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EVANGELIZATION 2000
 In
his Apostolic Letter signaling the closing of the Jubilee
Year (Novo Millennio Ineunte-"NMI"), Pope
john Paul II challenges us to move confidently forward
into the Third Millennium. His opening words declare
that now is the time for undertaking "a new stage
in the Church's journey" following the example
of the apostles as they "put out into the deep
for a catch" (cf. Lk. 5:4). In the concluding words
of his Letter, the Holy Father stirs us into action
with a call to "strain forward for what lies ahead"
(d. Phil 3:13-14)
"'No one who puts his hand to the plow and
looks back is fit for the kingdom of God' (Lk 9:62).
In the cause of the Kingdom we have no time for
looking back, even less for settling into laziness.
Too much is awaiting us, and for this reason we
must set about drawing up an effective post-Jubilee
pastoral plan" (NMI #15).
Taking these compelling words to heart, the Directors
of the Continental Offices of Evangelization 2000 met
in Singapore during the first days of the New Millennium
for the purpose of prayerfully discerning and dialoguing
the specifics of our own "post-Jubilee pastoral
plan."
From 1986 until the year 2000, Evangelization 2000
was described as "A Project Promoting a Decade
of Evangelization in Anticipation of the Great jubilee
Year." Now that the Jubilee has come and gone with
such spectacular fruits, the Holy Father allows no time
for resting on our oars. With words like these, he challenges
us to push further into the deep: "Let us go forward
in hope! A new millennium is opening before the Church
like a vast ocean upon which we are obliged to venture"
(NMI #58).
The Holy Father obviously envisions an even greater
catch ahead of us, while at the same time offering practical
and fatherly support for formulating dynamic new efforts
to carry us into the future:
CONTINUING GOAL “The Universal
Call to Mission"
"We must revive in ourselves the burning
conviction of St. Paul, who cried out: Woe to me
if I do not preach the Gospel' (1 Cor. 9:16). This
passion, stirring in the Church a new sense of mission,
cannot be left to a small group of 'specialists.'
It must involve all members of the People of God.
Instead of keeping him for themselves, everyone
who comes into a genuine contact with Christ must
proclaim him to others" (NMI #40).
The ultimate and over-all goal of Evangelization 2000
remains the same: namely, to serve the Catholic Church
by working to "incorporate evangelization into
the Catholic conscience." Only by involving all
Christians in the mission of making Christ known can
we cast our nets in ways that reach to the very ends
of the earth:
A TRIUNE SERVICE AND CHALLENGE:
 In
continuing its efforts to help all Catholics be responsive
to their baptismal obligations as carriers of the Good
News, Evangelization 2000 sees itself as one of the
many messengers of the Holy Father's ongoing call for
a "New Evangelization." Its specific effort
as the Jubilee Year ushers us into the Third Millennium,
is to offer the Church A SERVICE OF PRAYER, PROCLAMATION
AND FORMATION!
In this regard, the Pope tells us that "wherever
individuals and Christians are being formed, ministers
of the altar and pastoral workers are being trained,
and families and communities are being built up"
we need as our guiding principle of education 'a spirituality
of communion' based upon the mystery of the Trinity
dwelling within us" (NMI #43).
For this reason, each of the three vital services we
feel called to offer is focused on a particular Person
of the Blessed Trinity, while retaining the communal
ideal of:
"Seeing what is positive in others, welcoming
it and prizing it as a gift from God, leading us
to make room for our brothers and sisters, while
at the same time helping us to bear each others
burdens" (NMI #43).
PRAYER: (Focusing on God the Father)
"Yes, dear brothers and sisters, our Christian
communities must become genuine 'schools' of prayer,
where the meeting with Christ is expressed not just
by imploring help but also through prayers of thanksgiving,
praise, adoration, contemplation, attentive listening
and ardent devotion. How helpful it would be if
not only in religious communities but also in parishes
more were done to ensure a pervading climate of
prayer" (NMI #33, 34).
More than ever, we need and are totally dependent upon
a vibrant and dedicated prayer campaign. When Jesus
instructed his disciples to "stay in the city until
you are dressed with power" (Lk. 11:12), they obeyed
by dedicating themselves to nine days of prayer answered
by the wonder of Pentecost. Because we too are in absolute
need of divine power for accomplishing our supernatural
mission, Evangelization 2000 remains dedicated to promoting
an international prayer campaign for world evangelization
by:
- Placing emphasis on the absolute need for prayer
in all of our associated Schools of Evangelization;
- Targeting and making efforts to incorporate into
our campaign: contemplative communities, prayer groups,
the sick and elderly, parish associations, lay movements
and various other groups throughout the Church;
- Making creative and imaginative use of media, with
special emphasis on the potential of the internet
in maintaining a persevering commitment and ongoing
interest in intercessory prayer;
- Being constantly alert to utilize every preaching
and teaching opportunity for instilling an intensified
commitment to prayer.
