Third Sunday of Easter

In Saint John Paul II's encyclicals, speeches and other writings he used the term new evangelization. What is he referring to and what are characteristics of this new evangelization'?

According to the pope, "The expression New Evangelization was popularized in the encylical of Pope Paul VI. As Evangelization in the Modern World, as a response to the new challenges that the contemporary world creates for the mission of the Church."

Pope John Paul II saw the need for a "great re-launching" of evangelization in the present life of the Church. He presented a new vision of the Church's teaching about evangelization in modern times. His call to a new evangelization was a prophetic and revolutionary calling to the Catholic Church.

The notion of evangelization may seem foreign to Catholics. But he word “evangelization” is prominent in our mission statement here at COH. And an active volunteer committee dedicated to just that in our own place and time.  In light of the times we are living in, the changing world scene, the deterioration of western civilization, and the ever increasing persecution of the Church in many parts of the world, the call to a new evangelization is imperative. The entire Church must come to embrace this calling and make it a normal part of Catholic life.

When Pope John Paul II used the term "a new evangelization" he did not mean a new message. It is still the fundament proclamation of salvation through Jesus Christ. For him the New Evangelization is the responsibility of the entire People of God. Not just those with a special vocation, missionaries or clergy. And it is not just for remote and foreign parts of the world. The secularism of the western world badly needs re-evangelization. Pope Benedict XVI called on all of us to be new evangelizers and go forth, not without difficulties but with the same enthusiasm as the first Christians. That we heard of from our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles.

How to communicate this new evangelization?

You know, despite all the slick, hi-tech forms of advertising and communication we have in our modern world, “word of mouth” is still an effective way to find out about things. Yes all of those modern means of communication are a part of this but it is up to us to spread the word.
 

Today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the disciples and us that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is to be preached in His name and they and us are to be witnesses of it. In this new evangelization, we are the ones who are to speak the words of Jesus.  As I said before, we Catholics don’t often consider themselves “evangelizers.” We may see other Christian denominations making more aggressive efforts to acquaint people with Jesus. 

How might we witness the Gospel of Jesus to those with whom we live, work, and meet with today? Does our witness show how He has changed our lives? Is it a joyful witness? As Pope Frances “we Catholics should not be walking around looking like we just came from a funeral.” Can we confidently invite others to “come and see”--and perhaps find the new life that flows from Jesus and His Church? Perhaps we may invite, the young and those who haven’t been to Mass for a while.

And lastly, it is in the liturgy that we also hear the call to new evangelize. It is in the New Roman Missal that we hear NEW words as we are dismissed from Mass.

There are four new choices that the priest or deacon can use at the end of Mass. All four begin with the word GO!

Go Forth, the Mass is ended.

Go in peace.

Go, and announce the Gospel of the Lord.

Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.

All meaning that, after sharing the Eucharist, we are to get up go out and proclaim the Good News. Proclaim it in words and deeds. Announce it and truly live it out each and every day. It is then that the world can begin to change. Because of us someone can feel the dignity of being human. Someone will be able to listen to Jesus with open ears. Someone who is lonely can feel the touch of God. A struggling single parent can find truth and goodness in a world that seems bleak and empty by our Christ-like care and compassion. Someone can discover that to be genuinely Christian is to be alive with love, laughter, and peaceful joy.

My brothers and sisters, there is no way you and I may live our faith part time. Sunday Mass is not our only duty. We all have particular roads that God wants us to follow. But no matter whether lawyer or doctor, mother or father, student or teacher, blue collar or executive, healthy or infirmed, young or middle aged, or old we are called to preach and live the gospel in our little corner of the world.

So, as we come to the table of the Lord, let us be given NEW strength, to live out our NEW Mission, and become NEW Evangelizers to all we meet..

Deacon Larry McDonald