The need for humility, joy and confidence in spreading the Gospel have been some of the major subjects for discussion during the first session of the first full day of the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization.
The Church, said various bishops, must be humble and not preoccupied with herself; she cannot pretend to give easy solutions; she must rediscover the newness and richness of Christ’s teaching, and cannot be guided by "our own thoughts," but must constantly reach back into Tradition.
Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville advocated blessing a child in the womb – approved by the Vatican in 2011 – saying it is the first act of evangelization of a child and his family, and also fosters respect for human life, according to Father Thomas Rosica, director of Salt And Light Television who is briefing reporters on the discussions taking place in the Synod Hall.
Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson, stepping in for Cardinal Francis George who is undergoing treatment for cancer, said that charity and justice must be at the heart of evangelisation, and that to work for justice, peace and development is especially attractive to young people who are touched by such witness that changes hearts.
A Latin American bishop said that the new evangelization is in need of new saints and we are called to be those new saints. The new poverty of the world is a poverty of saints, he added, and youth desperately need role models to inspire them, to excite them to love Jesus and the church.
Again, the importance of humility was raised, with Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan in the Philippines saying to loud applause that the Gospel can be preached to empty stomachs, but only if the stomach of the preacher is as empty as those of his flock.
Polish Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, made the point that the greatest obstacle a priest or theologian faces in becoming an effective evangelizer is pride and selfishness, and that the obsession with becoming great, original and important results in pastors feeding themselves and not the flocks they lead. Original sin, he said, means that all of us are inflicted with arrogance and this has to be constantly put at the foot of the cross in order to learn authentic love and to be evangelizers and teachers.
Among other obstacles to evangelization is the lack of missionary impulse, and the absence of joy and hope among priests, according to Bishop José Elías Rauda Gutiérrez, O.F.M. of San Vincente, El Salvador. The new evangelisation, he said, is the medicine to give back joy and hope to the world, and priests are important agents of this effort to help the Church come alive again.
Bishop John Corriveau of Nelson, British Columbia, stressed the importance of Trinitarian love at the heart of all new evangelisation efforts, and the building of community and the promotion of a sense of communion.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York underlined that the primary sacrament of the new evangelisation is the Sacrament of Penance, while Archbishop Gustavo García-Sillerto of San Antonio said he humbly called on the Holy Father to consecrate the whole world to the Holy Spirit. He proposed that the conclusion of the Year of Faith would be an ideal time to do so, “begging God to give out the gift of his Spirit across the face of the earth.”
Yesterday afternoon, the Synod Hall was opened up to one hour of free discussion. Each speaker was limited to 3-4 minutes and could address anything they wished.
According to Fr. Rosica, many referred to the opening speech of the General Relator of the Synod, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, and praised his emphasis on the need for joy and confidence in the proclamation of the Gospel.
The Cardinal Archbishop of Washington D.C. made headlines by speaking of a "tsunami of secularism" that has washed across the world, leaving in its wake a tendency to deny God's existence, or to deny that God's existence is relevant to human thinking and action. He added that without God, "the very understanding of what it means to be human is altered” and that a key task of the new evangelization is to help people see that human dignity and human rights flow from the fact that all people are created in the image and likeness of God.
Also often raised in the free discussion was the subject of Islam. Many discussed evangelizing in the Middle East and elsewhere amid the threat of persecution, with some participants stressing the need to take “great care” in proclaiming the Gospel. “This can be a red flag and an invitation to tragedies,” Fr. Rosica said in reporting on the discussion. “This was a real eye-opener for some people.” An emerging theme, he added, was that evangelization in such countries is a one-way street – many convert to Islam, but are not free to convert to the Church.
Other speakers called for the spirit, energy and hope of the Council to be recaptured; one bishop stressed the importance of taking bold initiatives and recalled how he made sure a Corpus Christi procession went ahead despite a fierce storm. He was astounded how many people nevertheless took part.
“It was a very friendly spirit, the Pope was keenly listening, there was laughter and applause,” said Father Rosica. He added that the Holy Father appeared “on good form,” with many people talking with him and giving him gifts. “He seems very peaceful,” he said.
Full texts and summaries of the Synod interventions can be read here.
The Holy Father's opening meditation, delivered yesterday.
