A good shaking up

In the year in which the Council of European Episcopal Conferences celebrates its forty years, the need every person, the communities and also institutions in Europe have of Christ is more evident. It is not by chance that the 2011 CCEE Plenary Assembly will reflect on the theme of the new evangelisation, awaiting the XIII General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops summoned by the Pope on the same theme in October 2012, and before the realisation, on 22 November, along with the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelisation, of a meeting between bishops and people of culture, politics and communications for a mutual testimony. With its evangelising mission, the Church in Europe, following its Master, always has the anxiety of bringing the Gospel to everyone. The new evangelisation is certainly not the result of a marketing campaign or an adaptation of the Church’s morals to the ideas today in fashion. In the approach to the new evangelisation there is a need to be aware of the principle of the Incarnation, which enables us to grasp God’s way of acting in his entry into the history of humanity. The new evangelisation begins from faith in the Incarnation, where it finds its centre, and allows itself to be guided by God’s drawing near to the life of contemporary humanity. To evangelise, then, it is important to listen to the cultural impulses, to try to get to know their intrinsic dynamisms, or rather the underlying fundamental values and complex relations, knowing however that the mystery of the Incarnation bears with it the challenge of the unexpected gift and that the encounter with Christ is absolute innovation for every human person.World Youth Day, recently experienced by millions of young people in Madrid, has shown that what attracts young people – but also adults – the most is the truth and beauty of charity as well as the silence of prayer and the testimony of courage of those who put themselves totally at the service of God. The human person touched by God is the one who has encountered the Face of Jesus and whose life truly begins to be re-born. Evangelisation always begins as a response to the questions about meaning which the human person carries in themselves. Within today’s cultural pluralism, in the current varied and fragmentary reality, the proclamation of the Gospel can be effective if it reaches consciences and encourages the personal encounter with Christ, because only personal friendship with Him can shed light on the path of the believers and make them capable of witnessing to and proclaiming Him.However, this presuposes above all that we are aware that the first protagonist of evangelisation is, always and anyway, the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit of God who speaks to the hearts of people, opens them to the understanding of the divine plan, accompanies in mission and instils courage. It is He who makes each of those who freely allow themselves to be swept up by His presence, capable of strong and decisive witness to the Gospel. There exists nothing more provocative than the Gospel, a reality which goes beyond the earthly horizon and reveals to us the significance of the Incarnation of the Son of God, the focal point of history, the manifestation of love which gives itself right to the end.Europe needs people capable of living their faith to the full in daily life, but also in the world of culture, education, science, politics, the economy… and to communicate it to all. Already in 1943, as the Holy Father recalled in Croatia during his visit last June, Blessed Cardinal Stepinac said: “One of the greatest evils of our time is mediocrity in the questions of faith. Let us not deceive ourselves… Either we are Catholic or we are not. If we are, this must be seen in every area of our life” ( Homily on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul , 29 June 1943). In order to overcome this temptation to mediocrity, the Christian needs to keep alive his or her relationship with Christ, keep very clear his or her belonging to the Church, his or her awareness of being a living member of the church community which offers a fullness of life previously unimaginable and therefore accepting all God’s gifts, especially through the sacraments. The treasure received is also a reminder to go out to meet others without any pretension but brimming with joy at the discovery of the good face of God who embraces us and saves us.The new evangelisation comes about through those who have been touched by the presence of Christ experienced in the communion of the Church and who see their life changed by the power of the Holy Spirit. These people bring to the world a newness, a continual newness, a joy and a real fruitfulness. Their faith does not remove, but on the contrary often increases, the burden of the cross even unto martyrdom if necessary, but places each person in the position of being able to face all the challenges, together with Christ, not as threats but as opportunities to go even deeper in the relationship with Christ and with all people. As was seen in Madrid, but I also have in mind the Holy Father’s visit to Croatia in June 2011, there are so many families and so many young people desiring to live the Christian faith to the full. So there is no need to change the circumstances or even less the teaching of the Church to begin to evangelise. There is a need to change hearts, to be in love with Christ and allow his Spirit to renew life. May the Virgin Most Holy, in her Yes to God, show us the way and accompany us in our answer of belonging and offering, in our own Yes, even when this is more wavering; may her maternal intercession never be lacking.