New Evangelization

We began tonight by defining what evangelization is: According to Wikipedia “Evangelization is that process in the Christian religion which seeks to spread the Gospel and the knowledge of the Gospel throughout the world. We also defined it as “the announcement of the Good News of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit with the goal of inviting all listeners to trust Him”. In a wider sense, it is used to describe ordinary pastoral work, while the phrase “new evangelization” designates pastoral outreach to those who no longer practice the Christian faith.

After this we talked about how we are doing evangelization in our Parishes. Before starting the ILM program I imagined evangelization to be a more direct effort, like the door to door canvasing of the Mormon’s or Jehovah Witness’. But today I can accept the idea that it can be less direct, like the Spirituality Tuesday lecture series or the Taizé services I assist my wife with.

In fact, during one of our recent Taizé services we invited some homeless guys in for the service. I was a bit surprised that they didn’t sit together, but while one of them left (noisily) about midway through another one of them sat in a front pew and was so moved by the service that he cried during most it. There are also the RCIA and CCD programs that are designed to reach people’s spiritual needs, and the opportunity provided by baptisms. During a baptism there are often family and friends that are not practicing their faith and this is an opportunity for them to experience the sacraments.

One of the people in my group felt that small group discussions was the best way to evangelize, and of course there is liturgy, welcoming, hospitality, etc. Our instructor told us a story about a talk she was supposed to give. As she began to talk, a homeless guy ran into the church and jumped up on the alter reaching up to the Cross and the body of Jesus. Our instructor thought, “oh my goodness” and tried to talk him into coming down. Then she listened to what he was saying which was,  “Please let me touch Jesus and he will touch my heart”.

From this she learned that we need to try to understand each other, even though there are many languages, many cultures, and many traditions. Not everyone can communicate with a second language but everyone can communicate with their heart. To teach and educate people in another culture we must listen to the other person. In the new evangelization we need to renovate the people who have already heard the Good news of Jesus but are no longer practicing. Sometimes it’s hard for different communities to engage each other because we are all in our own place worshiping God.

Bringing new people to the parish is more work and more budget, but sometimes we stress preparation before God, rather than trusting in God more than preparation. Conversion must be centered on a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. We can’t just talk about Jesus; we must provide an intimate connection to Jesus. The evangelization of different cultures requires an encounter with the gospel as a key to understanding each other. Take advantage of the moment when people ask you _______ (anything) to share your understanding of what you believe.

We may not be able to speak another language but our heart can speak all languages. For immigrants from Mexico evangelization means understanding the catholic church in America. They see the church in the US as very structured, and because of immigration fears it’s difficult for them to trust, "sign here and take these offering envelopes with you". The new evangelization is helping them to understand that they don’t need to worry and that it’s OK to sing up as a member of the community.

The new evangelization is not just observing the other culture but being part of the other culture: We are (all) a gift for each other, to truly be with each other. For instance I find bilingual and trilingual services to be very prayerful, but some people are unhappy attending multilingual services, because they don’t find them prayerful. The fact is the US is the 5th most multicultural country in the world, following countries like Canada and Australia, so we need to make an effort to be inclusive of everyone.

Liberation as a part of the new evangelization is the transformation of social and political understanding in light of gospel values, sharing our lives openly rather than holding on to our confidentiality. It’s very important if we are to understand the social and economic life of the people, especially the youth and young adults. The new evangelization is most effective when you touch the hearts of the people in their own experiences. Jesus will do the rest.

After the break our instructor showed us a video in Spanish with Italian sub-titles, and then asked us “How do you feel seeing the video and not understanding what was said?” Actually many of the students in my class speak Spanish and one even speaks Italian, but I have to admit it was a bit frustrating for me. The new evangelization is simply bringing God to others by talking about something that touches our heart.

It sounds harder than then it actually is. If you listen and observe carefully you can see Jesus telling you when you are doing the right thing and when you’re not. It’s about opening our hearts and seeing with our feelings about how we are doing our ministries. We are not only a bridge but the door to Jesus' heart.

What are the challenges of the new evangelization? Working in collaboration with other cultures is very hard, because we all have different ideas and desires. We have to figure out what is best for the people. Secularism in society is a challenge for all cultures. Individualism (me, them me, them after me comes me) is a strong sense of freedom to choose one’s own life style and profession. Falling asleep and materialism are two others, and understanding the theology of intercultural ministries can be a challenge. When a church includes many cultures it can be difficult to know what each culture understands about God.

How we understand the cultural challenges and how we understand the cultures theology will influence how we do evangelization. The good news is that we are catholic, as in universal father than in belief, and having other cultures in the Parish is not a problem; it is a gift. I must understand the church as communion, as mission, and as catholic because I am catholic and when I understand what this means I will be a true disciple of Christ, ready to bring others to the kingdom of God.