Daily Reflection

A few years ago a term such as “Evangelization” would have been unusual in a conversation about the Catholic Church’s sense of mission and purpose. Since Vatican II, however, the impetus of renewal has introduced the term into the very heart of the church’s discussions of itself and its mission. Evangelization can be properly viewed as the entire work of the church to “proclaim the reign of God” (Mark 1:15). In summary, the responsibility of evangelization can be divided into three broad categories of ministry:       1) evangelism – proclamation of the gospel to the unchurched within our own society or culture;             2) missionary activity – cross-cultural proclamation of the gospel; 3) pastoral activity – nourishing and deepening the gospel among those already committed to it. The best working definition of the term is found in Paul VI’s Evangelii Nuntiandi (1975): “…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 the concrete milieu which are theirs” (18). The U.S. Catholic Bishops developed this theme in their own statement, “A Vision of Evangelization,” (November, 1985). It underscores the point that to proclaim Jesus or the “Good News” is the “essence” of evangelization. The content of evangelization, the statement points out, is a proper grasp of the notion of salvation or liberation.
From the Biblical point of view especially in the synoptic gospels, “the preaching of the Good News” is Jesus’ self-definition of his mission or purpose. Jesus makes his appearance as a preacher of the Good News with this message: “Reform your lives! The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” In Mark, the announcement is the only slightly different: “This is the time of fulfillment. The reign of God is at hand. Reform your lives and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). The proclamation of the “reign of God” is not, however, only verbal. It effects new reality which gives expression to its presence through the signs of the messianic time. While the gospel writers often use the word “preach” when speaking of the Good News of the kingdom of God, they also use words which bespeak more than the verbal and refer to actions and events as well.
Evangelization, as the Bishop’s statement noted, must also “lead us to receive individuals into full communion with the Catholic Church.” The Church is the instrument of Jesus’ proclamation extended to each succeeding generation. It is difficult to understand how faith can be nourished or sustained without support of an ecclesial community. This does not mean, however, that the Church proclaims itself any more than Jesus did (John 5:30; 1:46; 16:25). Rather it exists to proclaim its Lord and Saviour. Finally, the understanding of evangelization has renewed itself in recent years. It places importance, but not prime importance, on the role of the Church, correct understanding (doctrine), proper moral behavior, and Jesus himself. The primary interest, however, is Jesus’ own self-understanding of his mission to proclaim the kingdom of God.