We the baptised in Christ are asked to: "Go therefore and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with
you always, to the close of the age" (Mt 28:19,20). With these words, Jesus
Christ, before he ascended to heaven to take his place at the right hand of God
the Father (cf. Eph 1:20), sent his disciples forth to proclaim the Good News to
the whole world.
Pope Benedict XVI considers the biggest challenge for the Church today, above
all in countries with deep Christian roots, is to reintroduce the beauty of
Christianity to those who consider it an obstacle to happiness (Zenit.org, Vatican
City, 14 June, 2011). Then Cardinal Ratzinger reminded us before his election
as Pope in 2005: having clear Christian faith is often labelled today as a
fundamentalism. Saint Paul stated it as: “tossed by waves and swept along by
every wind of teaching arising from human trickery” (Eph 4, 14). This has caused
a crisis in faith for many people over the decades. Coptic Orthodox Bishop
Angaelos stated (25 January, 2012): "We're facing serious threats of increased
secularism and marginalization of religion in general and Christianity in
particular." Pope Benedict XVI wants to “promote a renewed evangelisation” in
traditionally Christian countries which are living through a “progressive
secularisation of society and a sort of ‘eclipse of the sense of God.’” In a meeting
on December 17, 2011, with bishops from New Zealand, the Pope said that the
new evangelisation: “is not an abstract concept but a renewal of authentic
Christian living based on the teachings of the Church.” (Zenit.org, Vatican City,
December 19, 2011). To rein-enforce the urgency, the Pope in a letter to mark
the close of the twelfth Inter-Christian Symposium (2 September, 2011) wrote:
"for a renewed proclamation of the Gospel in the modern world we need
evangelisers animated by the same apostolic zeal of (Saint) Paul".
In response to this serious crisis in faith, the Pope appointed Archbishop
Salvatore Fisichella, as president of the newly formed Pontifical Council for
Promoting New Evangelization in September 2010. It is preparing for the Synod
of Bishops on New Evangelisation in October 2012 (Zenit.org, 4 October, 2011).
Pope Benedict XVI is asking bishops to be audacious in thinking of new ways to
spread the Gospel message. The Pope asked bishops of Europe to "identify new
ways of evangelisation with missionary audacity," and he particularly stressed the
need that young people have of the Gospel (Zenit.org, 4 October, 2011).
Therefore, it has become important that religious leaders remind Europe and
elsewhere of Christianity’s social good. The Council of Bishops’ Conferences of
Europe and the Conference of European Churches are encouraging Christians to
demonstrate the positive influence Christianity can have in the public sphere.
The churches “have the opportunity to participate in the intellectual debate and to
show that the Christian faith is a force for good in society,” The leaders said the
source of the spiritual crisis affecting Europe needs to be found. They
encouraged Christians “to resist the temptation to diminish their presence in the
public sphere, because the credibility of their testimony in the eyes of public
opinion is at stake.” (CNA, Rome, 2 February, 2012). The same can be said in
Australia, where similar challenges have caused a crisis in faith; however, the
Christian faith can be presented as a positive force for good in society. All
Church activity is to evangelise – preaching, catechesis, liturgy, the sacramental
life, popular piety and the witness of Christian life. Its mission is one of service to authentic human development in God the Father, Son and Spirit and is much
broader that what has traditionally been called the foreign missions (Zenit.org, 4
October, 2011).
A new “internal evangelisation” is urgently needed to strengthen the faith of
Christians and reinforce “external evangelisation” (CNA, Rome, 2 February,
2012). Catholics must rediscover their religious identity and mission, as many
Catholics suffer from a 'Catholic identity crisis.' There is an urgent need to
understand what evangelisation is, or how to go about it. The Church exists in
order to evangelise and we have an opportunity to rediscover the meaning and
purpose of being Catholic, which will bring about a renewal of Catholic faith and
Catholic culture (Professor Dr. Ralph Martin, 7 December, 2011). According to
Archbishop Salvatore Fisichella, we can start with the upcoming Lenten period:
“Lent was seen as a providential opportunity: that the reading of the Word of
God, the bishop’s catechesis, the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation,
united with the sign of charity, can still be an evident sign of the commitment of
Christians to proclaiming the Good News of Jesus in our day” (Fisichella, 3
February, 2012).
In Australia, we must challenge ourselves to identify new ways of evangelisation
with the same missionary audacity. As an individual or group, we can be a force
for evangelisation. There are many positive ways in our daily lives we can start
to think about our humble contribution towards this new evangelisation: being an
example in our faith to others, at the parish level or reaching out to lapsed
Catholics. We can start in meeting halls, in schools and universities, in hospitals,
within charities and providing charity itself by extending assistance to migrants
and travellers. The message can be further communicated via the new social
media and in various online forums, in newsletters, with posters and handouts.
There are many ways to contribute in the new evangelisation – what is your way?
-- Richard Houlihan.
Co-ordinator of Catholics on Campus – Monash University.
