Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians General Chapter X, 2024
Document no.2
Selected Documents of the Church on Evangelization

Introduction:
Our founder was inspired by the Holy Spirit to direct the mission of the Congregation first and foremost to those people who do not yet know the Gospel, so that they know Jesus Christ the Son of God and Saviour, as the only mediator between God and human beings. Thus, the vast horizon of the Mission ad Gentes is our specific field of apostolate (Const. 2013, C.71). We share in this mission more specifically through mission ad gentes directed to peoples, groups and socio-cultural contexts in which Christ and his Gospel are not known (RM 33). We commit ourselves to catechetical instruction of the baptized leading them to mature faith and devote ourselves to works of charity, which reveal the soul of all missionary activity namely, love. (Const. 2013, C. 72; cf. RM 60).
There can be no true Evangelization without the explicit proclamation of Jesus as Lord. The mandate of Jesus to go into the whole world to preach the Gospel and our readiness to be at the service of the Church for the spread of the Kingdom of God, inspire us to reach out to all peoples, cultures and nations with our charism of mission ad gentes. This apostolate is of greatest priority for our Congregation; if we are not faithful to it, we might run the risk of languishing for want of vocations and slowly die out. (Const. 2013, R. 84).
There are many Church documents that speak of Missionary Evangelization, and it is important for us to study them so that we become familiar with the teaching of the Church on Missionary Evangelization and get guidance from them for our effectiveness in the work of Evangelization. As we are preparing ourselves for the 10th General Chapter, and the provincial chapters, the great and most important events of the congregation, let us take time to learn and study these documents of the Church on Missionary Evangelization and discover in them the way to live our lives with creative fidelity to the charism and respond to the challenges we might face in our mission ad gentes and become witnesses of Christ in our world.
We shall focus our study on four important documents of the Church on the mission. The four selected documents are the following.
1.    Ad Gentes Divinitus (1965), Second Vatican Council’s decree on the Church’s missionary activity.
2.    Evangelii Nuntiandi (1975), of Pope Paul VI, Perhaps the most important modern Church document on evangelization, it urges all Catholics—priests, religious, catechists, parents, and lay faithful—to evangelize the modern world.
3.    Redemptoris Missio (1990), of Pope John Paul II, an Encyclical on the Church’s missionary activity which emphasizes the urgency of Evangelization.
4.    Evangelii Gaudium (2013), is Pope Francis’ joyful call to evangelization which touches every aspect of our life, creating a “culture of encounter” through which people come to know the Lord Jesus.
A summary of each of these documents is presented here below for our study and reflection. You can also refer to the document for clarification and better understanding.
I.    Ad Gentes on the Missionary Activity of the Church (Vatican II)
(Vatican II, Conciliar Decree Ad gentes on Missionary Activity of the Church, Rome, 1965).
Ad gentes (To the Nations) is the Second Vatican Council’s decree on missionary activity. Ad Gentes is a decree released during the Second Vatican Council that announces the Catholic Church's commitment to bringing the Gospel to all people. (The name Ad Gentes comes from the Latin translation of Jesus' exhortation of the Apostles to ‘go forth to the nations.’) It establishes evangelization as one of the fundamental missions of the Catholic Church and reaffirms the tie between evangelization and charity for the less-fortunate. Ad Gentes also calls for the formation of strong lay groups or Christian communities and strong relations with other Christians. Finally, it lays out guidelines for the training and actions of the missionaries.
It called for the continued development of missionary acculturation. It encourages missionaries to live with the people they are attempting to instruct (convert) and to absorb their ways and culture. It encourages the
 
coordination of mission work through agencies and cooperation with other groups and organizations within the Catholic Church and other denominations.
The preface of Ad Gentes (hereafter referred to as AG), begins with what has become a familiar phrase to describe the Church as, “a universal sacrament of salvation” (AG 1). This phrase first appeared in Lumen Gentium (48), the earlier Vatican II Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, published one year before on Nov. 21, 1964. It is also used in Gaudium et Spes (45), the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, published on the same day as Ad Gentes. While generally used to explain the nature of the pilgrim Church in relationship to its union with the Church in heaven, the phrase is also used to consider the relationship between the Church as a universal sacrament and the particular sacraments such as baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist, and the relationship between universal salvation and particular salvation.
The opening paragraph states emphatically: “Upon [the apostles’] successors, devolves the duty of perpetuating this work through the years … [that] God’s kingdom can be everywhere proclaimed and established” (AG 1). As successors of the original apostles who comprise “the beginning of the sacred hierarchy” of Christ (AG 6), the centrality of the bishop in the work of the missions is repeated often in the document (i.e., articles, 1, 6, 16, 18, 20, 30, 38, 41).
A central theme that emerges when discussing “mission” in Ad Gentes is its relationship to service. Being of service to people for the kingdom's sake summarises the missionary's primary motivation. Whether it be down the street, in a neighbouring town or in an entirely different culture where a different language is spoken, the mission is all about outreach to others with the heart of a servant. Quoting St. Thomas Aquinas, the document explains: “the specific purpose of missionary activity is Evangelization and the planting of the Church among those peoples and groups where she has not yet taken root” (AG 6). The life of the missionary or “herald of the Gospel” is a way of living rather than something imposed.
In chapter two of Ad Gentes, the Council Fathers talk about the importance of charity in the life of missionaries. While recognizing that they are “sent by Christ to reveal and to communicate the love of God to all people and nations,” the bishops are quick to add that “the Church is aware that this … remains a gigantic missionary task for her to accomplish” (AG 10). Still, according to the Council Fathers, in the persons of the missionaries, the faith must be “animated by that charity with which God has loved us” (AG 12).
Throughout Ad Gentes is the recurring Scriptural command given by Jesus to “go into the whole world, [and] preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mk 16:15). This remains the priority of the bishops and all heralds of the Gospel because it is God’s desire that all people be saved. From the time of Jesus, “the duty has weighed upon the Church to spread the faith and the saving work of Christ” (AG 5).
The final chapter discusses the importance of better collaboration between bishops, priests, consecrated religious and the laity in order to contribute to the “work of Evangelization” (AG 35). The point is that Evangelization remains the personal responsibility of all Catholics. Ad Gentes points out that the role all bishops play in supporting the missions is likewise true of priests, some of whom serve in missionary lands, all of whom have the obligation to actively support and promote the missions. Most active missionaries, however, continue to be represented by religious communities. (AG 40) Nevertheless, the Council Fathers made a special appeal that more religious communities consider “adapting their constitutions … [in order to involve their members] … as much as possible in missionary activity” (AG 40). Those belonging to institutes of the contemplative life are also asked to contribute “by their prayers, works of penance and sufferings … [which] have a very great importance in the conversion of souls” (AG 40).
Lay people, too, are called to active missionary work, including “catechists,” who are singled out as “coworkers of the priestly order” (AG 17). Ad Gentes highlights also how “the sick and those oppressed by hardship … [can] offer prayers and penance to God with a generous heart for the Evangelization of the world” (AG 38). All in the Church are challenged to offer active, financial or spiritual support to the missions. People need to be better catechized so that this goal may one day be achieved.
The Council Fathers conclude that in “their solemn duty to spread everywhere the Kingdom of God, [they] lovingly salute all heralds of the Gospel … especially those who suffer persecution for the name of Christ,” (AG 42) especially, wherever the Catholic faith is ridiculed, misrepresented or in any way compromised, Ad Gentes suggests that this too ought to be prayerfully offered for the greater honour and glory of God!
 
