[40] But Paul chose Silas and departed after being commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. [41] He traveled through Syria and Cilicia bringing strength to the churches.
(CCC 854) By her very mission, "the Church… travels the same journey as all humanity and shares the same earthly lot with the world: she is to be a leaven and, as it were, the soul of human society in its renewal by Christ and transformation into the family of God" (GS 40 § 2). Missionary endeavor requires patience. It begins with the proclamation of the Gospel to peoples and groups who do not yet believe in Christ (Cf. RMiss 42-47), continues with the establishment of Christian communities that are "a sign of God's presence in the world" (AG 15 § 1), and leads to the foundation of local churches (Cf. RMiss 48-49). It must involve a process of inculturation if the Gospel is to take flesh in each people's culture (Cf. RMiss 52-54). There will be times of defeat. "With regard to individuals, groups, and peoples it is only by degrees that [the Church] touches and penetrates them and so receives them into a fullness which is Catholic" (AG 6 § 2).
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