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For many Christians the words ‘to Evangelise’ means “teach people about Jesus Christ as saviour.” This understanding is derived from the instructions issued by Jesus himself as contained in the Gospels. St. Luke (4:43) for example records Jesus saying: “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose”. Jesus subsequently conferred the same mandate upon his apostles: “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole of creation” (Mark 16:15). Evangelization is not only the responsibility of the bishops and the clergy, but of “every disciple of Christ, according to his or her ability” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, n. 17)
Jesus evangelized in more than word. He cured the sick, fed the hungry, raised the dead, and gave hope to the poor, however conversion to a particular faith carrying his name is not mentioned anywhere in the four Gospels. Since Jesus was a Jew it would have been logical that he would have insisted that his listeners adopt his Jewish tradition. Not so. The conversion that Jesus spoke about, time and time again, was a conversion of the heart! Evangelization for Jesus meant adopting a new way of life. Jesus was talking about living a life with others where we would share kingdom values such as compassion, understanding, forgiveness, peace, acceptance, etc. This is how Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of God, and said that we are already in the kingdom if we live according to these values. Furthermore, Jesus promised that we will live more completely in the kingdom after our death.
Almost from the beginning religious institutions sought to modify Evangelization to include the conversion to their particular branch of faith. Evangelization as interpreted by the early church meant that the convert was required to not only adopt the particular dogma and doctrine of the institution but also accept its traditions even if it meant completely denouncing their own culture and customs. Religious history is filled with many records of forced conversions as well as the destruction of many indigenous cultures which occurred well into the twentieth century. The pages of history are filled with stories of much cruelty and suffering at the hands of many well meaning missionaries. Surely, this was hardly the message of salvation that Jesus came to bring.
So let us once again return to the original meaning the Jesus clearly intended. Christian evangelization has nothing to do with a particular dogma or doctrine, Catholics, or Protestants. It has even less to do with church membership, its liturgy, rubrics, vestments, candles, or a hierarchy. It has everything to do with imitating the life of Jesus Christ and sharing God’s kingdom values here on earth.
Evangelism should really be a two way street. We enter the other’s world because we really believe we are enriched by the interaction and our horizons will be enlarged. We celebrate good and beauty where ever we find it. Jesus often found faith outside his religious tribe (Israel, God’s people) and praised it (Matthew 8:10; 15:28 to name a few instances). Actually, when we read the Gospels we often find Jesus saddened by the lack of faith among his own people and followers.
We don’t bring God to the other, but find God in the other.- Richard Rohr
The mortal enemy of faith is knowledge, a scientific fact that has been demonstrated by researchers at the University of British Columbia.[1] The basis of any religion is that you must believe something someone else tells you is true, even though your mind tells you it is a lie and it makes no sense. There is name for that: fideism. Without fideism, the concept of religion would not exist.
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Many people believe that without religion, the planet would descend into immoral chaos. The reality is that the majority of heinous crimes committed against people on this planet across all of recorded history had their roots on religious beliefs, but the ability to distinguish right from wrong does not require any religious beliefs. In addition, animals who are incapable of understanding our human concept of religion show clear evidence of understanding moral behavior and distinguishing between right and wrong.
The tsunami of secularism ay? Does that include the tidal wave of priestly pedophilia that shamed Catholics, stole their tithes to pay lawsuits, and drove millions away from the Church? And what about the landslide on Latino immigrants who have elbowed other Americans out of their parishes and the bishops such as Jaime Soto of the Sacramento Diocese who have catered to them and who now says Christmas mass in Spanish even though 90% of the midnight parishioners are Asian and white? And what about the holier-than-thou attitude of the Knights of Columbus and other old folk ministries that treat the church’s young and newcomers like they have leprosy?
I’m sorry but the church has a very pious, elitist mentality and until they get off their pedestals and start treating fellow parishioners like real brothers and sisters in Christ, the exodus will continue in earnest.
Also I find it paradoxical that the very people who have caused all the problems in the church are the ones bing called to Rome to figure out how to fix them. Memo to then pope: if the people in Rome at the Bishops Synod knew how to fix the problems, they would have fixed them by now. Most of the bishops there are old crotchety men who are counting down the days to their retirements and priests that can’t speak English . If you want to fix the church , have a lay people synod full of people who have highly ethical leadership experience and no police record . We will deliver a full report with the exact things the church needs to do to revive itself….... But alas no priest or bishop has respect for lay people so our recommendations wood fall on deaf ears . You can’t tell a priest or bishop anything other than how awesome they are
Sorry for the typos ; it’s the iPad’s terrible keyboard’s fault
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