Quotations:
Chapter I: Principles of Doctrine
    “Divinely sent to the nations of the world to be unto them “a universal sacrament of salvation,” the Church, driven by the inner necessity of her own catholicity, and obeying the mandate of her Founder (cf. Mark 16:16), strives ever to proclaim the Gospel to all peoples. The Apostles themselves, on whom the Church was founded, following in the footsteps of Christ, “preached the word of truth and begot churches.” It is the duty of their successors to make this task endure “so that the word of God may run and be glorified (2 Thess. 3:1) and the kingdom of God be proclaimed and established throughout the world.” (AG 1).
    “The pilgrim Church is missionary by her very nature, since it is from the mission of the Son and the mission of the Holy Spirit that she draws her origin, in accordance with the decree of God the Father.” (AG 2)
    The Church is, by Her very nature, missionary. Christ continues His work in the Church. He sends the Church to “reconcile the world to Himself” (AG 3).
    The mission of the Church, therefore, is fulfilled by that activity which makes her, obeying the command of Christ and influenced by the grace and love of the Holy Spirit, fully present to all men or nations, in order that, by the example of her life and by her preaching, by the sacraments and other means of grace, she may lead them to the faith, the freedom and the peace of Christ; that there may lie open before them a firm and free road to full participation in the mystery of Christ. (AG 5)
    The chief means of evangelization referred to is the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To preach this Gospel the Lord sent forth His disciples into the whole world, that being reborn by the Word of God (cf. 1 Peter 1:23), men might be joined to the Church through baptism–that Church which, as the Body of the Word Incarnate, is nourished and lives by the word of God and by the Eucharistic bread (cf. Acts 2:43). (AG 6).
    “And so the time for missionary activity extends between the first coming of the Lord and the second, in which in the latter (i.e., the second coming) the Church will be gathered from the four winds like a harvest into the kingdom of God. For the Gospel must be preached to all nations before the Lord shall come (cf. Mark 13:10).” (AG 9)
    Missionary activity is nothing else and nothing less than an epiphany, or a manifesting of God's decree, and its fulfilment in the world and in world history, in the course of which God, by means of mission, manifestly works out the history of salvation. By the preaching of the word and by the celebration of the sacraments, the centre and summit of which is the most holy Eucharist, He brings about the presence of Christ, the author of salvation. (AG 9).
Chapter 2: Missionary Work Itself
    Article 1: Christian Witness – witness to Christianity by authentic life. Be familiar with cultural traditions. Dialogue well. Charity must be the driving force for all evangelistic zeal. Share with all regardless of “race, creed, or social condition; it looks for neither gain nor gratitude.” (cf. AG 12).
Closely united with men in their life and work, Christ's disciples hope to render to others true witness of Christ, and to work for their salvation, even where they are not able to announce Christ fully. For they are not seeking mere material progress and prosperity for men, but are promoting their dignity and brotherly union, teaching those religious and moral truths which Christ illumined with His light; and in this way, they are gradually opening up a fuller approach to God. Thus, they help men to attain salvation by love for God and neighbour, and the mystery of Christ begins to shine forth, in which there appears the new man, created according to God (cf. Eph. 4:24), and in which the charity of God is revealed. (AG 12).
    Article 2: Preaching the Gospel and Gathering together the People of God – Restore the catechumenate. Make it a true formation in morality and life. Involve the entire Christian community. Do not force the faith.
 
    Wherever God opens a door of speech for proclaiming the mystery of Christ, there is announced to all peoples with confidence and constancy the living God, and He whom He has sent for the salvation of all, Jesus Christ, in order that non-Christians, when the Holy Spirit opens their hearts, may believe and be freely converted to the Lord, that they may cleave sincerely to Him who, being ‘the way, the truth and the life, fulfils all their spiritual expectations, and even infinitely surpasses them. … This conversion must be taken as an initial one, yet sufficient to make a man realize that he has been snatched away from sin and led into the mystery of God's love, who called him to enter into a personal relationship with Him in Christ. (AG 13).
    Article 3: Forming the Christian Community – Missionaries must strive to build up and form Christian communities amongst those they minister to. Vocations to the priesthood and religious life must be encouraged. Religious life, both active and contemplative, should be fostered and it should not be forgotten that the contemplative orders are instrumental in the fruitful evangelization of the world. Therefore, let the missionaries, God’s co-workers, (cf. 1 Cor. 3:9), raise up congregations of the faithful such that, walking worthy of the vocation to which they have been called (cf. Eph. 4:1), they may exercise the priestly, prophetic, and royal office which God has entrusted to them. In this way, the Christian community will be a sign of God’s presence in the world: for by reason of the Eucharistic sacrifice, this community is ceaselessly on the way with Christ to the Father; carefully nourished on the Word of God it bears witness to Christ; and finally, it walks in charity and is fervent with the apostolic spirit. (AG 15).
    To attain this general end, the whole training of the students/candidates should be planned in the light of the mystery of salvation as it is revealed in the Scriptures. This mystery of Christ and of man’s salvation they can discover and live in the liturgy. (AG 16).
Chapter 3: Particular Churches (Local Churches / Dioceses)
    All particular churches are called to the mission even if they suffer from a shortage of clergy. (AG 20).
    Those churches with plentiful resources should assist others and “this mission action should also furnish help to those churches, founded long since, which are in a certain state of regression or weakness” (AG 19).
    Bishops especially must lead the local church and act as “herald of the Faith, who leads new disciples to Christ” (20).
Chapter 4: Missionaries
    A unique call within the call: All disciples of Christ are called to share and spread the Gospel, but some are called especially to be preachers to nations. (AG 23, 24).
    Requirements for missionaries: They must not be ashamed of the Cross and must be humble as their Master was humble. They must be willing to suffer all, even to shed their blood. (AG 24).
    Training: As such, these missionaries need to be prepared “by a special spiritual and moral training” (AG 25). This training should take into consideration the universality of the Church as well as the diverse mission nation. Familiarity with the customs of the people the missionary is sent to administer to is needed as well as fluency in the native tongue so as to share the Gospel most efficaciously. (AG 26).
Chapter V: Planning Missionary Activity
    General Organizations: Synod of Bishops.
    Congregation for Propaganda.
    Diocese & Bishops’ work
    Congregations and Charisms
Chapter VI: Cooperation
 
