34
to the Gospel, the centrality of certain truths is
evident and it becomes clear that Christian mo-
rality is not a form of stoicism, or self-denial, or
merely a practical philosophy or a catalogue of
sins and faults. Before all else, the Gospel in-
vites us to respond to the God of love who saves
us, to see God in others and to go forth from
ourselves to seek the good of others. Under no
circumstance can this invitation be obscured! All
of the virtues are at the service of this response
of love. If this invitation does not radiate force-
fully and attractively, the edifice of the Churchâs
moral teaching risks becoming a house of cards,
and this is our greatest risk. It would mean that
it is not the Gospel which is being preached, but
certain doctrinal or moral points based on specif-
ic ideological options. The message will run the
risk of losing its freshness and will cease to have
âthe fragrance of the Gospelâ.
IV.âA
mission
embodied within human
limits
40.âThe Church is herself a missionary disciple;
she needs to grow in her interpretation of the re-
vealed word and in her understanding of truth.
It is the task of exegetes and theologians to help
âthe judgment of the Church to matureâ.
42
The
other sciences also help to accomplish this, each in
its own way. With reference to the social sciences,
42
âS
econd
V
atican
E
cumenical
C
ouncil
, Dogmatic
Constitution on Divine Revelation
Dei Verbum
, 12.
