A seven-point framework for a new evangelization

Every pope since Saint Paul VI has been insistent in calling the whole Church to a renewal of faith, especially in nominally Christian or formerly Christian parts of the world where faith has grown cold.
 
This is the essence of the new evangelization. We use the term new evangelization frequently, but many Catholics don’t understand what it means. Admittedly, we often rely too heavily on our own “churchy” jargon. That’s part of the problem.
 
So, what do we mean by a new evangelization? Certainly, the new evangelization does not imply a new message or new content. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. But, it is a new way of proposing the Gospel under the guidance of the Holy Spirit that responds to the questions of our time. Specifically, it calls us to find ways to propose the Gospel of Jesus Christ in ways that are engaging and compelling in a highly secularized culture. It recognizes that in places where faith and the apostolic impulse has grown cold, we have to move intentionally from maintenance to mission.
 
The Church exists to evangelize: to bring Christ to the world and the world to Christ. It’s not enough simply to keep the lights on and expect people will come and be nourished by the treasures that have been entrusted to the Church by Christ through the Holy Spirit. That’s the way of maintenance.
 
We must rediscover the missionary zeal of the church of Pentecost. We must reclaim our vocation to missionary discipleship. But, to evangelize others we have to be evangelized ourselves. This is a challenge for all of us: laity, religious and the ordained.  
 
This is the crucial pastoral challenge of our time: to propose the faith, to witness to the faith, to unveil the beautiful riches of the Catholic faith so that all people might come to know Christ, to love Christ and to follow Christ in the bosom of his Church. Faith is not an abstraction. We put our faith in a person, Jesus Christ. Nor can we separate the person of Jesus from the Church that he established at Pentecost to continue his saving mission and hand on the treasures of faith.
 
This is a tall order! Or so it may seem. A few years ago, Cardinal Timothy Dolan outlined a seven-point framework for the new evangelization to help us confidently embrace our mission as agents of this new evangelization. In summary this is what he proposes:  
 

1. The secular mindset disdains the need for God. Though this mindset is widespread in our culture, it will not win the day. We are hard-wired for God. There is an innate longing in each of us for a transcendent reality, for beauty, for truth, for goodness: for God. Saint Augustine wrote, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” Our hearts cannot be satisfied by anything less than God: not wealth, not pleasure, not prestige or power. One of my favorite films, “The Way” depicts this longing in a beautiful and compelling way showing how the Christian message can strike a chord even among very secular irreligious people. The first key for the new evangelization, then, is to keep this quest for God alive. We have to find ways to tap into it.

 

2. The second point: “Be not afraid!” With a humble confidence we have to stand ready to “put out into the deep.” We have been entrusted with the treasure that every human heart is searching for: the Word of God. It is the key that unlocks the mystery of human existence. We have to trust in that divine truth. It is with the power of God that the Holy Spirit sends us forth to share this Good News. We do not labor on our own authority or take on this mission by ourselves. We are sent as ambassadors of Christ and of his Church.

 

3. The new evangelization does not first propose a belief-system, but a person: Jesus Christ. We don’t lead with apologetics. We are sent to help people encounter Jesus. It is Christ who captivates the hearts and minds of men and women.

 

4. Jesus is the Truth. The encounter with Jesus – this first step of evangelization – has to be followed by a systematic catechesis (and an effective apologetics). Jesus has entrusted his mission to the Church and it is the Church guided by the Holy Spirit that transmits the fullness of Christian faith to every generation. The evangelizers themselves have to be fully evangelized and catechized.

 

5. An evangelist is a person of joy. Joy is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Leon Bloy said, “Joy is the infallible sign of God’s presence.” Saint Teresa of Avila said, “A sad saint is a sorry saint!” If we are going to be credible witnesses, we have to be joyful. Do our lives manifest the joy of faith? Do we smile? Are we cheerful and hopeful? Our lives will either be a sign or a countersign to the truth of the Gospel’s claims. Gospel means “Good News.” Pope Francis has been insistent on this in his preaching and teaching. He has given us a beautiful apostolic exhortation called “The Joy of the Gospel.” Do we conduct ourselves with joy as bearers of good news?

 

6. The new evangelization is about sharing the love of God. As Saint Paul writes, “The love of Christ urges us on!” The love of Christ has to be made manifest in concrete ways, especially in our willingness to serve others. Jesus said, “I have come to serve and not to be served.” Whether in our personal relationships or through Catholic institutions and organizations like Catholic Charities or the Saint Vincent de Paul Society or the Knights of Columbus, the spiritual and corporal works of mercy motivated by the love of Christ are a necessary element of evangelization.

 

7. Martyrdom is a sign of the times in which we live. Does this sound shocking? The 20^th century saw more martyrs than the previous 19 combined. Martyrdom is the supreme witness to the truth and power of the Gospel. Those who live the faith with integrity will suffer persecution in some form. A few might even be called upon to shed their blood, like Blessed Stanley Rother. Those who patiently suffer persecution for their faith are powerful agents of evangelization. We are called bear the cross faithfully and joyfully by following Jesus as his disciples and witnesses. An ancient Christian writer, Tertullian, wrote that “The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians.”

 
This framework is not exhaustive, of course. The Holy Spirit is the principal agent of evangelization. He will always surprise us with something new and unexpected! Come, Holy Spirit!