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CFED-1043-Lesson-8

The learning module focuses on CICM spirituality and charism, emphasizing the importance of using one's God-given talents for the service of others and the Church. It outlines the dual dimensions of CICM's mission: 'ad extra' (outward mission) and 'ad intra' (internal renewal), highlighting the call to evangelize and serve the poor. The module also includes learning outcomes and evaluation components to assess understanding of these concepts.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
13 views8 pages

CFED-1043-Lesson-8

The learning module focuses on CICM spirituality and charism, emphasizing the importance of using one's God-given talents for the service of others and the Church. It outlines the dual dimensions of CICM's mission: 'ad extra' (outward mission) and 'ad intra' (internal renewal), highlighting the call to evangelize and serve the poor. The module also includes learning outcomes and evaluation components to assess understanding of these concepts.

Uploaded by

2100593
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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School of Education, Arts and Sciences

Christian Faith Education Department

LEARNING MODULE
CFED 1043 (CICM Missionary Identity)

Chapter 1: CICM Spirituality


Lesson 8. CICM Charism

Topics: A. Ad Extra
B. Ad Intra

Learning Outcomes: At the end of this module, you are expected to:

1. Identify the distinct charism and spiritual gifts of CICM as foretold in the different excerpts of CICM
missionaries;
2. Explain the communal and moral implications of giving preferential options to the poor and
vulnerable; and
3. Share their insightful reflection as they serve their purpose using their God-given talents.

LEARNING CONTENT

Introduction:

The mandate to evangelize is first entrusted to the disciples and such task is
carried on by the Church as she is born of the evangelizing activity of Jesus and the
Twelve. This mission to evangelize is accepted and now, has expanded to the whole
world. Having been born consequently out of being sent, the Church in her turn is sent
by Jesus.”
God bestowed upon each one gifts that would help him/her in the service of God.
As stewards of these gifts, each one must cooperate in the spread of the Gospel for the
building up of the Church. All these gifts are meant for the promotion of the Kingdom of
God. They must be lived in a spirit of service.

Lesson Proper:

What are you good at? Painting? Counseling? Maybe you’ve never met a car
problem you couldn’t repair, or you’re an amazing chef. Perhaps you just find
opportunities to help people wherever you go.

Whatever your talent or skill is, guess what? God’s behind it! But He doesn’t
bless us with talents or skills so we can get noticed or earn lots of cash. Yes, that can
be a result of it. But it’s so much bigger than that. God wants us to honor Him with those
gifts! He wants us to be “good and faithful servants” with our talents.

How exactly does God want us to use our talents for Him? Two ways:
blessing others and building His kingdom.

God wants us to bless others.

In 1 Peter 4:10, we’re called to use our gifts to serve others as faithful stewards
of God’s grace. Now, in that context, Peter was specifically talking about spiritual gifts,
like prophecy and healing. Those are supernatural abilities God gives each Christ-
follower, but the general idea of blessing others also carries over to talents. God doesn’t
give us anything just for our benefit. After all, we’re blessed to be a blessing. (Genesis
12:2)

Just as with spiritual gifts, God wants us to use our talents and skills for the
benefit of others.

God wants us to build His kingdom for His glory.

God made us all different. That’s great because together, all of us make up the
kingdom. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul compares the body of Christ to a human body: Each
of us is unique, but together we make the body complete. And Christ is the head of the
body (Ephesians 5:23), so everything we do points back to Him. He directs it all! In
other words, God wants you to use your unique role in the body of Christ to glorify Him.
So, if God made you an amazing singer, sing for Him. If your talent is a little less
conventional—maybe you’re good with numbers or with writing code—then find a way
to translate that into a job or volunteer work for a God-honoring company or ministry.
Use your God-given abilities to reach those who don’t know Him—and give Him the
credit for your talents.

