainstorming sessions or “Ecclesia in Asia workshops,” if well handled, could be very fruitful. Maybe the FABC Office of Theological Concerns can do some thinking and planning for some "brainstorming" sessions on a wider scale. Theology in our countries has to do some "breaking away" from European-academe accepted ways of doing things.

    The process may be somewhat chaotic at the beginning, but we have to be willing to take risks. Some good, strong, creative minds have to be at the "thinking and growing edge" of this contextual theological reflection in Asia. Much work has to be done!

    Permit a final word. It seems to me that "contextualization" is the most operative meaning of "inculturation" at the present time. This demands first of all much more immediate contact with the cultural developments transpiring in each country, its culture and subcultures. The importance of "language" (anthropological, cultural, etc.) so as to have access to "what is really going on" in the context must more and more occupy our attention. The changing perceptions of reality, especially among our young people, very often best indicate where the people are going. What "language" must the Church increasingly use to reach the young? How do we best communicate the message of hope which Christianity carries? What forms does the struggle to "be and become human" presently take? Theology in a given local Church must be in touch with what Lonergan spoke of as, "what is going forward" in a people, in a culture.

    Theologians must decide "where they will live" and do their work: in the Academe, around Church leadership, or in "wider society" and in which sectors of society. The theological effort today needs to be present in many diverse areas of Church and society. Ours is not the age of summas, so we have to choose the smaller area where we will work, the particular currents in which we will involve ourselves, and there in that locus ask the questions of faith, and ask the faith's questions. Piece-meal work is what will have to come first. Let the "grand visions" (at present strongly frowned on by the post-modern ethos) come later. The immediate work is partial, by necessity, I believe. We will not, of course, cease to strive for the larger picture. In fact, it has always to be kept in the back of our heads. However, for the authentic inculturation of theology, more immediate needs have to be faced at the present time.
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    Catalino G. Arévalo, a Filipino Jesuit (SJ), is professor emeritus at Loyola School of Theology in Manila.

    THE ASIAN CONTEXT. I begin by confessing that I do not have adequate knowledge of the pan-Asian situation, but I presume that what transpires in India is, in some way, true of other Asian countries.

    The three ecclesial traditions in India entered this country only after they had acquired a definite shape in their native land. For many centuries these Churches had bishops of foreign origin. This not only perpetuated the culturally alien image of these Churches but also made them colonies of foreign powers.

    Signs of inculturation are present in the Indian Church and elsewhere. These, however, are mostly restricted to liturgy and para-liturgical celebrations. This is understandable: replacing one set of vestments, sacred vessels, gestures, etc. with another does not call for much personal change. It is only when spirituality, liturgy and theology are intimately related, not merely on the conceptual/ritual level, but also in and through life, that real inculturation becomes possible. This approach will not only provide an inculturated darsana (vision), but also lead to and be nurtured by an inculturated sadhana (praxis).

    In recent years some, in fact very few, have learned and practice yoga, together with exercises that help in being more recollected, more aware of their own self. They take texts of other faith traditions for their personal and communitarian prayer. One also finds the practice of the prayer of the divine name (nama-japa). Some squat on the floor for their personal prayer. The Buddhist retreat (vipassana) is slowly becoming popular among Christians. These attempts at inculturation of spirituality are found largely among religious. Very few if any diocesan priests think along these lines. This has a far-reaching consequence: the inculturation of spirituality has not yet become a real pastoral concern. Even when in some places the liturgy is celebrated in an “inculturated” manner (notice the quotes), it is only a matter of some rituals. This inculturated liturgy is not shaped by an inculturated vision, and hence does not lead to an inculturated praxis. Inculturation becomes a matter of some “local” gestures, and “local” elements: genuflection replaced by a bow, wax candles replaced by joss sticks. This sort of inculturation becomes counterproductive. It makes us feel comfortable: "Who says we are not inculturated?" Even when we try to absorb an inculturated spiritual method, we do so by uprooting the technique from its milieu. Thus, one aspect of yoga is asana, which does not simply mean a body-posture, but also a rejection of the “fast life” which is one of the dehumanizing aspects of contemporary culture.

