My take on the new evangelization

Evangelization, Evangelization, Evangelization. In truth not a word I associated with personally as a lay faithful of the Catholic Church, until about a year ago; though it was a word I was familiar with and mainly associated with followers of other Christian non-catholic religion. Then it appeared as if all of a sudden, and Evangelization became a buzz word in the catholic community. However it had started gaining momentum several years before, during the papacy of Pope Benedict XVI and his call for the new evangelization; however I was late getting to know about it and getting on the 'new evangelization' train.

Anyway as it so happened, my parish priest started talking about it a lot and calling on everyone to take part in the work of evangelization. He reminded us that it was our primary Christian calling to evangelize and the parish organized street evangelization programs that as many as we're interested were encouraged to take part in.

I did take part in one of such programs, though in truth it felt a bit weird just randomly going on the streets and sharing with people the word of God. However this should not have been the case, for me especially, as I have been a member of this society in the church called the Legion of Mary and one of our primary duties was what we call 'Home to Home visitation' which requires members to visit homes and share the good news. But as I said earlier, I was out of touch.

Now, however, the call for all Catholics to partake in the new evangelization is hard to miss. Pope Francis has not stopped talking about it. So many central, national and even local church programs have as their theme something related to the new evangelization. The pope's latest apostolic exhortation is all about spreading the message of the good news with joy and the last world youth day celebration had as its theme 'Go and make disciples of all nations'.

Like I said, it's pretty hard to miss now. So for the majority of Catholics, we now know what we have been called to either start doing or continue doing depending on where you currently stand, but with renewed fervor.

The main question I guess is how to achieve this on a personal level; it sure is one question I have been asking myself, uncomfortable as I am to go knock on people's doors randomly to share the word. How can I take part in the evangelization mission? To start with, what even is evangelization, what does it mean to me?

The standard dictionary meaning of evangelize is 'to preach the gospel' (Dictionary.com). However the Catholic Church in the United States provides an excellent definition of Catholic evangelization rephrasing some words of Pope Paul VI in Evangelii Nuntiandi. "Evangelizing means bringing the Good News of Jesus into every human situation and seeking to convert individuals and society by the divine power of the Gospel itself. At its essence are the proclamation of salvation in Jesus Christ and the response of a person in faith, which are both works of the Spirit of God. Evangelization must always be directly connected to the Lord Jesus Christ....There is no true evangelization if the name, the teaching, the life, the promises, the Kingdom and the mystery of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God are not proclaimed." (http://www.camdendiocese.org/index.php/what-is-catholic-evangelization).

I will focus on the first sentence of this definition which corroborates something which I discovered in scripture recently when seeking answers on how to evangelize and what God opened my eyes to see. A few days ago I read a passage from the gospel of Mark, chapter 2:1-12. This is the story of the healing of the paralytic and one that I had read, heard and listened to sermons on several times. On this day it struck me that the first thing Jesus said to the paralytic was 'Your sins are forgiven'. For sure, I don't think that this was what the paralytic or his four friends were expecting; in truth at that time the people did not identify with Jesus as the son of God who had the power to forgive sins and liberate them from the power of the evil one, what they did know was that he was a great healer (curing the sick) and a great provider (feeding the multitudes). But oftentimes, Jesus would tell the people he encountered 'Your sins are forgiven' (Mark2:9, Luke7:48), or 'Your faith has saved you' (Mark10:52) before they saw the physical manifestation of their healing.

In this I see a pattern: the miracles Jesus worked which were recorded in the scriptures showed that while carrying out the physical healing, Jesus was also concerned with the spiritual healing of the people. He used every opportunity for healing, casting out demons, feeding the hungry and all the other works that he did to pass across a higher message; the need for spiritual healing and salvation.

What can we learn from our teacher and master? In our day to day lives we encounter people in need; perhaps they come to us for assistance either financial or material, sometimes it's just to give them a shoulder to lean on in their moments of trial and difficulty, it could be to support them with a listening ear, it could be to reach out to that lonely neighbour or colleague or individual we see around but for whom it doesn't look like much is happening. When we come across or are presented with these opportunities, in meeting their corporal needs let us also remember that more importantly, we need to meet their spiritual needs. Let us use these opportunities to share the joyful news of the gospel and the liberation that is in Christ Jesus. This is one way we can evangelize, bringing the good news of Jesus into every human situation.

Let me conclude by sharing this verse, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. 'Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the merciful Father, the God from whom all help comes! He helps us in all our troubles, so that we are able to help others who have all kinds of troubles, using the same help that we ourselves have received from God.'

May this be our inspiration, consolation and testimony, when it's all been said and done.

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A Summary of Nostra Aetate

NOSTRA AETATE is a declaration on the relation of the church to non-christian religions proclaimed by His Holiness Pope Paul VI on October 28, 1965.

