Evangelisation is not a calling for the ordained alone. Photo | firefly-generated.
“I will appoint over you shepherds after my own heart, who will shepherd you wisely and prudently” (Jeremiah 3:15).
It has been observed that many Catholics are sacramentalised but not evangelised. The result is a population of Catholics who think their religion is a matter of going through the actions, keeping the rules and regulations and the most important thing is not missing Mass on Sunday. Many have either lapsed or stayed for the wrong reasons. Interestingly, Evangelicals are clamouring for sacraments.
Evangelisation requires a personal and narrative witness to the saving message of the Gospel leading to a spiritual encounter with Jesus Christ. The Church has a constant need of being evangelised, if she wishes to retain freshness, vigour and strength in order to proclaim the Gospel.
God has always had an intimate relationship with humanity. He spoke directly to Adam, Abraham and Moses. In each age, He called prophets to give His word to the people whom He led.
Jesus Christ is the ultimate revelation of the message of God for humanity. His entire life, birth, ministry, teachings, passion, death upon the cross, resurrection and glorious ascension are the true message that God wants to communicate to people of every age.
As Jesus Christ was about to ascend to heaven, He commissioned the Apostles, those men He had chosen to lead His holy Church, to continue His work upon the earth (Matthew 28: 18-20). The Book of the Acts of the Apostles tells the story of their ministry.
The Apostles chose successors to their ministry and also appointed others to carry on the work of preaching and teaching the message that they had received. In the Catholic Church, this ministry of teaching and preaching officially resides in the bishops, priests and deacons. The word of God constantly proclaimed in the liturgy, is always a living and effective word through the power of the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 4:12).
The Lord has given to the Church “the shepherds and teachers”. There can be no true shepherding without the Word. “Feed my sheep” (John 21:15-17). So the primary duty of a priest, after the offering of Mass and the administration of the sacraments, is to proclaim God’s revelation to a world that needs to hear the message of salvation.
Therefore, he must not mix the Holy Gospel with subjects that are too worldly. He must aim at drawing souls to Christ and His kingdom. “Every liturgical action is by its very nature steeped in sacred Scripture,” Pope Benedict XVI said.
Liturgy should be our response to what God has done and to what he has delivered to us through His means of grace. Human creativity in liturgy, leads to unfaithfulness to Jesus’ command and to idolatry. A homily is a typically brief commentary on the scripture readings in the Mass, as well as Church tradition in some instances. It is not about being entertaining, showy, flashy or original. It is about preaching Christ. It is not about making people feel good, but making people good.
Evangelisation in its broad sense is not restricted to the ordained. Christ’s lay faithful in general are expected to be evangelists, catechists, exemplary Christian parents, spiritual leaders, Christian educators and social workers. They must follow the same pedagogy of Jesus and the Apostles. They have to create programmes outside Mass, exclusively dedicated to teaching.
In 1983, St John Paul II launched a New Evangelisation, describing it as having three qualities: new means, new expressions, and new ardour. It encourages application of modern means of communication.
Parishes are indeed the mainstay of a diocesan church, but they are not the only ways of gathering people into community and equipping them for mission. Devotions and movements, such as the Legion of Mary, can exist within parishes and alongside of parishes. Basic Ecclesial communities are a pastoral avenue for evangelisation. Retreats are a very effective means of evangelisation.
In recent years , many new groups and associations of the Christian faithful have arisen within the Church. They demonstrate an explicit commitment to an evangelising mission, operating in relationship with ecclesiastical authority. We welcome them as a response of the Holy Spirit to the current needs of the Church.
The laity are given this special vocation: to make the Church present and fruitful in those places and circumstances where it is only through them that she can become the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16).