    One finds another disturbing phenomenon: fundamentalist attitudes of some preachers. The tradition of this land is presented in very poor light. What is more distressing is that these persons have not taken the trouble needed to understand another tradition. They are still guided by an outdated theology which asserts that Jesus Christ alone brings us all the truth we need to be saved.

    PASTORAL-THEOLOGICAL ORIENTATIONS. Inculturation is not something new, a “new-fashioned” concern. From the start the Church has accepted inculturation as an essential dimension of her mission: bringing all nations together with their cultural patrimony to Jesus. The New Testament is written not in Hebrew but in Greek, as this was the language that was used by a greater number of peoples at that time. It is this principle of inculturation that explains the formation of different local Churches, what today we speak of as different rites. In these Churches the riches of the nations are part of Christian self-expression. The sad part of history is that when these Churches moved outside the territory of their origin, they became fossilized: outside cultural forms were imposed on the locals. Even today these outside cultural forms are not easily abandoned, because some leaders think that were their Churches to do so, they would lose their peculiar identity.

    History also tells us how the Spirit guiding the Church can prompt her to move beyond the colonial mentality shaping the political realm. In 1668 the first two natives of Indochina were appointed bishops. This is part of the instruction they received from the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of Faith: "Do not in any way attempt, and do not on any pretext persuade these people to change their rites, habits and customs, unless they are openly opposed to religion and good morals. For what could be more absurd than to bring France, Spain, Italy or any other European country over to China?"

    The concern for inculturation becomes one of the central aspects of the ecclesiology of Vatican II. This is one of the theological consequences of seeing the Church more as the People of God and less as an institution. The latter approach tends to emphasize uniformity, while the former promotes pluralism as an expression of the creative Spirit guiding the pilgrim people of God. It is this guidance of the Spirit that explains the emergence of the different local Churches, Churches that have brought the patrimony of their nation to the Church.

    In his post-synodal apostolic exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi (1975), Pope Paul VI has this to say: "The Church respects and esteems the non-Christian religions because they are the living expression of the soul of vast groups of people. They carry within them the echo of thousands of years of searching for God, a quest which is incomplete but often made with great sincerity and righteousness of heart. They possess an impressive patrimony of deeply religious texts. They have taught generations of people how to pray" (EN 53).

    Twenty-five years after the publication of the conciliar Decree on Missionary Activity (Ad Gentes), Pope John Paul II, in his Redemptoris Missio (1990), invites all to renew their missionary commitment, particularly its contemplative dimension: "The missionary must be a ‘contemplative in action'.... My contact with representatives of the non-Christian spiritual traditions, particularly those of Asia, has confirmed me in the view that the future of the mission depends to a great extent on contemplation. Unless the missionary becomes a contemplative he cannot proclaim Christ in a credible way" (RM 91).

    In Ecclesia in Asia (1999), the document presenting the fruit of the Asian Synod of Bishops (1998), the Pope repeats what he said in Redemptoris Missio: "Mission is contemplative action and active contemplation” (EA 23a). This is more urgent in Asia: "In Asia, home to great religions where individuals and entire peoples are thirsting for the divine, the Church is called to be a praying Church, deeply spiritual even as she engages in immediate human and social concerns. All Christians need a true missionary spirituality of prayer and contemplation" (EA 23a).

    CONCRETE AND PRACTICAL INITIATIVES. In the same document, John Paul II draws attention to this fact: “The people of Asia take pride in their religious and cultural values, such as love of silence and contemplation, simplicity, harmony, detachment, non-violence, the spirit of hard work, discipline, frugal living, the thirst for learning and philosophical enquiry" (EA 6c). Hence, inculturation demands that these values become one’s way of looking at life (darsana). We, especially in India, need to realize that being (satya) is of more importance than having and doing. Our doing will be authentic if it flows from and deepens our being.

    As noted earlier, liturgy, theology and spirituality are interrelated. In our contextualized reflection we cannot ignore the massive poverty we find in India and in other Asian countries. This calls for a deep conversion: "Solidarity with the poor becomes more credible if Christians themselves [and therefore all the more those who profess evangelical poverty] live simply, following the example of Jesus" (EA 34b). Any inculturation, be it of liturgy or theology or spirituality, that does not lead us to be with the poor not merely through inner detachment but also by experiencing in our life some of their struggles, will be merely a cosmetic facade. This call to a life of simplicity and frugality becomes all the more imperative in India which has traditionally seen simplicity of life as a necessary condition and visible evidence for deep interiority.

