Preparing for the Year of Faith

Begins October 11, 2012 and concludes November 24, 2013

Begin: 11 Oct 2012

50th Anniversary of Opening of Vatican II 20th Anniversary of CCC – power and beauty of faith General Assembly of Synod of Bishops: New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith End: 24 Nov 2013: Christ Universal King

Good opportunity to usher the whole Church

into a time of particular reflection and rediscovery of faith

Opportunity -favorable time for doing something -chance to improve something Seize it and not waste it (Carpe annum!)

Good opportunity

Preparing for the Year of Faith “The Year of Faith is intended to contribute to a renewed

conversion to the Lord Jesus and to the rediscovery of faith, so that the members of the Church will be credible and joyfilled

witnesses to the Risen Lord in the world of today - capable of leading those many people who are seeking it to

the "door of faith." This "door" opens wide man’s gaze to Jesus Christ, present among us "always, until the end of the

age (Mt 28:20).” -Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, January 6, 2012

The Foundation of Faith “The Lord said: Upon this rock I shall build my Church because Peter has

first said: You are Christ, the Son of the living God. The Lord was really saying: I shall build my Church upon the rock

which you have acknowledged. For the rock was Christ, and upon this

foundation even Peter himself was raised up. Another foundation indeed no one can lay except that which was laid,

which is Jesus Christ.”

The door of faith is always open for us,

-ushering us into the life of communion with God and

-offering entry into his Church.

The door of faith: always open

It is possible when…

It is possible to cross the threshold

when the Word of God is proclaimed and

The heart allows itself to be shaped

by transforming grace

Setting out on a journey

• To enter through that door is to set out on a journey that lasts a lifetime. – Begins with Baptism – we address God as Father

– Through Death to eternal life

• To profess faith in Trinity is to believe in one God who is Love – God is love: Everything must start from here and

everything must lead to here, every pastoral action, every theological treatise. – Benedict XVI 22 April 2007

Rediscover the journey of faith: Joy and enthusiasm

• So as to shed ever clearer light on the joy and renewed enthusiasm of the encounter with Christ – Lead people out of the desert, towards the

place of life, towards friendship with the Son of God

Jesus’ teaching is about reality

True

False

REALITY

MIND

God and Eternal Law

Man and Moral law

World and Physical laws

Nothing is truer than the words of Truth

What’s different about our society, culture and Church today?

Erosion in Mass Attendance (entire Catholic population): 75% in 1957 44% in 1987 37% in 1999 33% in 2005 31% in 2011

Generational Profile of our Church: Pre Vat. II Vat. II Post- Vat. II Mill.

(Born before 1940) (1941-60) (1961-1982) (1983-2003)

2011 10% 33% 34% 23% Generations Attending Mass weekly or more:

2005 60% 35% 26% 15% 2011 54% 31% 29% 23%

RESEARCH

• What implications can you draw from this

research?

• What are you experiencing in your parish that reflects this research?

• What do we need to do to welcome others into relationship with Christ?

EVANGELIZATION From the Hebrew word, basar

“to proclaim the good news or joyful tidings”

The Aim of Catechesis "The definitive aim of catechesis is to put people not

only in touch, but also in communion and intimacy, with Jesus Christ. All evangelizing activity is

understood as promoting communion with Jesus Christ. Starting with the

‘initial’ conversion of a person to the Lord, moved by the Holy Spirit through the

primary proclamation of the Gospel,

catechesis seeks to solidify and mature this first adherence. - General Directory of Catechesis, 80

Begins with our Conversion "Before being sent to evangelize,

they would have to ‘be’ with Jesus, establishing a personal relationship with him. With this

foundation, evangelization is no more than a proclamation of

what has been experienced and an invitation to enter into the mystery of communion with

Christ.” -Pope Benedict XVI, March 22, 2006

“The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God

who loved me and gave himself for me.”

-Galatians 2:20b

Some important background:

•The ancient concept of the ministry of evangelization has been reintroduced and redefined since Vatican II Ecumenical Council and the 1975 Apostolic Exhortation “Evangelii Nuntiandi” (“The Gospel Must Be Proclaimed”) by Pope Paul VI.

•Evangelization is not a Protestant phenomenon and it is not a specialized activity reserved to a few experts, but it is the basic right and duty of all believers.

Paul VI in Envangelii Nuntiandi says, “May these words succeed to give a fresh impulse to everyone, the whole People of God assembled in the Church, so that each one of them may follow ‘a straight course in the message of the truth,’ and may work as a preacher of the Gospel and acquit himself perfectly of his ministry”(EN 5).

“The whole Church is missionary, and the work of evangelization is a basic duty of the People of God” (EN 59). Evangelization is my fundamental responsibility

as a Catholic Christian.

What is evangelization?

The official definition of evangelization comes from Pope Paul’s Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Nuntiandi.

“For the Church, evangelizing means bringing the Good News into all the strata of humanity, and through its influence transforming humanity from within and making it new. . . The purpose of evangelization is. . . interior change. . . the Church evangelizes when she seeks to convert, solely through the divine power of the message she proclaims, both the personal and collective consciences of people, the activities in which they engage, and the lives and concrete milieu which are theirs” (EN 18).

Grass-roots Definitions of Evangelization

“Evangelization is loving people into the Kingdom!” “Evangelization is inviting people into a loving and

personal relationship with Jesus Christ, which is then nurtured by a loving and caring Catholic faith community.”

