MISSIO TRINITATIS:

A Dialogue of Love
INTRODUCTION
 The Most Holy Trinity’s throne is a
threefold one: heavenly, belonging
principally to the Father;
Eucharistic, belonging principally to
the Son; and mystic, in human
hearts, belonging principally to the
Holy Spirit.
St. Arnold Janssen
Every religious must allow himself to
be touched by the fire of God. Every
religious must have had a mystical
experience of God in his younger
years in the seminary/convent; that
mystical experience must be kept at
heart at all costs, all the time.
Archbishop Socrates B. Villegas
 In response to the call of the Holy Spirit
and the needs of the peoples, St. Arnold
Janssen founded our Society as a
missionary community. We see our special
dedication to the Divine Word and his
mission expressed in our name. His life is
our life, his mission our mission.
-Prologue, SVD Constitutions-
 Guided by the Holy Spirit, we follow
him, glorifying the Father and bringing
the fullness of life to others. Wherever
the Church sends us, we are to
proclaim the gospel so that all peoples
may walk in the way of salvation, freed
from the darkness of sin by the light of
the word and the Spirit of grace.
-Prologue, SVD Constitutions-
 God acts in the same way with
all who are called by him and at
the same time He acts quite
personally with each of them.
SSpSAP 12th General Chapter, Seeking the Face of God
Today, nos. 3-4.
 Our identity as Adoration
Sisters originated from a call; a
call both unique to each one as
well as common to us all, for
God through his Spirit has
called us together into one
religious community.
 And contemplation is the very essence of our
vocation, is our very response to that call: a call
from him who has no voice, and yet who speaks
everything that is, and who, most of all speaks
in the depths of our own being: for we ourselves
are words of his. But we are words that are
meant to respond to him, to echo him, and even
in some way to contain Him and signify Him.

SSpSAP 12th General Chapter, Seeking the Face of God

Today, nos. 3-4.
 Contemplation thus involves having, in
Christ Jesus whose face is constantly
turned to the Father, a gaze transfigured
by the working of the Holy Spirit, a gaze
full of awe at God and his wonders.

SSpSAP 12th General Chapter, Seeking the

Face of God Today, nos. 3-4.
 “One expectation of
missionaries today is the
development of a
contemplative spirit in
mission.
 We need to abandon the idea
that contemplation is the
opposite of mission. We need,
rather, to promote the idea that
contemplation is a constitutive
dimension of mission.”
Antonio Pernia, The State of Mission Today
How different would our world be if we all learned
to see the world with the eyes of God. Under the
gaze of God’s eyes, enemies would become friends,
separating walls would become open doors,
strangers would become brothers or sisters,
borders would become bridges, diversity would
lead not to differences but to unity. Indeed, only if
people learn to see the world with God’s eyes would
our mission truly bear fruit.
 Seeking the face of God in
everything, everyone, all the
time, and his hand in every
happening; this is what it
means to be contemplatives in
the heart of the world.
St. Teresa of Calcutta
 Seeking the face of God for a lifetime . . .
like the bride in the Song of Songs: “Have
you seen him whom my heart love?” Ours
is the way of loving search. It speaks of
the savoured presence after the bitterness
of absence, of dawn welcomed after the
night, and of self-forgetfulness as a
condition of finding the other.
SSpSAP 12th General Chapter, Seeking the Face of God Today, nos. 3-4.
What is MISSIO
TRINITATIS?
 Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic
Constitution on the Church “was
instrumental for the emergence of
this paradigm shift. It became a
catalyst for change that inspired a
new understanding of mission as
missio Trinitatis – that is, mission is
God’s mission. It is rooted in the
Trinity as the origin and goal of
mission.”
 “God is a missionary God and his people are the
partakers of his mission. The Church, the new
people of God, is a partaker and participant in the
mission of God.” The Decree on the Missionary
Activity of the Church Ad Gentes Divinitus clearly
states that “the pilgrim Church is missionary by its
very nature.” It is missionary because it has
originated from the Father who out of love
summoned her to partake and participate in his
mission of bringing his love to all peoples and
nations, and creation.
Vatican II, Decree on the Missionary Activity of the Church Ad
Gentes Divinitus, AAS 58 (1965), no. 2.
Missio Trinitatis is a
dialogue of love
between and among
the Trinity.
 Mission is an
attribute of God.
Mission is an
attribute of
God.
 Mission is a
movement/invitatio
n from the Trinity.
Mission in the post-
paschal era is missio
Spiritus.
Mission is grounded
on the mystery of
the Trinity.
The MISSION OF THE
FATHER
THE FATHER IS
THE SOURCE
AND GOAL OF
MISSION
The MISSION OF THE SON
THE SON IS THE
MEDIATOR OF
MISSION
The MISSION OF THE HOLY
SPIRIT
THE HOLY SPIRIT
IS THE
SANCTIFIER OF
MISSION
What is missio Dei/Trinitatis?

It is inspired by the contemporary theology of

mission that stresses that mission belongs to and
is concretized by the three divine persons.
Mission is a movement from God to the world.
Mission, therefore, is attached to the Trinity with
its dual emphasis on oneness and threeness as
equally ultimate.
Why is missio Dei/Trinitatis significant today?

It is significant because the state of mission has

changed in the twentieth century. The change
demanded a new model of mission that is
centered on the Trinity – emphasizing the
oneness and threeness of God rather than the
missionary activities of the church. This concept
is a move from exclusivist to inclusivist
perspective on God’s purposes in the world.
What mission strategies should we take to promote
missio Dei/Trinitatis?

Education and formation are proposed. But such

education and formation should not only be on
the theoretical level. Theory and practice are
hallmarks of education today. Mission theory
must be complemented by missional practice.
What mission strategies should we take to promote
missio Dei/Trinitatis?

In doing mission studies, the use of the means of

social communication is also proposed. In the
global village, the means of social
communication have become so important. The
church is becoming more and more an electronic
church, electronic education will be very
important in proclaiming the Trinitarian nature of
mission.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. More and in-depth study of mission as grounded on the
Trinity is highly recommended. This will take time as many
are still engrossed with the idea that mission is the mission
of the church.

2. In postmodern times, relationship is the hallmark to be

acknowledged. Exclusivist thinking does not create
relationships or even paradigm shifts. Thus, today’s
missionaries must be formed to be committed to inclusivist
thinking.
3. Media education is important so that the means of
social communication be used with great care and
responsibility. Missionaries need training and
familiarity with the digital platforms that can be used
for evangelization purposes.
THANK YOU!