    From what I have observed, very few diocesan priests and religious men and woman feel the call to a life of simplicity. There are different factors that explain this disturbing phenomenon. Ours is a society where job opportunities are day by day decreasing and where even professionally trained people have to face stiff competition. On the other hand, due to powerful mass media the glamour of affluent countries is casting a powerful spell on Asians. Such a society tends to foster “vocations.” I am inclined to believe that even though most priests and religious are good people, they tend to see their life as one more career, easily available and fairly comfortable. Hence, if Asian Christians want to thirst for an inculturated spirituality, they need to have some effective “models.” This is what they expect from those who have opted for the Kingdom through lifelong celibacy. This will partly be taken care of if we are more selective when accepting candidates for the priesthood and religious life.
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    Subhash Anand, an Indian national, is professor of Hindu Philosophy and Religion at Jnanadeep Vidyapeeth in Pune, India.

    THE ASIAN CONTEXT. To assess the progress of inculturation in the formation of clergy and laity, I will be concrete and focus on the way homilies are given during the Sunday liturgy. For the great majority of Catholics, listening to the homily is the only time that they are able to receive some instruction about their faith. The homily can be an explanation of the text, an application of how to live it in daily life, or both. Many priests prepare their homilies very well; there are those who are not so prepared. The people can easily tell the difference.

    Those who are prepared do not necessarily contribute to the inculturation process. Many homilies are very philosophical, over the heads of the people; these do not communicate any message, except perhaps through the tone of delivery or the stories or jokes that amuse some. Then, after mass, the laity go home either having received a simple message from the readings (and maybe from the homily) or they really have no new insight at all on how to live their faith better. Sometimes, the laity return home rather disappointed and sometimes (hopefully this is rare) rather confused or annoyed about what was heard during the homily.

    The kind of homily that priests give is a clear indicator of how inculturated are the formation and outlook of the priest. The homily reflects if he is addressing the people as if they belong to a culture of a past time or as if they belong to a place different from where they actually are. Does he speak to the people who are living in the present with the many concrete challenges life poses to their Christian faith? One could also ask: How much does the homily on the Christian faith lived in a particular time and place in the past (like that of the first Christians) contribute so that faith takes root in the present culture of the people who are searching for a source of light and inspiration in their struggles to do what they see as right and just?

    There are fine homilies that do touch the lives of people and challenge them to live a life that resembles the life of Jesus and make it alive in their present realities. They will remember some words from the homily that help them reflect on certain ways of doing things, ways of living life, ways they create culture. Such homilies inspire them to change, to be better, to transform the culture in the light of the Gospel. This kind of homily becomes a venue for the inculturation of the faith. People who are touched by the homily will go back to their families and share the light and the challenge. They will go back to their communities, enthusiastic to make an effort to live the Gospel message. Yet, as one observes the practice in many parishes, one naturally asks how many homilies are contributing to the process of making the faith alive in the very context of the people? How many priests are usually aware of the life struggles faced by people of their parish and thus are able to speak to them, give them new hope and new challenges to be better Christians?

    In the parish where I heard a very down-to-earth homily, so relevant to life, giving new insights and at the same time making a strong call to conversion in a very concrete way, I was informed that a community helps the parish priest prepare his homily. It is an example of clergy and laity partnership for more inculturated preaching. A good homily will be a source of formation for the people; the people who share their life experience with the priest are also contributing to the formation of the priest. In this process, inculturated formation takes place for both clergy and laity.

    PASTORAL-THEOLOGICAL ORIENTATIONS. The mystery of the Incarnation, God taking human form and becoming like us, except in sin, if taken seriously and coherently, is an event that challenges us to continue our efforts so that faith in God and following Jesus can take root in Asian cultures. Through this process Christian faith acquires an Asian face. The daily events of life and the development of culture shape the world where lay people are immersed. This is not the reality lived daily by priests who are fully dedicated in the ministry; they have given up daily concerns about life (e.g. providing for the family, caring for children) as their main task. Inculturation of the faith takes place in the struggles of the people, in the blend of life’s joys and pains, in the midst of family, profession and other concerns. Lay people are called to express faith and to allow faith to take root in these situations, in their milieu, in societal structures.