Jesus gives us two commandments: to love the Lord and to love others as
we love ourselves (Matthew 22:37–40). And when we steward our talents to honor
Him and to bless others, we’re doing just that.

CICM CHARISM

“Therefore, by the Holy Spirit,


who distributes the charismata as He
Like Abraham, I too heard the
wills for the common good (1 Cor. 12:11),
promptings of God in the silence of my
He inspires the missionary vocation in the
heart.
I left my country and home to proclaim
God's love in other lands.

I have climbed mountains, crossed


hearts of individuals, and at the same time He raises in the Church certain institutes (2)
which take as their special task the duty of preaching the Gospel, a duty belonging to the
whole Church. They are assigned with a special vocation who, being endowed with a
suitable natural temperament, and being fit as regards talent and other qualities, have
been trained to undertake mission work;(3) or be they autochthonous or be they
foreigners: priests, Religious, or laymen. Sent by legitimate authority, they go out in faith
and obedience to those who are far from Christ. They are set apart for the work for
which they have been taken up (cf. Acts 13:2), as ministers of the Gospel, "that the
offering up of the Gentiles may become acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit"
(Rom. 15:16).

(Ad Gentes, Chapter IV, # 23)

“…. The Church is born of the evangelizing activity of Jesus and the Twelve. She is the
normal, desired, most immediate, and most visible fruit of this activity: "Go, therefore,
make disciples of all the nations."[37] Now, "they accepted what he said and were
baptized. That very day about three thousand were added to their number.... Day by
day the Lord added to their community those destined to be saved."[38] - Having been
born consequently out of being sent, the Church in her turn is sent by Jesus.”

-(Evangelii Nuntiandi,#15)

The response of the CICM is clear as indicated in their mission statement which says:

“…Enlightened by those who preceded us and who - like our founder


– left their familiar surroundings to follow Jesus Christ, the Incarnate
Word, by integrating themselves into a foreign culture, and by living in
solidarity with another people; enriched by those we serve, especially the
poor who reveal to us the sin of the world and who help us discover the
true meaning of God's plan of love, we CICM missionaries of different
races and cultures live and work together as brothers to bring the Good
News of Jesus Christ wherever it is most needed.”

Etymologically, the word "charism" comes from the Greek charis, meaning
grace, and gift. The word "grace" in the current spiritual language gives expression to
the primordial gift that allows Christians to participate in the divine life—in Christ. It is
what makes a baptized person a child of God and a member of the Church.
The Second Vatican Council, in various documents, describes charisms as the
Holy Spirit "allotting His gifts accordingly as He wills (cf. 1 Cor 12:12) . . . also
distributing special graces among the faithful of every rank. By these gifts, He makes
them fit and ready to undertake various tasks and offices for the renewal and building
up of the Church, as it is written, ‘the manifestation of the Spirit is given to everyone for
profit’ (1 Cor 12:7) (LG 12). The "spiritual gifts" termed charisms, are gifts given for the
benefit of the common good, for the building of the Church. The Spirit distributes them
to many different people. They are given to every one according to the needs of the
community. All “charisms” or graces come from the same.

Spirit and all charismatic gifts serve the higher gift of charity - the supreme
charism: love of self and love of others are united in charity. Charisms that serve the
people of God are numerous. Given for the common good, charisms must be lived
out in a spirit of service (1 Pet 4:10-11).

“All congregations are marked by their charisma. There is something of the


fingerprint of the Founder that continues to give the CICM its face, and its
contribution to the CHURCH. If anything marks CICM, IT IS THE CALL TO
LEAVE EVERYTHING FOR THE SAKE OF THE MISSION.” - FR. Gabriel
Dieryck, CICM

From a theological perspective, the enrichment of faith hermeneutics implies the


hermeneutics of ad intra and ad extra. The hermeneutics of ad extra and ad intra are
first used about the Church. This approach was first suggested by Cardinal
Suenens. Ad intra refers to the Church’s inner renewal within the contexts of faith,
doctrine, and God’s revealed truth, dealing with “the Church in itself, but to help it better
to respond to its mission in the world.” Ad extra hence refers to the Church’s
relationship with the world: “the Church as it faces the world of today”.