    As members of the living Christ, incorporated into Him and made like unto Him through baptism and through confirmation and the Eucharist, all the faithful are duty-bound to cooperate in the expansion and spreading out of His Body, to bring it to fullness as soon as may be (Eph 4:13). Therefore, all sons of the Church should have a lively awareness of their responsibility to the world; they should foster in themselves a truly catholic spirit; they should spend their forces in the work of evangelization. And yet, let everyone know that their first and most important obligation for the spread of the Faith is this: to lead a profoundly Christian life. For their fervour in the service of God and their charity toward others will cause a new spiritual wind to blow for the whole Church, which will then appear as a sign lifted up among the nations (cf. Is. 11:12), "the light of the world" (Matt. 5:14) and "the salt of the earth" (Matt. 5:13). (AG 36).
    "Missions" are those “particular undertakings by which the heralds of the Gospel, sent out by the Church and going forth into the whole world, carry out the task of preaching the Gospel and planting the Church among peoples or groups who do not yet believe in Christ. These undertakings are brought to completion by missionary activity. … The proper purpose of this missionary activity is evangelization.” (AG 6).
    Missionary duty of whole people of God: All members of the Church “should spend their forces in the work of evangelization.” (AG 36). They do this first by leading a profoundly Christian life.
    Missionary duty of bishops & priests: Bishops are the leaders of their flock and they must work to stimulate, promote, and direct “the work for the missions, [and] make the mission spirit and zeal of the People of God present and as it were visible so that the whole diocese becomes missionary.” (AG 38). This includes priests and laity partaking in the mission of the Church.
    Priests personally represent Christ, and are collaborators of the order of bishops in that threefold sacred task which by its very nature belongs to the mission of the Church. Therefore, they should fully understand that their life is also consecrated to the service of the missions. Now because by means of their own ministry–which consists principally in the Eucharist which perfects the Church–they are in communion with Christ the Head and are leading others to this communion, they cannot help but feel how much is yet wanting to the fullness of that Body, and how much therefore must be done that it may grow from day to day. They shall therefore plan their pastoral care in such a way that it will serve to spread the Gospel among non-Christians. (AG 39).

II.    Evangelii Nuntiandi – Evangelization in the Modern World
(Paul VI, Apostolic Exhortation on Evangelization in the Modern World - Evangelii Nuntiandi, Rome, December 8, 1975.)
Background:
Evangelii Nuntiandi (“Evangelization in the Modern World”) is an apostolic exhortation issued on 8 December 1975 by Pope Paul IV on the theme of Evangelization. Written 10 years after Vatican II, in a direct effort to reverse the collapse of missionary zeal that unfortunately happened after the Council. Evangelii Nuntiandi clearly explains what Evangelization is and how to go about evangelizing in the modern world. It was primarily given to the Church in order to enrich and deepen herself in the understanding of Evangelization. It is likely to be an update regarding the state of the Church ten years after the Vatican II Council (EN 76) especially on its call for renewal.
Pope Francis said that it is “the greatest pastoral document that has ever been written to this day.”
The English title “Evangelization in the Modern World” does not fully bring out the idea of obligation to proclaim which is in the Latin title. The Latin gerund “Nuntiandi” implies an obligation, a “must.” The Good News “must” be proclaimed. The central theme of Evangelii Nuntiandi is Evangelization. It explains its global and specific meanings. The centrality of the Kingdom of God, (EN 6, 8), the Church’s essential missionary nature, (EN 14-15), the pioneering statements on the need to evangelize cultures, (EN 20), the liberating nature of the Good News, the place of popular piety and the evangelizing power of basic ecclesial communities are some of the elements that open up new outlooks for the mission of the Church.
 
For the Church, evangelizing means bringing the Good News into all the strata of humanity. “There is no new humanity, if there are no new persons renewed by baptism and by lives lived according to the Gospel.” (EN 18). Evangelizing is not only a matter of preaching to greater numbers, but also of affecting people’s lives with the Word of God. (EN 19). The paramount importance of the witness of life; a clear and explicit proclamation that in Jesus Christ, the Son of God made Man and who died and rose from the dead, salvation is offered to all peoples as a gift of God’s grace and mercy; (EN 27); that the Christian message should be addressed to all peoples in their concrete situation and not in any abstract manner; (EN 29, 63) that the Good News should take root in a variety of cultural, social and human milieux (EN 62) are precious teachings of Evangelii Nuntiandi. At the same time, Evangelization requires that local Churches keep a profound openness towards the universal community; (EN 64) that they read the “signs of the times,” (EN 76) and work for Christian unity to make the Good News more credible. (EN 77).
Outstanding quotes from Evangelii Nuntiandi.
•    … the objectives of Second Vatican Council are definitively summed in one single [sentence]: “to make the Church … ever better fitted for proclaiming the Gospel …” (EN 2).
•    … the proclamation of the Gospel message is not an optional contribution for the Church. It is the duty incumbent on her … (EN 5)
•    She [the Church] exists in order to evangelize …” (EN 14).
•    … it is the whole Church that receives the mission to evangelize, and the work of each individual member is important for the whole (EN 15).
•    The Church is an evangelizer, but she begins by being evangelized herself (EN 15).
•    There is thus a profound link between Christ, the Church and Evangelization. (EN 16).
•    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. (EN 18).
•    But there is no new humanity if there are not first of all new persons renewed by Baptism and by lives lived according to the Gospel. (EN 18).
•    The purpose of Evangelization is therefore precisely this interior change. (EN 18).
•    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).
•    Evangelization is a question not only of preaching the Gospel in ever wider geographic areas or to ever greater numbers of people, but also of affecting and as it were upsetting, through the power of the Gospel, mankind's criteria of judgment, determining values, points of interest, lines of thought, sources of inspiration and models of life, which are in contrast with the Word of God and the plan of salvation. (EN 19).
•    The split between the Gospel and culture is without a doubt the drama of our time, just as it was of other times. (EN 20).
•    Above all the Gospel must be proclaimed by witness. (EN 21).
•    There is no true Evangelization if the name, the teaching, the life, the promises, the kingdom and the mystery of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God are not proclaimed. (EN 22).
•    The Church cannot accept violence … violence is not in accord with the Gospel it is not Christian … (EN 37).
•    Among … fundamental human rights, religious liberty occupies a place of primary importance. (EN 39).
•    The first means of Evangelization is the witness of an authentically Christian life… (EN 41).
 