Nostra Aetate is one of the documents of the 2nd Vatican Council that originated from the concept of the world becoming a ‘global village’. The church council thought that it was necessary to examine more closely her relationship to non-Christian religions at a time when mankind was being drawn closer together and the ties between different peoples were becoming stronger. The focus of the church in this document was to promote unity and love among men, and indeed among nations, by considering above all in this declaration what men have in common and what draws them to fellowship.

A summary of the main points in the document are as follows

Ø  All men originate from God, for God made the whole human race. Likewise, all men have the same final goal, which is God. Also God’s plan of salvation is meant for all men, his providence and his manifestations of goodness are extended to all. Furthermore God desires that at the end of time, all men should spend eternity with him in heaven.

Ø  Ultimately, men seek to find answers to the same questions answers from the various religions. Questions such as: What is man? What is the meaning and the aim of our life? What is moral good?  What is sin? Why suffering and what purpose does it serve? Which is the road to true happiness? What are death, judgment and retribution after death? Why are we on earth and where are we going?

Ø  From ancient times down to the present, most people recognize and have belief in a supreme being; and this belief has manifested itself in various religions – Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity - to mention a few. These religions try to give answers to these fundamental questions by proposing ways, teachings, rules of life, and sacred rites to enlighten its followers.

Ø  The Catholic Church’s position on this is that “it rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth, Christ himself, which enlightens all men.”  The Church, therefore, exhorts her sons that they recognize, preserve and promote the good things, spiritual and moral, as well as the socio-cultural values found among the followers of other religions. The document especially mentions Islam and Judaism as these are more commonly perceived as religions that have little or nothing in common with Christianity and more importantly Catholicism.

Ø  With respect to Moslems, the Church teaches that in so far as they adore and worship the one true God, take pains to submit to his decrees just as Abraham did with whom the faith of Islam links itself, recognize and honour Mary, and revere Jesus though not as God but as a prophet, they should be regarded with esteem. In addition, they await the Day of Judgment along with other religions and value moral living and promulgation of the worship God especially through prayer, almsgiving and fasting. Nostra Aetate urges all to forget the hostilities of the past and to work sincerely social justice, moral welfare, peace and freedom.

Ø  With respect to the Jews, Nostra Aetate reminds the faithful that there is a bond that spiritually ties the people of the New Covenant to Abraham's stock. The beginnings of the faith of the church are found among the Patriarchs, Moses and the prophets. The Church remembers that she received the revelation of the Old Testament through the Jews, the people with whom God had a Covenantal relationship. Nor can she forget that she draws sustenance from the root of that well-cultivated olive tree onto which have been grafted the wild shoots, the Gentiles. Indeed, the Church believes that by His cross Christ, Our Peace, reconciled Jews and Gentiles making both one in himself. She also recalls that the Apostles, the Church's main-stay and pillars, as well as most of the early disciples who proclaimed Christ's Gospel to the world, sprang from the Jewish people. Since the spiritual patrimony common to Christians and Jews is thus so great, Nostra Aetate seeks to foster and recommend mutual understanding and respect amongst both parties and charges all to see to it that in catechetical work or in the preaching of the word of God, they do not teach anything that does not conform to the truth of the Gospel and the spirit of Christ. Furthermore, in her rejection of every persecution against any man, the Church decries hatred, persecutions, and displays of anti-Semitism, directed against Jews at any time and by anyone.

Ø  In summary, Nostra Aetate teaches that “we cannot truly call on God, the Father of all, if we refuse to treat in a brotherly way any man, created as he is in the image of God. The Church reproves, as foreign to the mind of Christ, any discrimination against men or harassment of them because of their race, colour, condition of life, or religion. On the contrary, this document implores the Christian faithful to "maintain good fellowship among the nations" (1 Peter 2:12), and, if possible, to live for their part in peace with all men so that they may truly be sons of the Father who is in heaven.”

There are some that claim that Nostra Aetate has some “weaknesses” in that “it speaks too positively of other religions and does not look at them critically, which is the approach the Church had always taken "from the outset."”. The document has also been criticized by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI who said "Thus, in a precise and extraordinarily dense document, a theme is opened up whose importance could not be foreseen at the time… It speaks of religion solely in a positive way and it disregards the sick and distorted forms of religion which, from the historical and theological viewpoints, are of far-reaching importance." The Holy Father suggests that it should also have highlighted the fundamental negatives which obviously are causes of the problems of religious intolerance and bigotry amongst religions since these are fundamental issues.

Personally I think that the document set out to convey its primary message which is “promulgating what men have in common and what draws them to fellowship in order to promote love and unity among men”. Indeed, it is no secret that we are quick to focus and point out that which divides us and pay little or no attention to what unites us. This document encourages us to focus on the positives with respect to relating with people of other religions and quite rightly so.

To read the whole document, please follow the link below. http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decl_19651028_nostra-aetate_en.html#top

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