The CICM is an international religious missionary congregation, dedicated to the


Incarnate Word under the name and patronage of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It is a
missionary congregation founded to participate in the mission that Jesus has entrusted
to the whole Church. Every CICM missionary is called to follow Jesus, to share His life
and destiny, and to conform everything to Him in faith. The CICM missionary is called to
go beyond geographical and religious boundaries to share Jesus Christ with all
those who do not know Him. This is the CICM charism ad-extra (towards the outside):
to go where they are sent…where they are most needed…in frontier situations. Like the
founder, Fr. Theophile Verbist, the CICM missionaries heed the call of Christ as they
say with conviction; “We are sent to the nations to announce the Good News, wherever
our missionary presence is most needed, especially where the Gospel is not known or
lived. We leave our country to proclaim salvation as the great gift of God which
liberates from everything that oppresses and divides people.” Every CICM missionary
then, is willing to leave behind everything, including his family, culture, and possessions.
He is sent to proclaim the Good News of salvation to all nations. This Good news of
salvation is a gift of God that liberates people from all forms of oppression and sin.

Throughout the years of its existence, the CICM missionaries have been
committed to the proclamation of the Good News where they are sent. Its soul has
been, and still is, the charisma that animated the Founder from the very beginning,
namely the call to leave everything and to go out and spread the Good News. Inspired
by Father Verbist’s example, other young men took up the challenge to evangelize in
some of the most remote areas of the world and have been among the first to bring the
Good News of the Gospel to the peoples of China, the Congo, the Philippines, and
Indonesia. “CICM members leave countries, and culture, and enter into the life and
culture of others – the so-called ad extra character of the CICM. Mission is self-giving.”
(Fr. Jean Didier Badianga, CICM, 2017)

Indeed, today, more than 850 missionary priests and brothers from Europe, the
Americas, Africa, and Asia, are living and working together in multicultural communities
as brothers, continuing this long tradition of caring for God’s poorest and most
neglected people in many parts of the world.

Another dimension of the CICM charism is the “ad intra”. This dimension is
expressed in their mission statement as follows: “…Enriched by those we
serve, especially the poor who reveal to us the sin of the world and who help us
discover the true meaning of God's plan of love, we CICM missionaries of different
races and cultures live and work together as brothers to bring the Good News of Jesus
Christ wherever it is most needed.” The phrase “to bring the Good News of Jesus
Christ wherever it is most needed” does not necessitate the missionary to leave
his own country but to be where his service is most needed, may it be in his own
country or anywhere.

Art.3 of the CICM Constitutions states: “The missionary goal of the Institute
must inspire and motivate all our commitments, both communal and personal.
Wherever we are, we share the same corporate commitment. We are alert to new
situations in the world as well as to new needs of the Churches. We regularly question
ourselves about the tasks we undertake. We willingly adopt the reorientations deemed
necessary.

Also, Art.13 explains: “Through the Incarnation, the Son of God entered into the
history of the Jewish people. While sharing the life of his people, he took a prophetic
stance given the Kingdom. His example is always before us in our efforts to
integrate ourselves among the people to whom God sends us”

Similarly, Art. 4 also states: “We sincerely love and respect the people to
whom we are sent. We adopt a listening attitude and try to gain knowledge and
understanding of their socio-economic, political, cultural, and religious realities.”

Ad extra, ad intra therefore expresses the reality of a CICM missionary


vocation: to be a CICM is to leave one’s home, family and culture, and even one’s
country (ad extra) or simply one’s region, to learn a new language and a new culture, to
be with other people. The understanding/stress now is not necessarily, therefore, to
physically leave one’s country, but to respond to a situation where one’s missionary
presence is most needed (ad intra).