•    "Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.” (EN 41).
Major Issues
Evangelii Nuntiandi confirms that Evangelization has a social dimension:
“… Evangelization would not be complete if it did not take account of the unceasing interplay of the Gospel and of man’s concrete life, both personal and social. This is why Evangelization involves an explicit message, adapted to the different situations constantly being realized, about the rights and duties of every human being, about family life without which personal growth and development is hardly possible, about life in society, about international life, peace, justice and development – a message especially energetic today about liberation.”
In this Apostolic Exhortation Paul VI discusses:
–    an authentic Christian understanding of liberation
–    the relationship of political liberation and salvation
–    the relationship between development and Evangelization
–    respect for religious liberty and Evangelization
–    interfaith dialogue.
Contribution to Catholic Social Teaching
To this day Evangelii Nuntiandi remains a landmark document in understanding the different dimensions of the mission of the Church. It affirms that the witness of life is the first means of Evangelization. Working for social justice is not just a preparation for Evangelization, but an essential part of it. Pope Francis refers to it extensively in his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium – on the Joy of the Gospel.
Relation to the New Evangelization
Evangelii Nuntiandi is cited often as a source for the New Evangelization of the Catholic Church which was described by Pope John Paul II as a call for each person to deepen one's faith in God, believe in the Gospel's message, and proclaim the Good News. In other words, Evangelii Nuntiandi is merely telling us on how to evangelize or proclaim the message of the Gospel in context with the present situation of the society and of the world. The focus of the New Evangelization calls all to be evangelized and then go forth to evangelize others. It is focused on re-proposing the Gospel to those who have experienced a crisis of faith. With this general perspective and purpose of this document, we can then say that the call for renewal is extended not only for the ordained ministers but to all believers in all forms of human society.
A Summary Content
The exhortation has an introduction followed by seven sections. The introduction articulates Evangelization as the Church's primary service. The first section highlights the connection between Christ the evangelizer and his Church which imitates his example. In the second section, Paul VI and the Synod of Bishops propose a definition of Evangelization in contrast to all of the other possible conceptions of the term. The third section explains the content of Evangelization. The fourth describes the methods of Evangelization. The fifth denotes the beneficiaries of Evangelization while the sixth section clarifies who the workers in Evangelization are. The seventh, and last, section considers the Spirit of Evangelization.
Introduction and Chapter I
In the introduction and first chapter of the document, Pope Paul VI gives a very clear emphasis on the importance of Evangelization not as an optional contribution for the Church but rather as one of the major roles in its search for the truth. For Pope Paul VI, the call to evangelize is a personal command of our Lord, Jesus Christ and not merely a personal disposition of anybody. He did it by giving biblical and historical reasons for proclaiming the Gospel message. First is by summing up the whole mission of Christ, who was sent in order to proclaim the Good News of the kingdom of God; to proclaim the salvation of humankind
 
from sin out of evil. As the message was passed by Jesus through his disciples and apostles, the Church rightly calls herself proper and immediately responsible for the continuation of Christ's mission. Thus, Evangelization is the vocation proper to the Church, which means it is the essential mission of the Church. (EN 14).
Chapter II
The second chapter deals with the definition of Evangelization. For the Church, evangelizing means bringing the Good News into all strata of humanity and through its influence transforming humanity from within and making it new. In matters of evangelizing, culture plays an important role. Gospel and Evangelization are not identical with culture and are independent in regard to all cultures. (EN 20). If we want to evangelize, we must proclaim the Gospel, and the proclamation of the Gospel is only by witnessing life. (EN 21). This is how we become real evangelizers. We become the living witness of the teachings, the life, and the promises of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Aside from being witnesses, there are also various elements that we should consider since Evangelization is a complex process, such as the renewal of humanity, explicit proclamation, inner adherence, entry into the community, acceptance of signs and apostolic initiative. (EN 24).
Chapter III
The third chapter discusses the content of Evangelization, especially its essential content and secondary elements. The essential content must first be witness to God revealed by Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit, in a simple and direct way. At the centre of the message must be the Salvation of Christ as it is revealed through the paschal mystery of Christ. In other words, we are referring to the salvation. And, the secondary elements are the sacraments since it completes Evangelization. (EN 28).
Chapter IV
Chapter four gives us the methods and suitable means of evangelizing. After identifying the “what”, now, we have the “how to evangelize” part. The first means of Evangelization is the witness of the authentically Christian life. (EN 41). Second is the emphasis and necessity of preaching. (EN 42). One of its forms is “Liturgy of the Word” like the homilies of the priests. The other means are Catechetics, which is a systematic religious instruction of the fundamental teachings of the Church. (EN 44). Mass media, personal contact, sacraments and popular piety are some of the other ways of proclaiming the Good News of our salvation.
Chapter V
Chapter five addresses the question of to whom shall the content and methods be applied. The first sphere of proclamation is addressed especially to those who have never heard the Good News of Jesus Christ or to Children, non-Christian religions and non-believers. (EN 52-55). The second sphere of proclamation is that of those who do not practice. (EN 56). One way of helping them is forming “small communities,” which are communities that come together within the Church.
Chapter VI
Chapter six now calls for people who will be responsible for proclaiming the Gospel message. In other words, who are the workers for Evangelization? In general, it is the Church, who is a missionary by nature. And, first on the line is the successor of Peter, the Pope. Next are the bishops and priests; religious and most especially the laity. Under the umbrella of the laity, we have the family, young people and diversified ministers. In other words, every baptized Christian is responsible for preaching the Gospel.
Chapter VII
In the final chapter, it is emphasised that all these wonderful plans and techniques of Evangelization can be possible only with the action of the Holy Spirit. This means nothing can replace the gentle action of the Holy Spirit. Again, witnessing life is emphasized as the best way of evangelizing. Coercion or dishonourable or unworthy pressure is now removed since it will not respect the liberty and conscience of our brethren. Thus, there is complete clarity and total respect for the free options as it was presented. (EN 80).
 