“Evangelization is the process of extending oneself in order to nurture the spiritual well-being of another person.”

There is an urgency to evangelize and catechize. Pope Benedict XVI calls for the Year of Faith to contribute to a renewed conversion to Jesus Christ and to the rediscovery of faith so that the members of the church will be credible and joy-filled witnesses to the risen Lord in the world today. Apostolic Letter of Benedict XVI, Porta Fidei, 2011 The “door of faith” (Acts 14:27) is always open for us, ushering us into the life of communion with God and offering entry into his Church. It is possible to cross that threshold when the word of God is proclaimed and the heart allows itself to be shaped by transforming grace. To enter through that door is to set out on a journey that lasts a lifetime (1). Blessed John Paul II called it “The New Evangelization”.

What is the “New Evangelization”?

Blessed John Paul II described three different kinds of evangelization:

Mission ad gentes: Latin for “to the nations.” This is a situation where “Christ and his Gospel are not known.”

Christian communities: “In these communities the Church carries out her activity and pastoral care.” This is the ongoing evangelization of those “fervent in the faith.”

New Evangelization: The new evangelization pertains to a very specific group of people: fallen-away Christians “where entire groups of the baptized have lost a living sense of the faith, or even no longer consider themselves members of the Church, and live a life far removed from Christ and his Gospel. In this case what is needed is a ‘new evangelization’ or a ‘re-evangelization.’”

Church documents and experience teach us: (Practical Applications)

• Evangelization and Catechesis cannot exist apart from each other.

• Evangelization and Catechesis must be adapted to every age and stage of life. It does not mean the end to systematic, developmental religious education. Rather, religious education is just one of the many ways we are evangelized and learn about our faith throughout our lives.

• Evangelization is a lifelong process, not a program.

• The parish is the ‘curriculum’: everything we

do- from liturgy, to social outreach, to the way people are greeted in the parish, to the look of the parish newsletter and website, evangelizes.

• Vibrant Liturgies are the ultimate experiences of faith, where the Word of God, the Good News, is proclaimed, received, learned, celebrated and lived.

• Evangelization is the ministry of conversion; of witness; of building relationships with Christ and each other.

• Our pastor’s vision and the commitment to evangelization are fundamental.

That doesn’t mean he has to do all the work, but he must be the guiding force and the cheerleader!

Jesus is the model of the New Evangelization. He called individuals one by one; he entered into personal relationships. He proclaimed the love of God to individuals, in homes, communities, territories, and it continued to spread from those whom He encountered.

What do we need to do to celebrate the Year of Faith

and the New Evangelization?

What impels us to evangelization

• Caritas Christi urget nos: It is the love of Christ that fills our hearts that impels us to evangelization.

• Jesus convokes Church – Mandate: proclaim the Gospel

• Need: stronger commitment to new evangelization to rediscover joy of believing and enthusiasm for communicating the faith.

Two parts of Christ’s last words: (1) Go and make disciples of all the nations…

(2) Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded

2nd command contains teaching the first command

Why are the Protestants more zealous evangelizers? Perhaps because they teach the Great Commission!

Teach the last commands of Christ because he commanded us to teach them

May this Year of Faith….

• Make our relationship with Christ the Lord increasingly firm – “you love him though you do not now see him

you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy.

– Central formula: “I believe in you” (Ratzinger, Intro to Christianity)

Infidelity is infidelity to Someone who calls

• Benedict XVI to Philippine Bishops Priority: friendship with Christ (on it everything depends)

Suggestions from the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

• Read Pope Benedict’s Letter Porta Fidei. • Intensify the celebration of the Eucharist. • Study the Catechism and make it and catechetical

resources more widely available to parishioners. • Priests offer homilies on: “the encounter with Christ,” “the

fundamental contents of the creed,” and “faith and the church.”

• Promote missions and other “popular” programs. • Create small communities of faith that help parishioners

understand the Catechism better. • Communicate your experience of “fath and charity” to

people of other faiths and no religion at all.

Suggestions from the Diocesan Pastoral Council

• Focus on catechetical activities, particularly intergenerational with materials at kids’ level.

• Train all in parish how to welcome. • Each parishioner invites one other person to

participate in the parish. • Involve church associations outside the parish

and invite members into parish involvement. • Bulletin suggestions on everyday evangelization. • More Bible studies for all ages.

“The Church does not give up or retreat into herself; instead, she undertakes a project to revitalize herself. She makes the Person of

Jesus Christ and a personal encounter with him central to her thinking, knowing that he will give his Spirit and provide

the force to announce and proclaim the Gospel in new

ways which can speak to today’s cultures.”

-Preparation Document for 2012 Synod on the New Evangelization, 1

• http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/motu_proprio/documents/hf_ben-xvi_motu-proprio_20111011_porta-fidei_en.html

• http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20120106_nota-anno-fede_en.html

Porta Fide and CDF Note

Internet Resources

Vatican: http://www.vatican.va/

CCC: http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm

Catholic Education Resource Center: http://www.catholiceducation.org/

CBCP pastoral statements: http://cbcponline.net/v2/?page_id=1807

CBCP for life: http://cbcpforlife.com/

Permission is granted for the distribution and copying of this PDF file.

My request is to please pray the rosary for the intentions of the Pope.

Smile Always,

KATHY

rookiekay@hotmail.com

Permission granted