    Ecclesia in Asia expresses it very clearly: "Moreover, since the inculturation of the Gospel involves the entire People of God, the role of the laity is of paramount importance. It is they above all who are called to transform society, in collaboration with the Bishops, clergy and religious, by infusing the 'mind of Christ' into the mentality, customs, laws and structures of the secular world in which they live" (EA 22e). Since the experiences of lay people are the concrete space and time where the Gospel is lived, these persons can best communicate them to the priests who, in turn, are called to give instruction on the faith to vast numbers of lay people who attend mass on Sunday and most likely will not have another opportunity during the week.

    The Catechism of the Catholic Church speaks of the priesthood of the laity: "The whole community of believers is, as such, priestly. The faithful exercise their baptismal priesthood through their participation, each according to his own vocation, in Christ's mission as priest, prophet and king" (CCC 1546). It continues: "the ministerial priesthood is at the service of the common priesthood" (CCC 1547). The common priesthood of laity lived within worldly structures reveals many Christian responses to the demands of life; the ordained ministers at the service of this common priesthood have to receive inspiration from the people, if they want their message to be relevant to their aspirations and needs.

    The final statement of the First Plenary Assembly of the Asian Bishops (FABC) in 1974 declared: "The local church is a church incarnate in a people, a church indigenous and inculturated, ... a church in continuous, humble and loving dialogue with the living traditions, the cultures, the religions—in brief, with all the life-realities of the people in whose midst it has sunk its roots deeply.... It seeks to share in whatever truly belongs to that people: its meanings and its values, its aspirations, its thoughts and its language, its songs and its artistry. Even its frailties and failings it assumes, so that they too may be healed" (FABC I 12). Certainly, for this process to take place, lay people have to have an active and systematic role in the formation of the clergy.

    CONCRETE AND PRACTICAL INITIATIVES. For the clergy to benefit from the faith experience of people and for the people to know how to look with eyes of faith at daily realities, training for Gospel sharing with a community should be given. Priests are to be encouraged to join a regular community and share their experience of living the Gospel. At the same time, their parishes should be organized into basic Christian communities (BECs) that pray together with the Gospel text to prepare for the Sunday liturgy. Parish priests usually go to visit other communities, and they have the chance to listen how the Word of God is touching the lives of people and how people respond by living the Word in their families, communities, workplaces, and within the wider society. This effort in the broader society, is oftentimes done (in most Asian countries) by the Christian communities with people of other faiths; it becomes an interreligious effort to come together as basic human communities. Listening to how the Word of God is actually lived, is listening to the inculturation process in the concrete situation.

    To engage in this process one can follow a helpful basic method used in Asia; it is the “Seven Steps Gospel Sharing” and unfolds in the follow way: (1) Inviting the Lord to be present in the assembled community, done with spontaneous prayer, usually citing a Gospel passage. (2) Reading the Gospel text two or three times, if possible in different translations or in different languages if there are members present who use another language; this helps all to "feel at home" with the Word. (3) Repeating a word or some short phrases prayerfully three times in order to create an atmosphere of contemplation of the Word. (4) Remaining in silence for a few minutes to listen to what God is saying to each person.

    (5) Sharing the inspiration each has received from the Gospel text; "The word or phrase that touched me…" is the usual introductory sentence for the sharing. (6) Planning together how to live the Word of God, which has become an inspiration for action (which could be done separately) or planning a concrete action the community will do together. (7) Praying for the particular needs of each participant or sharing prayers of thanksgiving for graces received; there is a brief conclusion with a common prayer or hymn.

    This method of praying with the Gospel text is done regularly by a community; together, they allow the Word of God to touch them and to move them into action. This activity is the very process of inculturating faith within life’s realities, weaving the Gospel into daily life and into particular situations. Gospel sharing becomes the venue to allow faith to take root in culture.

    Steps five and six show more concretely how inculturation takes place. "The word or phrase that touched me …" of step five means the Word of God that one sees as a challenge to conversion and to transformation of one’s reality; this leads to transforming culture. The community in step six can choose a “Word of God” that will remind everyone to live it; it gradually creates an atmosphere, a way of relating and doing that expresses Christian faith. With this practice, the group gradually acquires a praxis, and the praxis repeated becomes a tradition, a culture. The same thing happens when the community decides to do an action together as a response to the challenge of the Word. They reflect on their realities that need to change and need to be permeated by the Gospel spirit. This is another way of gradually creating a Gospel--inspired culture of life and action, of living and caring for others.

