In the Christian community, the term “new evangelization” has been widely used. What could it mean? It refers to the specific process wherein the Catholic Church’s baptized constituents demonstrate the universal Christian call to evangelization.
The new evangelization was tackled by the Holy Bible in Mark 4:31-32 that states, “It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”
Getting a Better Grasp on New Evangelization
Have you ever felt that your connection towards God and the Catholic Church has weakened? Then you should aspire to tie the loose ends and regain your faith. That is what new evangelization is all about, which is to urge the members of the Christian Church to cultivate a more profound faith, trust in gist of the Gospel, and profess the word of God.
Moreover, it typically centers on drawing the attention of every Christian to be evangelized or re-evangelized. There are also aspects of it that focus on re-proclaiming and professing the Gospel to those people who have dealt with great struggles when it comes to faith.
The Synod of Bishops proclaimed last 2012 that there are three principals highlighted in the new evangelization. These keys are as follows: regular pastoral ministry with the goal of blazing the hearts of the believers; reaching out to those that received the sacrament of Baptism but whose lifestyle do not conform to the demands of the sacrament; and evangelizing the individuals who haven’t known Christ or who constantly reject Him.
In relation to the second principal setting, the importance of bringing Christians who have strayed on their path and loosen their faith back or closer to God have resurfaced. A special emphasis both in Europe and America, which are the places that have traditionally become Catholic; however, they have intensely become impacted by secularization.
There are many members of the Catholic Church that strongly believe and adhere to the new evangelization and Rev. Francis J. Peffley is among them. To Father Peffley, sharing the faith is important in every aspect, especially in the present world. He also cultivated and gathered great deals of materials to help everyone in looking for inspirations for their faith and getting the drive to share those materials to others.
Background and Origin of the New Evangelization
As seen on the opening sentence of the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, it was stated by the Second Vatican Council that Christ had sent forth the Catholic Church to spread the Gospel to everyone. Moreover, evangelism is an integral message in different Vatican II files to the point that the said documents have mentioned and tackled the terms evangelization, gospel, evangelize several times.
New evangelization originated from Nowa Huta close to Kraków in Poland. It is where heavy and lengthy efforts were spent in the course of the communist rule to put in place the church land, cross, and cathedral in a new urban area when there was nothing.
Why New Evangelization is Essential
You might be wondering about the reasons why many aspire to achieve new evangelization. According to Pope Benedict XVI, “To evangelize means: to show this path—to teach the art of living. . . This is why we are in need of a new evangelization—if the art of living remains an unknown, nothing else works. But this art is not the object of a science—this art can only be communicated by [one] who has life—he who is the Gospel personified.”
With the current changes and progress in the world, many end up forgetting to cultivate their faith. There are also those that unintentionally fail to remember the importance of having a deep relationship with God. That is when new evangelization comes into the picture and starts to work on these people. With this factor, everyone will develop a better bond with God and live up to the demands of the sacrament of Baptism in their own little ways.
The Happy Hammock 