The Key Insights
1.    Jesus is the 1st and Greatest Evangelist.
“Jesus Himself, the Good News of God, was the very first and the greatest Evangelizer; He was so through and through: to perfection and to the point of the sacrifice of His earthly life” (EN 7).
In his proclamation of both the Kingdom of God and the Good News of salvation through both words (preaching) and signs (miracles), Christ is the perfect model and leader for what Evangelization looks like.
“Evangelization will also always contain – as the foundation, centre, and at the same time, summit of its dynamism – a clear proclamation that, in Jesus Christ, the Son of God made man, who died and rose from the dead, salvation is offered to all men, as a gift of God’s grace and mercy” (EN 27).
2.    Evangelization is the Essential Mission of the Church.
“Evangelizing is in fact the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity. She exists in order to evangelize, that is to say, in order to preach and teach, to be the channel of the gift of grace, to reconcile sinners with God, and to perpetuate Christ’s sacrifice in the Mass, which is the memorial of His death and glorious Resurrection” (EN 14).
We, as members of the Church, have a divine mandate and duty to evangelize. We are called to bring the transformative power of the Good News into every area of humanity. For this to be effective, we must begin by being evangelized ourselves (EN 15).
“The purpose of Evangelization is therefore precisely this interior change; and if it had to be expressed in one sentence the best way of stating it would be to say that 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).
3.    Authentic Witnesses are Needed to Evangelize.
“Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses” (EN 41).
Evangelical zeal “must spring from true holiness of life” (EN 76). But, at the same time, don’t allow this to prevent you from going out to evangelize. Being evangelized yourself and evangelizing others are often complementary.
4.    The Holy Spirit is the Principal Agent & Goal of Evangelization.
“Evangelization will never be possible without the action of the Holy Spirit… Techniques of Evangelization are good, but even the most advanced ones could not replace the gentle action of the Spirit. The most perfect preparation of the evangelizer has no effect without the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, the most convincing dialectic has no power over the heart of man. Without Him, the most highly developed schemas resting on a sociological or psychological basis are quickly seen to be quite valueless” (EN 75).
“It must be said that the Holy Spirit is the principal agent of Evangelization: it is He who impels each individual to proclaim the Gospel, and it is He who in the depths of conscience causes the word of salvation to be accepted and understood. But it can equally be said that He is the goal of Evangelization: He alone stirs up the new creation, the new humanity of which Evangelization is to be the result, with that unity in variety which Evangelization wishes to achieve within the Christian community” (EN 75).
Hence, the apostolic exhortation of Pope Paul VI Evangelii Nuntiandi, was primarily given to the Church in order to enrich and deepen the understanding of evangelization. It is likely to be an update regarding the state of the Church ten years after the Vatican II Council (No. 76), especially on its call for renewal. In other words, Evangelii Nuntiandi is merely telling us how to evangelize or proclaim the message of the Gospel in context with the present situation of society and of the world. It was like redefining the meaning of evangelization in context. We can then say that the call for renewal is extended not only to the ordained ministers but to all believers in all forms of human society.

III.    Redemptoris Missio, 1990
 
(John Paul II, Encyclical on the Permanent Validity of the Church's Missionary Mandate - Redemptoris Missio, Rome, 1990).
Redemptoris Missio (Latin meaning, The Mission of the Redeemer), subtitled on the permanent validity of the Church's missionary mandate, is an encyclical by Pope John Paul II published on 7 December 1990. The release coincided with the twenty-fifth anniversary of Vatican II’s Decree on the Church's Missionary Activity, Ad Gentes. It is devoted to the subject of "the urgency of missionary activity" and in it, the pope wished "to invite the Church to renew her missionary commitment."
The encyclical differentiated three spheres of Evangelization (RM 33-34):
•    Mission ad gentes, directed to people who do not yet believe in Christ
•    Re-evangelization, aimed at rekindling the Christian faith of those who lost their faith
•    Pastoral care, the deeper insertion of the Gospel in the hearts and minds of faithful Christians
Context
The encyclical is an important elaboration on the theme of New Evangelization cited often by Pope John Paul II. The most striking part of the document is the fourth chapter where the Pope details what is involved in the mission Ad gentes to the non-Christian world. The encyclical is a follow up to Vatican II documents including Lumen gentium and Ad gentes. Also, of Pope Paul VI’s document on evangelism, Evangelii Nuntiandi, and is a predecessor to Pope Francis’ Evangelii Gaudium.
Blessing
John Paul II opens the encyclical with the words: Venerable Brothers, Beloved Sons and Daughters, Health and the Apostolic Blessing!
Introduction (RM 1-3)
In the introduction, John Paul II expresses what he perceives to be the urgency of evangelism.
•    "I sense that the moment has come to commit all of the Church’s energies to a new evangelization and to the mission ad gentes. No believer in Christ, no institution of the Church can avoid this supreme duty: to proclaim Christ to all peoples." (RM 3)
I.    Jesus Christ, the Only Savior (RM 4-11)
•    "Christ is the one Savior of all, the only one able to reveal God and lead to God." (RM 5.1)
II.    The Kingdom of God (RM 12-20)
•    "The Kingdom of God is not a concept, a doctrine, or a program subject to free interpretation, but it is before all else a person with the face and name of Jesus of Nazareth, the image of the invisible God." (RM 18.2)
III.    The Holy Spirit, the Principal Agent of Mission (RM 21-30)
•    "The Holy Spirit is indeed the principal agent of the whole of the Church's mission ... as can be clearly seen in the early Church: in the conversion of Cornelius (cf. Acts 10), in the decisions made about emerging problems (cf. Acts 15) and in the choice of regions and peoples to be evangelized (cf. Acts 16:6 ff) (RM 21)
•    "Today the Church must face other challenges and push forward to new frontiers, both in the initial mission ad gentes and in the new evangelization of those peoples who have already heard Christ proclaimed." (RM 30)
IV.    The Vast Horizons of the Mission Ad Gentes (RM 31-40)
The Church proposes
The Church proposes; she imposes nothing. - RM 39
 
•    "The Lord Jesus sent his apostles to every person, people and place on earth."(RM 31)
•    "Internal and external difficulties must not make us pessimistic or inactive. What counts, here as in every area of Christian life, is the confidence that comes from faith, from the certainty that it is not we who are the principal agents of the Church’s mission, but Jesus Christ and his Spirit." (RM 36)
•    "It is to be hoped that authentic religious freedom will be granted to all people everywhere...On her part. the Church addresses people with full respect for their freedom. Her mission does not restrict freedom but rather promotes it. The Church proposes; she imposes nothing. She respects individuals and cultures, and she honours the sanctuary of conscience. To those who for various reasons oppose missionary activity, the Church repeats: Open the doors to Christ!" (RM 39)
V.    The Paths / Methods of Mission (RM 41-60)
•    “The witness of a Christian life is the first and irreplaceable form of mission” (RM 42)
•    “The Church is called to bear witness to Christ by taking courageous and prophetic stands in the face of the corruption of political or economic power; by not seeking her own glory and material wealth; by using her resources to serve the poorest of the poor and by imitating Christ’s own simplicity of life. The Church and her missionaries must also bear the witness of humility...”
•    “The proclamation of the Word of God has Christian conversion as its aim: a complete and sincere adherence to Christ and his Gospel through faith. Conversion is a gift of God, a work of the Blessed Trinity.”
•    Conversion and reception of sacraments, forming strong local churches through catechesis, activating Basic Christian communities (BCC) or SCC, incarnating Gospel in cultures, dialogue with other religions, promoting developmental and social activities and charitable services are all paths / methods of mission.
VI.    Leaders and Workers in the Missionary Apostolate (RM 61-76)
•    “What was done at the beginning of Christianity to further its universal mission remains valid and urgent today. The Church is missionary by her very nature, for Christ’s mandate is not something contingent or external, but reaches the very heart of the Church.” RM 62
•    “Each bishop too, as the pastor of a particular Church, has a wide-ranging missionary duty. It falls to him “as the ruler and center of unity in the diocesan apostolate, to promote missionary activity, to direct and coordinate it.… Let him also see to it that apostolic activity is not limited only to those who are already converted, but that a fair share both of personnel and funds be devoted to the evangelization of non-Christians.” (RM 63)
•    Those responsible for mission are Bishops, Missionaries and Religious Institutes, diocesan priests, Consecrated persons, all the laity by virtue of their baptism, catechists, and all people of God in varied ministries.
VII.    Cooperation in Missionary Activity (RM 77-86)
•    “I ask young people themselves to listen to Christ’s words as he says to them what he once said to Simon Peter and to Andrew at the lakeside: 'Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men' (Mt 4:19). May they have the courage to reply as Isaiah did: 'Here am I, Lord! I am ready! Send me!' (cf. Is 6:8) They will have a wonderful life ahead of them, and they will know the genuine joy of proclaiming the 'Good News' to brothers and sisters whom they will lead on the way of salvation." (RM 80) Through prayer, sacrifices, fostering local vocations and by charitable contributions and by participating in the universal mission of the Church by opting for missions we can cooperate in missionary activities.
VIII.    Missionary Spirituality (RM 87-91)
•    “An essential characteristic of missionary spirituality is intimate communion with Christ.” (RM 88)
 
