“Intent on gathering the signs of the times in the present of history, faith commits every one of us to become a living sign of the presence of the Risen Lord in the world. What the world is in particular need of today is the credible witness of people enlightened in mind and heart by the word of the Lord, and capable of opening the hearts and minds of many to the desire for God and for true life, life without end.”—Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Porta Fidei (n. 15)
If we truly believe in and love Jesus, we will have great joy. We can’t keep this joy to ourselves. We must pass it on. This is our role. This is our duty.
The New Evangelization
So what is the New Evangelization? It is calling everyone to have faith in God as He is revealed by Jesus. It is recommitting to a personal love for Christ in union with His Church. It is discovering a life of grace through the Sacraments. It is receiving the Bible as the Word of God, anew.
Stakes are high—eternity in Heaven or Hell. To evangelize is the loving thing to do.
Factors that cause loss of Faith
Rationalism: Rationalists believe that science will eventually uncover every mystery of the universe. They fear that God is a simplistic way to accept life’s unknowns.
Politics: Political ideologies can be detrimental to the Faith. In America, for instance, party loyalty is sometimes placed above God and the Church. (Think pro-abortion Catholic politicians.)
Materialism: Insists that only the material world exists and that spirituality has no impact on “real” life. Many people consider economic success to be more important than moral integrity, holiness, or eternal life in heaven.
Doubts: Science cannot disprove God’s existence, so prominent atheists make God, the Church and Christians in general appear as bad characters.
Neo-Gnosticism: According to this way of thinking, Church dogmas and moral teaching merely manifest the Church’s desire to control people’s lives, and so all Church teaching is suspect.
Skepticism: Some people simply do not want to be fooled by anyone so they hold themselves aloof from making a faith commitment.
Immorality: Some forms of immorality deaden the soul to the need for God. Some people take their sinful life as normal and do not want to change. Or they might fear change because they are so full of pride that they identify their ego with their sinful behavior.
Loss: Some people lose faith in God because God did not answer their prayers in a dire situation the way they wanted. So they reject Him and choose not to believe.
In order to evangelize people, we need not only to recognize these factors, but also be sensitive to the varying spiritual conditions and needs of the people to whom we present the Gospel. Therefore, we must listen to their stories, concerns, fears, angers, questions, doubts, and needs. This sensitivity is how we “learn to scratch where the other person truly itches.”
The face of heresy in Dante’s Inferno.
Next time: We need the Holy Spirit
Meditation: Read 1 Cor 12-14; Romans 12: 3-8 and Eph 4: 4-16 for the next time. How many of the gifts of the Spirit are mentioned in more than one list?
Dr. Linda L. Powell 