The New Evangelization
Pope John Paul II introduced the "New Evangelization," a recognition that evangelization is not solely directed at those who have never heard of Jesus, but also active Catholics and especially those Christians who are no longer engaged with Christ and the Church.
Key Insights
Active Catholics
Evangelization starts with active Catholics. Attending Mass is not enough, but we must all continue to be converted through a relationship with Christ, live a life of intentional discipleship, and share our faith with others. |
Inactive Catholics
The New Evangelization particularly focuses on those Catholics who have stopped regularly attending liturgy or associating with the Church. |
Re-proposing the Gospel
As part of the New Evangelization, Pope Benedict XVI challenges us to "propose anew" the Gospel to all Christians, and especially those who are inactive. |
Quotations
The New Evangelization seeks to invite modern man and culture into a relationship with Jesus Christ and his Church. The New Evangelization strives to engage our culture and to help us draw our inspiration from the Gospel. The New Evangelization calls all Catholics first to be evangelized and then in turn to evangelize. While it is directed to all people, the New Evangelization focuses specifically on those Christian communities that have Catholic roots but have “lost a living sense of the faith, or even no longer consider themselves members of the Church.” Disciples Called to Witness: The New Evangelization
Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, USCCB But, as a result of the frequent situations of dechristianization in our day, [the first proclamation of Jesus Christ] also proves equally necessary for innumerable people who have been baptized but who live quite outside Christian life, for simple people who have a certain faith but an imperfect knowledge of the foundations of that faith, for intellectuals who feel the need to know Jesus Christ in a light different from the instruction they received as children, and for many others. It is a fact that nowadays there are many people like the two disciples of Emmaus; not only those looking for answers in the new religious groups that are sprouting up, but also those who already seem godless, both in theory and in practice. |
The New Evangelization is a call to each person to deepen his or her own faith, have confidence in the Gospel, and possess a willingness to share the Gospel. It is a personal encounter with the person of Jesus, which brings peace and joy. The New Evangelization provides the lens through which people experience the Church and world around them. Disciples Called to Witness: The New Evangelization
Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, USCCB Through our Baptism, we become witnesses to the Gospel and disciples of Christ. As disciples and witnesses, we are called to ongoing conversion. To become evangelizers, we must first be evangelized. If we truly believe in the Gospel, then as a Church, we must take seriously Christ’s commandment to “go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” We bring the Good News to all people and nations, including those who have never heard of Christ, those who are no longer actively practicing their faith, and all those who are fervent in the faith. The New Evangelization challenges us to “re-propose” the Gospel to our missing brothers and sisters—those members of the Body of Christ who have drifted away from the Lord’s Table. Disciples Called to Witness: The New Evangelization
Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, USCCB |
Cover image from Pentecost, a painting by El Greco.