•    “The missionary is urged on by “zeal for souls,” a zeal inspired by Christ's own charity, which takes the form of concern, tenderness, compassion, openness, availability and interest in people's problems” (RM 89)
•    “The call to mission derives, of its nature, from the call to holiness...The universal call to holiness is closely linked to the universal call to mission. Every member of the faithful is called to holiness and to mission...The Church's missionary spirituality is a journey toward holiness." (RM 90)
Conclusion (RM 92)
“Like the apostles after Christ’s Ascension, the Church must gather... in order to pray for the Spirit and to gain strength and courage to carry out the missionary mandate.” (RM 92)
Some Quotations:
    People everywhere, open the doors to Christ! His Gospel in no way detracts from man's freedom, from the respect that is owed to every culture and to whatever is good in each religion. By accepting Christ, you open yourselves to the definitive Word of God, to the One in whom God has made himself fully known and has shown us the path to himself. The number of those who do not know Christ and do not belong to the Church is constantly on the increase. Indeed, since the end of the Council, it has almost doubled. When we consider this immense portion of humanity which is loved by the Father and for whom he sent his Son, the urgency of the Church's mission is obvious. … God is opening before the Church the horizons of humanity more fully prepared for the sowing of the Gospel. I sense that the moment has come to commit all of the Church's energies to a new evangelization and to the mission ad gentes. No believer in Christ, no institution of the Church can avoid this supreme duty: to proclaim Christ to all peoples. (RM 3).
The First Form of Evangelization is the Witness
    People today put more trust in witnesses than in teachers, in experience than in teaching, and in life and action than in theories. The witness of Christian life is the first and irreplaceable form of mission: Christ, whose mission we continue, is the "witness" par excellence (Rev 1:5; 3:14) and the model of all Christian witnesses. The Holy Spirit accompanies the Church along her way and associates her with the witness he gives to Christ (cf. Jn 15:26-27). The first form of witness is the very life of the missionary, of the Christian family, and of the ecclesial community, which reveal a new way of living. The missionary who, despite all his or her human limitations and defects, lives a simple life, taking Christ as the model, is a sign of God and of transcendent realities. But everyone in the Church, striving to imitate the Divine Master, can and must bear this kind of witness; in many cases, it is the only possible way of being a missionary. The evangelical witness that the world finds most appealing is that of concern for people, and of charity toward the poor, the weak and those who suffer. The complete generosity underlying this attitude and these actions stands in marked contrast to human selfishness. It raises precise questions which lead to God and to the Gospel. A commitment to peace, justice, human rights and human promotion is also a witness to the Gospel when it is a sign of concern for persons and is directed toward integral human development. (RM 42.)
    …The Church is called to bear witness to Christ by taking courageous and prophetic stands in the face of the corruption of political or economic power; by not seeking her own glory and material wealth; by using her resources to serve the poorest of the poor and by imitating Christ's own simplicity of life. The Church and her missionaries must also bear the witness of humility, above all with regard to themselves-a humility which allows them to make a personal and communal examination of conscience in order to correct in their behaviour whatever is contrary to the Gospel and disfigures the face of Christ. (RM 43).
The True Missionary is a Saint
    The call to mission derives, of its nature, from the call to holiness. A missionary is really such only if he commits himself to the way of holiness: "Holiness must be called a fundamental presupposition and an irreplaceable condition for everyone in fulfilling the mission of salvation in the Church." The universal call to holiness is closely linked to the universal call to mission. Every member of the faithful is called to holiness and to the mission. This was the earnest desire of the Council, which
 
hoped to be able "to enlighten all people with the brightness of Christ, which gleams over the face of the Church, by preaching the Gospel to every creature." The Church's missionary spirituality is a journey toward holiness. The renewed impulse to the mission ad gentes demands holy missionaries. It is not enough to update pastoral techniques, organize and coordinate ecclesial resources, or delve more deeply into the biblical and theological foundations of faith. What is needed is the encouragement of a new "ardour for holiness" among missionaries and throughout the Christian community, especially among those who work most closely with missionaries. (RM 90).
    Let us remember the missionary enthusiasm of the first Christian communities. Despite the limited means of travel and communication in those times, the proclamation of the Gospel quickly reached the ends of the earth. And this was the religion of a man who had died on a cross, "a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles"! (1 Cor 1:23) Underlying this missionary dynamism was the holiness of the first Christians and the first communities. (RM 90).
    I therefore address myself to the recently baptized members of the young communities and young Churches. Today, you are the hope of this two-thousand-year-old Church of ours: being young in faith, you must be like the first Christians and radiate enthusiasm and courage, in generous devotion to God and neighbour. In a word, you must set yourselves on the path of holiness. Only thus can you be a sign of God in the world and re-live in your own countries the missionary epic of the early Church. You will also be a leaven of missionary spirit for the older Churches. (RM 91).
    For their part, missionaries should reflect on the duty of holiness required of them by the gift of their vocation, renew themselves in spirit day by day, and strive to update their doctrinal and pastoral formation. The missionary must be "contemplative in action." He finds answers to problems in the light of God's word and in personal and community prayer. … The future of the mission depends to a great extent on contemplation. Unless the missionary is contemplative, he cannot proclaim Christ in a credible way. He or she is a witness to the experience of God, and must be able to say with the apostles: "that which we have looked upon ... concerning the word of life ..., we proclaim also to you" (1 Jn 1:1-3). (RM 91).
    The missionary is a person of the Beatitudes. Before sending out the Twelve to evangelize, Jesus, in his "missionary discourse" (cf. Mt 10), teaches them the paths of mission: poverty, meekness, acceptance of suffering and persecution, the desire for justice and peace, charity - in other words, the Beatitudes, lived out in the apostolic life (cf. Mt 5:1-12). By living the Beatitudes, the missionary experiences and shows concretely that the kingdom of God has already come, and that he has accepted it. The characteristic of every authentic missionary life is the inner joy that comes from faith. In a world tormented and oppressed by so many problems, a world tempted to pessimism, the one who proclaims the "Good News" must be a person who has found true hope in Christ. (RM 91).

