The call of Christ to
his people is to “go and make disciples of all nations.” This command, a divine
one, from Christ has been re-emphasized in the Catholic Church since the
Vatican II Councils. The Blessed Pope John Paul II constantly called all
Catholics to join in what he called a “new evangelization.” It is a call that
“no believer or institution of the Church is exempt from, to proclaim Christ to
all people.” The New Evangelization is a movement of grace in the Church, which
is changing it to being a Church of “mission to the nations” than simple a
Church merely concerned with its maintenance.
John Paul II endeavored
to assist the whole Church to recognize the need for a New Evangelization,
expressing it as “new in ardour, methods and expression.” It looks for new, pioneering
ways of proclaiming and witnessing to the Gospel. He considered the older
methods of evangelization as not supportive enough because too many people in
the world are so affected by the kind of culture in which they live that they
cannot hear the proclaimed Gospel. For John Paul II the task is not simply one
of “re-evangelization but new evangelization”
because faith and culture have come apart and the Church must discern new ways
of spreading the Gospel into today’s culture. He spoke of this task as one of
the whole Church. He states, “God is opening before the Church the horizons of
humanity more fully prepared for the sowing of the Gospel. I sense that the
moment has come to commit all of the Church’s energies to a new evangelization
and to the mission ad gentes.
John Paul II calls the Holy Spirit the principal agent of the new evangelization. This indicates that God
himself, through the presence of the Holy Spirit, is the principal source of
this new movement within the Church. The movement is one that touches upon the
very identity of the Church for the reason that the Church is both communion
and mission. At its start, John Paul II expressed the philosophy of the New
Evangelization. He invited all Christians to fall in love with Christ again.
Furthermore, “to put out into the deep” and courageously take the Gospel into
the heart of contemporary culture.
This past week,
representatives of the U.S. bishops released a new document, “Disciples Called
to Witness: The New Evangelization”, in response to John Paul II’s call for new
evangelization that focused largely on the Church’s need to build a “culture of
witness.” The committee, led by Bishop David L. Ricken of Green Bay, Wisconsin,
released the online resource to assist dioceses and parishes in reaching out to
engage the faithful and support them in witnessing their faith through their
lives. The document states that it is “primarily by her conduct and by her life
that the Church will evangelize the world.”
The document explains
that an only an estimated 23 percent of Catholics in the United States attend
mass each week. Therefore the bishops placed a special emphasis on New
Evangelization’s duty to “[welcome] back to the Lord’s Table all those who are
absent, because they are greatly missed and needed to build up the Body of
Christ.” They too noted that while evangelization has always been at the very
core of the Church’s mission, we must remember what Blessed John Paul II called
a New Evangelization. One that is “new in its ardor, methods and expression.”
The bishops highlighted the New Evangelization’s call to re-purpose the unchanging content of the
Church’s message in a new way, engaging the modern culture and keeping in mind
the contemporary realities of secularism, globalization and the economy, as
well as the pressure of science, technology and politics. With the
bishop’s synod approaching, Pope Benedict XVI has suggested that New
Evangelization be the central theme. Within the Vatican, he has worked to
continue the work of his predecessor in creating a Pontifical Council for the
Promotion of the New Evangelization.
Active participation in
the New Evangelization, gives members of the Church the encouragement to reach
out to those who have drifted away from their faith. This action allows
them to carry out the Church’s work as “an agent of healing and
reconciliation,” and present hope via this “personal encounter with the person
of Jesus.” The bishops explained that when Catholics live out their faith
they open up the hearts and minds of those surrounding them, providing for a
turn towards Christ. This can open to door to the “gradual and lifelong
process of conversion” to which all Catholics are called.
Ask yourself these
questions:
- How can we, believers,
give and receive support to one another when learning to listen to the Spirit
of God in fellowship for discipleship?
- Do you understand the
purpose of gathering with other believers in an atmosphere of discipleship that
centers on learning from the Triune God?
- Are you acting as just
a student of Christ or a disciple of Christ?
- What must a believer,
in a fellowship for discipleship, do in order to be able to improve his or her
own ability to interact well with the Holy Spirit within?
Father, by the power of the Spirit,
strengthen the Church’s commitment to the new evangelization
and guide our steps along the pathways of the world,
to proclaim Christ by our lives,
and to direct our earthly pilgrimage
towards the City of heavenly light.
May Christ’s followers show forth their love
for the poor and the oppressed;
may they be one with those in need
and abound in works of mercy;
may they be compassionate towards all,
that they themselves may obtain indulgence and forgiveness from you.
Praise and glory to You, Most holy Trinity,
You alone are God most high!