    A parish priest who takes part in Gospel sharing is receiving his “continuing formation” and will be able to prepare better his homily, because he has heard the realities the people experience and the faith response they desire to give. The homily he delivers becomes the faith formation of the lay people, most of whom will have no other chance to hear the Word of God during the week or month.

    Other concrete methods of Gospel sharing can be employed. In Asia, the AsIPA (Asian Integral Pastoral Approach) Desk of the FABC Office of Laity has effectively been promoting the renewal of local churches by fostering parish-based Small Christian Communities (SCCs or BECs) who come together by engaging in Gospel sharing, using the “Seven Steps” approach as well as other methods (e.g. the Bible Mirror Method, or the Look-Listen-Love Method). The inculturated formation process of both clergy and laity has begun.
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    Cora Mateo, a Filipina laywoman, is Associate Secretary of the FABC Office on Laity, AsIPA Desk.

    THE ASIAN CONTEXT. The inculturation of Christian faith and values needs communication. Since the “Church is Communication” (Avery Dulles) she cannot exist in any culture, society or person without being communicated. The whole book of the Acts of the Apostles documents this for the early Church. The arrival of new technical means and possibilities in the mass media (the press since around 1450; film, radio, TV and Internet from the beginning of the twentieth century) has brought new and additional possibilities to reach and influence a greater number of people in more places all over the world.

    The relation between inculturation and social communication can be considered under two dimensions. The first considers the use of different communication means in transmitting Christian faith to the center of culture. The second dimension is to inculturate Christianity into these existing means of communication themselves.

    After some over-fascination with modern technology and mass media, there is now a growing awareness that inculturating Christian faith means using and developing already existing ways and means of communicating in Asian cultures. Storytelling, drama, dance, song, Indonesian shadow plays are all ways of communication already embedded in a given culture. If their content reflects Christian values and beliefs, they become instruments of inculturation. Since they are rooted deeply in local cultures, this communication does not stay on a superficial level, but goes deep into the hearts of people and their traditions. There are, for example in India, a growing number of dancers and dance groups for classical dance using Christian themes and approaches. Kalai Kaviri, the College for Indian Dance and Culture in Tiruchirapally is an example of such an approach for learning and teaching local communication arts. There was a successful initiative by Amruthavani in Hyderabad some years ago to produce a film on the life of Christ an Indian setting.

    Some approaches to communicating more locally in liturgy have now been discovered and developed in different countries, always keeping in mind that social communication as proposed by Vatican II refers to all ways and means of communicating used in human societies. This also includes the public image of the Church and her members in general society. Here the “witness of life” is essential. A person deeply rooted in one’s own culture, but also at the same time grounded in the faith, is the best communicator and example of inculturation. In addition, the general image that the mass media project of the Church and her members will either promote or hinder inculturation.

    Through new technical developments there is now a rapidly growing tendency for mass media not to be any more “mass” but rather individualized and specialized “media.” Digitalization multiplies radio and TV channels in such a way that they do not cater any more to the masses, but rather to special interest groups like those with channels on sports, news, lifestyle, nature, or religion. From an original eight or ten channels for the general public, there are now scores of channels offering specialized programs. The development of the Internet also points in the same direction; it is primarily the individual person who accesses and interacts in the Net, not any more a whole “mass” of people. This has important consequences and possibilities for communication in inculturation. Usually the inculturation process starts with individuals or small groups before reaching bigger groups and even the masses.

    A further consideration is the application of the insights and rules of Intercultural Communication. In relating Christianity to culture, the inculturation process has all the basic ingredients of intercultural communication. Inculturation as a theological happening is not only an encounter of a culture with the “pure” gospel, but rather it is the meeting of the gospel that is already embodied in one culture with another culture. This means that inculturation, in reality, is part of a process of intercultural communication; it is like the study of communication and interaction between members of different cultures.

    PASTORAL-THEOLOGICAL ORIENTATIONS. Inculturation and communication must be seen in a double perspective: (a) the use of communication means for inculturation, and (b) the incultu