The following is an article which I wrote for my local parish newsletter a few weeks ago, reflecting on the new evangelisation talk that was given to the participants in my young adults ministry.
It has been said that G.K Chesterton once responded to a Times editorial team who asked the question ‘What is wrong with the world today?’ with 2 simple sentences. “Dear Sirs, I am”. There was nothing new in the talk that Fr. Clarence Devadass recently gave to a group of my peers on the topic “New Evangelisation”. In case you didn’t already figure it out, here’s the gist of New Evangelisation : To reach out to once-upon-a-time catholics and lapse catholics in order to encourage them to return back to the fold. That’s the bear bones of it.
And boy don’t we love telling people stupendously about the richness of the Faith and the beauty that comes with it. Thanks to a plethora of catholic writers in recent times, we have learnt to understand and digest the faith better and in turn take up opportunities at dinner parties or coffee to illuminate and educate our lesser well-read brethren on the Faith. We attend tones of seminars, start buying CDs, read the latest Scott-Hahn book out there to “equip ourselves” in the era of new evangelization.
Yet how many of us, whenever a new parishioner arrives in our parish for the first time, invite the new guest out for dinner after mass? Or how many of us take time to get to really know the members in our community? Or how many of us engage in bitter gossip under the pretext guise of “trying to get the facts right” or “we’re only trying to help”?
The new evangelization is not so much about teaching parishioners about Jesus Christ than it is about being Jesus Christ to that person. It’s so easy to recommend a book, or a CD to a friend and pat ourselves on the back on the job well done. Another checkbox we can tick off satisfyingly in our faith obligations. And while some may argue as that gesture being “something better than nothing” I believe that the new evangelization offers and points to something more. It’s something even greater yet its pre-requisite demands something really fundamental which many of us Catholics have forgotten – To be in persona Christi to people. And to do that, we need to learn to love. And for that to take place, we need to first be loved, both by God, and by neighbour. The problems of the world today has less to do with commercialism, globalization and greed, and more with the fact we have less and less people being in persona Christi to others. And for that, I also stand in line with Mr. GK Chesterton and say “Dear sirs, I am as well” to that question. Mea culpa.
And that was the crux of the message of Fr. Clarence’s talk that night. We as a people of God have forgotten what it means to love. We hear it every week at mass, but what does it mean to us personally? As Pope Francis matter-of-fact rightly puts it “Anyone who has truly experienced God’s saving love does not need much time or lengthy training to go out and proclaim that love.” (E.G 120). “For if we have received the love which restores meaning to our lives, how can we fail to share that love with others?” ( E.G 8 )
And I think the mission of new evangelization should begin first at home, with our family and friends and our community first. Consider it your own personal ‘training ground’. Learn to smile at difficult people. Be that cheerful spouse to your nagging or gloomy spouse . Be patient with your your children. Be that crying shoulder or the sympathetic ear to your friend. Its not easy and it’s never meant to be easy. But when we do this bit by bit (and fail in the process at times), we build up the muscles needed to start sharing the love with others. That’s how the new evangelization should start. And that starts with us recognizing our imperfections and flaws. Only then can we truly be in persona Christi to others.