IV.    Evangelii Gaudium
(Pope Francis, Apostolic Exhortation on “The Joy of the Gospel – Evangelii Gaudium, Rome, 2013.)
Introduction
In this apostolic exhortation, “The Joy of the Gospel,” Pope Francis calls us to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization marked by the joy of the Gospel.
In contrast to our consumeristic and “technological society [that] has succeeded in multiplying occasions of pleasure, yet has found it very difficult to engender joy” (EG 7), the joy of the Gospel comes from an encounter with the love of God in Christ Jesus, an inexhaustible wellspring always capable of restoring our joy. Pope gives us some guidelines which can encourage and guide the whole Church in a new phase of evangelization, one marked by enthusiasm and vitality" (EG, 17). But his first sentence is not about proclamation, about the Gospel, about mission. In the opening words of the text, Pope Francis simply attests that the joy of the Gospel is that which fills the hearts and lives of those who encounter Jesus.
Evangelii Gaudium is an intense encouragement to "proclaim the Gospel in today's world". But throughout the text, as in an insistent keynote, Pope Francis acknowledges and repeats that there is something that comes first. Before the proclamation, before the Gospel, before the missionary zeal. Something without which there would be no mission, no evangelization, no Gospel. Something that Pope indicates by referring to a quotation
 
from Benedict XVI's Encyclical Deus Caritas est: “Being a Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction” (EG 7). The mission of proclaiming and proposing the way of the Gospel to others is not a self- produced performance. The experience of the personal encounter with Christ Pope repeats, is "the source of evangelizing action". Because "solely to this encounter – or renewed encounter – with God’s love, which blossoms into an enriching friendship, we are liberated from our narrowness and self-absorption" (EG, 8), and make us powerful missionaries.
Pope Francis, suggests that the mission entrusted to the Church does not have the Church as its source and protagonist, but the encounter with Christ himself, and what He does. To experience and propose to others the joyful salvation given by the risen Christ is the vocation of all Christians and the Church's own reason for existence. But no one responds to that vocation through his/her own effort. As in a keynote, Evangelii Gaudium repeats in countless passages, that evangelization can never be understood as "a heroic personal task, since the work is first and foremost His; Jesus is "the first and greatest evangelizer". In any form of evangelization the primacy is always God's. The real novelty "is that which God Himself mysteriously wants to produce, that which He inspires, that which He provokes, that which He directs and accompanies in a thousand ways". In the whole life of the Church, it is necessary to recognize and manifest at every step that the initiative is God's, that "it is He who first loved us," and He alone makes us grow. (12), not only at the beginning, but in every step forward in the Christian life. "Whenever we take a step towards Jesus, he comes to realize that he is already there, waiting for us with open arms" (EG, 3). "The evangelizing community", he writes in paragraph 24, "knows that the Lord has taken the initiative, he has loved us first (cf. 1 Jn 4:19), and therefore we can move forward, boldly take the initiative, go out to others, seek those who have fallen away, stand at the crossroads and welcome the outcast".
In the mission of proclamation - Pope Francis repeats - quoting his predecessor Benedict XVI, “one proceeds forward not out of effort or anxiety to proselytize, but "by attraction". Attraction is found in the dynamic of every authentic apostolic work, in every authentic missionary act. Not as the effect of efforts and cosmetic operations to make the Church's image more "appealing", or acquire consensus through marketing strategies. The attractiveness recalled by Pope Francis is a prerogative of the living. It is that which Christ himself, the Risen One, can exercise today on the hearts of his apostles, his missionaries, and even those who do not seek him.
Important Quotations
“Here we find the source and inspiration of all our efforts at evangelization. For if we have received the love which restores meaning to our lives, how can we fail to share that love with others?” (EG 8).
“The heart of its message will always be the same: the God who revealed his immense love in the crucified and risen Christ” (EG 11).
“There are Christians whose lives seem like Lent without Easter. I realize of course that joy is not expressed the same way at all times in life, especially at moments of great difficulty. Joy adapts and changes, but it always endures, even as a flicker of light born of our personal certainty that, when everything is said and done, we are infinitely loved” (EG 6).
“An evangelizer must never look like someone who has just come back from a funeral!” (EG 10).
Chapter 1: The Church’s Missionary Transformation
The first task of the Church in obedience to the missionary mandate of the risen Christ (Mt 28:19-20) is to preach the Gospel. The Parish must be “a centre of constant missionary outreach” (EG 28), a place of support & training for evangelizers.
“Today’s vast and rapid cultural changes demand that we constantly seek ways of expressing unchanging truths in a language which brings out their abiding newness” (EG 41).
“If something should rightly disturb us and trouble our consciences, it is the fact that so many of our brothers and sisters are living without the strength, light and consolation born of friendship with Jesus Christ, without a community of faith to support them, without meaning and a goal in life” (EG 49).
Chapter 2: Amid the Crisis of Communal Commitment
 
