143
6:33). Jesusâ mission is to inaugurate the king-
dom of his Father; he commands his disciples
to proclaim the good news that âthe kingdom of
heaven is at handâ (
Mt
10:7).
181.âThe kingdom, already present and grow-
ing in our midst, engages us at every level of our
being and reminds us of the principle of discern-
ment which Pope Paul VI applied to true devel-
opment: it must be directed to âall men and the
whole manâ.
145
We know that âevangelization
would not be complete if it did not take account
of the unceasing interplay of the Gospel and of
manâs concrete life, both personal and socialâ.
146
This is the principle of universality intrinsic to
the Gospel, for the Father desires the salvation
of every man and woman, and his saving plan
consists in âgathering up all things in Christ,
things in heaven and things on earthâ (
Eph
1:10).
Our mandate is to âgo into all the world and pro-
claim the good news to the whole creationâ (
Mk
16:15), for âthe creation waits with eager longing
for the revealing of the children of Godâ (
Rom
8:19). Here, âthe creationâ refers to every as-
pect of human life; consequently, âthe mission
of proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ
has a universal destination. Its mandate of char-
ity encompasses all dimensions of existence, all
145
âEncyclical Letter
Populorum Progressio
(16 March 1967),
14: AAS 59 (1967), 264.
146
âP
aul
VI, Apostolic Exhortation
Evangelii Nuntiandi
(8 December 1975), 29: AAS 68 (1976), 25.