****End of the Lesson****

EVALUATION
QUIZ II

Multiple Choice and True or False

1. What book of the bible serves as the reference for the motto of the CICM?
A. Acts B. John C. Peter D. Matthew
2. What is the best description of the early Christian community according to the
motto of the CICM?
A. Fraternal B. Universal C. Exclusive D. Hierarchical
3. How do the people of God become one family according to the motto of the
CICM?
A. We are all children of one Father who is God.
B. We belong to God’s family upon baptism.
C. Discriminating people is a sin.
D. All of the choices.
4. All except one is not a value of the CICM motto.
A. Communion B. Dialogue C. Fraternal D. Exclusivity
5. What would be the testimony of the CICM if they were true witnesses of their
motto?
A. They are witnesses of universal brotherhood.
B. They should be religious missionaries of different races and cultures who live
and work together as brothers.
C. They become a sign of solidarity among the particular Churches in their
universal mission.
D. All of the choices given.
6. CICM must acquire adequate knowledge of the language and the culture of the
people who welcome and make every effort to insert themselves in the life
situation of the people. What CICM missionary commitment does the statement
provide?
A. Dialogue B. Frontier Situation C. First Evangelization D. World Solidarity
7. They acknowledge with sorrow the growing gap between the Gospel vision of a
new humanity of freedom, fellowship, and justice, and the world where there is
poverty, oppression, lack of freedom, inequality, injustice, violence, and hatred.
What CICM missionary commitment does the statement provide?
A. Dialogue B. Frontier Situation C. First Evangelization D. World Solidarity
8. CICM missionaries affirm that it is the specific charism of CICM to bring the Good
News of Jesus Christ wherever it is most needed.
Dialogue B. Frontier Situation C. First Evangelization D. World Solidarity
9. How do we call the gifts of the Holy Spirit which are meant to be used in service
to other people?
A. Charisms B. Blessings C. Graces D. Tounges
10. What is the goal of our service to other people by using the gifts of the Holy Spirit
according to Peter?
A. Common good B. Justice C. Integrity of Creation D. Human Rights
11. The CICM charism of ad-intra is to go where they are sent, where they are most
needed-- in frontier situations. F
12. Enriched by those we serve, especially the poor who reveal to us the sin of the
world and who help us discover the true meaning of God's plan of love, we CICM
missionaries of different races and cultures live and work together as brothers to
bring the Good News of Jesus Christ wherever it is most needed. This is an ad
extra statement of the CICM. F
13. The phrase “to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ wherever it is most needed”
does not necessitate the missionary to leave his own country but to be where his
service is most needed, may it be in his own country or anywhere. T
14. Ad intra expresses the reality of a CICM missionary vocation to leave one’s
home, family culture, and even one’s country. F
15. Ad intra refers to the Church’s inner renewal within the contexts of faith, doctrine,
and God’s revealed truth, dealing with “the Church in itself, but to help it better to
respond to its mission in the world.” T

REFERENCES
Books:
Sadullo, J. R., Bleeker, A. D., & L., T. M. (2012). CICM: Christ is calling me: 150 years of
service in God's mission, 1862-2012. Makati City, Philippines: St. Pauls.

CICM-membership. (1999). Rome: Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (CICM).

Arquiza, Y. D. (2007). Carrying on the mission: 100 years of CICM in the Philippines.
Philippines: Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae.

Online:
Ramsey Solutions. (2019, September 23). Using your God-given talents. Retrieved February
24, 2021, from https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/using-your-god-given-talents#:~:text=Use
%20your%20God%2Dgiven%20abilities,we're%20doing%20just%20that.

https://www.lenouvelesprit.com/vatican-ii-hermeneutics/ad-intra-ad-extra#:~:text=Ad%20intra
%20refers%20to%20the,world%3A%20%E2%80%9Cthe%20Church%20as%20it

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