THE BASICS OF EVANGELISATION

Fr Billy Swan

In this month of October dedicated to mission, it is a time to get back to the basics of our Christian commitment including our call to evangelise. There are basics to which we need to regularly return if we are serious about being missionary disciples of Christ and being effective instruments of others coming to faith in Him. Explored here are four basic components of evangelisation: the personal, inter-personal, liturgical and cultural. In the measure that these four aspects are effective and actively work together, the better the Church can carry out her mandate given by Christ to ‘Go make disciples of all nations’.

First, the personal. Karl Barth, the Swiss Protestant theologian from the last century, was once asked by a journalist towards the end of his life: “Dr Barth, what was the most profound of your many theological insights?”. The journalist was expecting a long and complex answer. Instead, Barth answered simply: “Jesus loves me”. Here is where evangelization begins and the point to where we return time and time again. Only when we know in our bones that “Jesus loves me” are we ready to evangelize. It is a truth that grabs us, giving our lives purpose and meaning. It is the gift of God’s love and life that upholds us, renews us and changes us. In a conference he gave in the monastery of Gethsemane, Thomas Merton asked the question: “Who am I?” and replied: “My deepest realization of who I am is – I am one loved by Christ…The depth of my identity is in the center of my being where I am known by God” (Cited by John Higgins, Thomas Merton on Prayer, Image Books, New York, 1975, p. 62).

For Pope Francis, this personal encounter with the love of God through Christ is the beating heart of evangelisation. In the opening paragraph of his Apostolic Exhortation ‘The Joy of the Gospel’, he states: “The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus…I wish to encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization marked by this joy”. Later in the document when instructing preachers, he points out that “what is essential is that the preacher be certain that God loves him, that Jesus Christ has saved him and that his love has always the last word” (para. 151). This could also be said of every Christian dedicated to the mission of evangelisation. What is essential is that we are convinced of God’s love towards us, that Jesus Christ has saved us and that He is our final hope.

The second component of evangelisation is the inter-personal. We are not content just to be a disciple of Christ but want to make disciples too. The conviction that “Jesus loves me’ means that “Jesus loves you too”. Spirit filled evangelisers are convinced that “we have a treasure of life and love which cannot deceive, and a message which cannot mislead or disappoint. It penetrates to the depths of our hearts, sustaining and ennobling us. It is a truth which is never out of date because it reaches that part of us which nothing else can reach” (Pope Francis, The Joy of the Gospel, para. 265).

Here is the treasure that we possess that we must not keep for ourselves but share with everyone in a way that offers hope and new life. In the words of the late Pope Benedict XVI: “There is nothing more beautiful than to know him and speak to others of our friendship with him” (24^th April 2005).

An example to illustrate. A parishioner of mine is currently in hospital and gravely ill. Recently he spoke about his suffering and mortality. With the inspiration of the Spirit, I shared this message with him: “I believe that Christ is with you in this dark place of suffering and is leading you on a journey that will lead to light. He loves you, suffers with you and goes ahead of you on the road, leaving a space for you to move into where light and joy awaits. Whether you reach that place before you die or after, once you are united to Christ, he will take you there and all will be well”. Here is the hope that does disappoint for it is based on the power of Christ’s love that overcomes all things and from which nothing can separate us. Evangelization is proclaims that saving power in the present in a way that anticipates the future.

Interpersonal evangelization also has to do with how we engage with those we encounter. The common experience of being human is the bridge that unites us with those we seek to evangelize. In this light, interpersonal evangelization communicates a deep respect for those we encounter as we share the Gospel with warmth, tenderness and most of all with love for those we seek to evangelize.

The third dimension of evangelisation and the one often overlooked is the liturgical. During the Rite of Baptism, the ears and mouth of the newly baptized are blessed so that the Lord Jesus “may soon touch your ears to receive his word and your mouth to proclaim his faith to the praise and glory of God the Father” (Rite of Baptism). Here at the very beginning of the Christian life is a forward impulse to go out from oneself to proclaim the Gospel. At the end of the Eucharist, one of the dismissal formulae announced by the priest, deacon or bishop is: “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord”. In other words, let your whole life declare what is true - namely that Christ is alive, his kingdom is at hand and his love is the most powerful force in the world. Because of the celebration of the Mass, there ought to be an outward propulsion of missionary zeal in the congregation to return to our homes, friends, schools and places of work with a new energy to witness and evangelize. Every Eucharistic celebration ought to be a moment to renew our desire “to proclaim the newness of the Gospel with boldness in every time and place, even when it meets with opposition” (Pope Francis, The Joy of the Gospel, 259). This mandate to evangelise from the Eucharist also includes evangelization at the Eucharist with the ministry of welcome, inclusion, meeting and greeting – part of our celebration of God’s love for all.

The fourth component of evangelisation is cultural – one of the eight principles of Word on Fire. In modern times, Western culture in particular is in a state of flux leading to confusion and the de-stabilization of society.  The Catholic response must always be to evangelize the culture, to participate in public affairs and re-lay the foundations of a just and stable society. This involves the celebration of all in the culture that is good and the calling out of aspects of our culture that are bad and that damage the common good. A savvy evangelist critiques culture, proclaiming the vision of the Gospel that offers greater promise and hope. In the words of Pope St Paul VI: “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 the concrete milieux which are theirs” (Evangelli Nuntiandi, 18).

To conclude. Every generation of Christians needs to return to the basics of evangelisation – to be touched, moved and transformed by a personal encounter with Jesus Christ crucified and risen; to then move out beyond ourselves to encounter others in Jesus’ name and share the joy of the Gospel; to celebrate our common life with others through prayer, especially at the Eucharist; finally, to share our faith publicly in ways that transform the culture in which live. If the Church exists to evangelize then prayerful attention to these basics is essential.