The new Jerusalem, the holy city (cf. Rev 21:2-4), is the goal towards which all of humanity is moving. It is curious that God’s revelation tells us that the fullness of humanity and of history is realized in a city. We need to look at our cities with a contemplative gaze, a gaze of faith which sees God dwelling in their homes, in their streets and squares. God’s presence accompanies the sincere efforts of individuals and groups to find encouragement and meaning in their lives. He dwells among them, fostering solidarity, fraternity, and the desire for goodness, truth and justice. This presence must not be contrived but found, and uncovered. God does not hide himself from those who seek him with a sincere heart, even though they do so tentatively, in a vague and haphazard manner. (EG 71).
There indeed we find true healing, since the way to relate to others which truly heals instead of debilitating us, is a mystical fraternity, a contemplative fraternity. It is a fraternal love capable of seeing the sacred grandeur of our neighbour, of finding God in every human being, of tolerating the nuisances of life in common by clinging to the love of God, of opening the heart to divine love and seeking the happiness of others just as their heavenly Father does. Here and now, especially where we are a “little flock” (Lk 12:32), the Lord’s disciples are called to live as a community which is the salt of the earth and the light of the world (cf. Mt 5:13-16). We are called to bear witness to a constantly new way of living together in fidelity to the Gospel. Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of community! (EG 92).
The Church must constantly go out from herself, keeping her mission focused on Jesus Christ, and her commitment to the poor. God save us from a worldly Church with superficial spiritual and pastoral trappings! This stifling worldliness can only be healed by breathing in the pure air of the Holy Spirit who frees us from self-centeredness cloaked in an outward religiosity bereft of God. Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of the Gospel! (EG 97)
Chapter 3: The Proclamation of the Gospel
Evangelization, the joyful task of proclaiming the saving death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, must be an absolute priority.
By virtue of our baptism, we are all “missionary disciples… agents of evangelization” (EG 120).
“Every Christian is challenged, here and now, to be actively engaged in evangelization; indeed, anyone who has truly experienced God’s saving love does not need much time or lengthy training to go out and proclaim that love. Every Christian is a missionary to the extent that he or she has encountered the love of God in Christ Jesus: we no longer say that we are “disciples” and “missionaries”, but rather that we are always “missionary disciples” (EG 120).
The Homily: In its liturgical context, the homily is a distinctive genre. The homily “surpasses all forms of catechesis as the supreme moment in the dialogue between God and his people which lead up to sacramental communion” (EG 137). The homily must be eucharistic – part of the offering made to the Father. Preaching should guide the assembly, and the preacher, to a life-changing communion with Christ in the Eucharist.
A Maternal Act: Preach like a mother speaking to her child. She listens attentively to their concerns, knows what they need to hear, and communicates with tenderness and love.
Preparing to preach: “Preparation for preaching is so important a task that a prolonged time of study, prayer, reflection and pastoral creativity should be devoted to it” (EG 145). Continually call upon the Holy Spirit. Give 100% attention to the biblical text with a humility of heart (holy fear) & reverence for the truth.
To interpret a biblical text, we need to be patient, to put aside all other concerns, and to give it our time, interest and undivided attention. We must leave aside any other pressing concerns and create an environment of serene concentration. It is useless to attempt to read a biblical text if all we are looking for are quick, easy and immediate results. Preparation for preaching requires love. We only devote periods of quiet time to the things or the people whom we love; and here we are speaking of the God whom we love, a God who wishes to speak to us. Because of this love, we can take as much time as we need, like every true disciple: “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening” (1 Sam 3:9). (EG 146).
The kerygma: On the lips of the catechist the first proclamation must ring out over and over: “Jesus Christ loves you; he gave his life to save you; and now he is living at your side every day to enlighten, strengthen and free you” (EG 164). “All Christian formation consists of entering more deeply into the kerygma, which
 
is reflected in and constantly illumines, the work of catechesis, thereby enabling us to understand more fully the significance of every subject which the latter treats” (EG 165).
“The Church will have to initiate everyone – priests, religious and laity – into this “art of accompaniment” which teaches us to remove our sandals before the sacred ground of the other (cf. Ex 3:5). The pace of this accompaniment must be steady and reassuring, reflecting our closeness and our compassionate gaze which also heals, liberates and encourages growth in the Christian life” (EG 169).
Centred on the Word: All evangelization is based on that word, listened to, meditated upon, lived, celebrated and witnessed to. The sacred Scriptures are the very source of evangelization. Consequently, we need to be constantly trained in hearing the word. The Church does not evangelize unless she constantly lets herself be evangelized (EG 174).
Chapter 4: The Social Dimension of Evangelization
The kerygma has a clear social content: at the very heart of the Gospel is life in community and engagement with others. The content of the first proclamation has an immediate moral implication centred on charity. (EG 177)
“God, in Christ, redeems not only the individual person, but also the social relations existing between men” (EG 178).
Fraternal charity is “the clearest sign for discerning spiritual growth in response to God’s completely free gift” (EG 179).
Chapter 5: Spirit-Filled Evangelizers
Spirit-filled evangelizers signify evangelizers fearlessly open to the working of the Holy Spirit… (EG 259) “for he is the soul of the Church called to proclaim the Gospel” (EG 261).
“Without prolonged moments of adoration, of prayerful encounter with the word, of sincere conversation with the Lord, our work easily becomes meaningless; we lose energy as a result of weariness and difficulties, and our fervour dies out” (EG 262).
The primary reason for evangelizing is the love of Jesus which we have received, the experience of salvation which urges us to ever greater love of him. What kind of love would not feel the need to speak of the beloved, to point him out, to make him known? If we do not feel an intense desire to share this love, we need to pray insistently that he will once more touch our hearts. We need to implore his grace daily, asking him to open our cold hearts and shake up our lukewarm and superficial existence. Standing before him with open hearts, letting him look at us, we see that gaze of love which Nathaniel glimpsed on the day when Jesus said to him: “I saw you under the fig tree” (Jn 1:48). How good it is to stand before a crucifix, or on our knees before the Blessed Sacrament, and simply to be in his presence! How much good it does us when he once more touches our lives and impels us to share his new life! What then happens is that “we speak of what we have seen and heard” (1 Jn 1:3). The best incentive for sharing the Gospel comes from contemplating it with love, lingering over its pages and reading it with the heart. If we approach it in this way, its beauty will amaze and constantly excite us. But if this is to come about, we need to recover a contemplative spirit which can help us to realize ever anew that we have been entrusted with a treasure which makes us more human and helps us to lead a new life. There is nothing more precious than this that we can give to others. (EG 264.)
The great men and women of God were great intercessors. Intercession is like a “leaven” in the heart of the Trinity. It is a way of penetrating the Father’s heart and discovering new dimensions which can shed light on concrete situations and change them. We can say that God’s heart is touched by our intercession, yet in reality, he is always there first. What our intercession achieves is that his power, his love and his faithfulness are shown ever more clearly in the midst of the people. (EG 283).
 
Questions for reflection and response (Please refer to the books mentioned in the paper) Answer as a community, not individuals. It is community discernment.

1.    What are the challenges the MSMHC face today in involving themselves in the Evangelizing Mission of the Church? As a missionary what Venerable Bp. Stephen Ferrando would do today for the Church?
2.    What is the role of the MSMHC in the Evangelizing Mission of the Church today? What are some creative paths / methods we can propose to the Church of today from our experience? How can we make our evangelizing mission more attractive, innovative and meaningful in the present context?
3.    What are the Contributions the MSMHC make towards Evangelization and Catechesis, and the growth of the Church and strengthening of faith through our various ministries?
4.    The context of Evangelization today is so different from that of the past. Should we remain faithful to the main charism of the Congregation which is Mission ad gentes? Why? And how?
5.    What should we do to become spirit-filled evangelizers as proposed by Pope John Paul II in Redemptoris Missio, (Chapter VIII) and Pope Francis in Evangelii Gaudium (Chapter V)?
6.    All the documents on mission invariably emphasize that witness of life is the first form and the best means of evangelization. What should we do to make our lives truly witnessing in today’s context?
7.    In the context of your community how do you concretely carry out the evangelizing mission? What more could you do to actualize “creative fidelity to the founding charism?
8.        “Personal encounter with Christ is the foundation of evangelization” Am I convinced of my missionary identity and what steps do I take to have a personal encounter with the Lord and become a committed missionary like our founder?