PROCLAMATION: (Focusing on God the Son)
"Our gaze is more than ever firmly set on
the face of the Lord. The men and women of our own
day ask believers not only to 'speak' of Christ,
but in a certain sense to 'show' him to them. We
wish to see Jesus' (In 12:27). From him we receive
the gift of the Spirit and the command to proclaim
the Gospel to 'all nations'" (NMI #16, 17).
A major disappointment is being expressed in the Church
today because of the diminishing quality of Catholic
preaching. High in the list of complaints is the ineffectiveness
and careless preparation of Sunday homilies. The Gospel
must be proclaimed as a message of hope and as the most
relevant and eminently practical response that can be
found to our modern needs and wants. A clear distinction
must be maintained between the classroom where data
is communicated, and the pulpit, where the secrets of
sanctification and good living are proclaimed. In attempting
to do this, Evangelization 2000 hopes to specifically
target:
- Priests and seminarians, in order to bring about
a more faithful and convincing proclamation of Gospel
truths;
- The lay faithful who serve in roles of education
and leadership, in order to improve the spiritual
content, technical quality and emotional impact of
their presentations and evangelistic efforts.
FORMATION: (focusing on God the Holy Spirit)
 "From
the Gospels, the face of the Nazarene emerges with
a solid historical foundation. The Evangelists took
pains to represent Jesus on the basis of trustworthy
testimonies, which they gathered and subjected to
careful ecclesial scrutiny. It was on the basis
of such first-hand testimony that enlightened by
the action of the Holy Spirit they learned the humanly
perplexing fact of Jesus' virginal birth from Mary,
the wife of Joseph. From those who had known him
during the almost thirty years spent in Nazareth,
they collected facts about the life of 'the carpenter's
son'" (NMI #18).
Nothing less than a deep study of God's living Word
can make us accomplished evangelizers. Isaiah was able
to cry out joyfully: "The Lord has given me a well
trained tongue" (Is. 50:4). For acquiring such
a tongue, each one of us "can count on the power
of the same Spirit who was poured out at Pentecost and
who impels us today to start out anew" (NMI #58).
For this purpose, Evangelization 2000 remains globally
committed to:
- A worldwide proliferation of Catholic Schools of
Evangelization, while remaining always faithful to
the ideals of enculturation by respecting and supporting
the styles, techniques and distinctive charisms of
the various schools;
- Always focusing on the predominantly prophetic
and kerygmatic dimension of these schools;
- Making such schools available on a diocesan and
hopefully even a parochial level, in order to foster
the vital evangelistic ministry of the lay faithful,
while empowering them in "imparting the word
of truth without deviation" (2 Tim. 2:15).
- Developing and employing new efforts and techniques
in the area of fundraising. This is seen as a necessary
means of guaranteeing the extended future of the schools
and their outreach.
- Maintaining an ecumenical character to these efforts
on inter-faith, inter-religious and inter-cultural
levels.
OUR DEFINING CHARISM AND STRATEGY
“Moving Toward the Springtime!"
In a talk to catechists on the occasion of their Jubilee
Day (12/9/2000) Cardinal Ratzinger made several astute
observations regarding the task of evangelizers. He
points out that a very common question today is: "How
can we learn the art of living, and how do we find the
path to happiness?" He sees an inability to live
joyful lives as "the deepest and most widespread
poverty in the world today." From this he draws
clear conclusions:
“This inability to be joyful is fruit of
an inability to love. That's why we are in such
great need of a new evangelization. For someone
ignorant of the art of living, nothing else works.
In the routine evangelistic efforts of the Church,
a great many people fail to find a convincing answer
to the question of how to live a good life. This
is why we are obliged to look for new ways to bring
the Gospel message to everyone. "
 The
clarity and force of these words led the directors of
Evangelization 2000 to set expectant faith, joy and
the art of living as the distinguishing characteristics
of their efforts to march expectantly into the Third
Millennium. Again and again, the Holy Father has prophesied
and promised a New Springtime for the Church and the
world, provided we read accurately and respond decisively
to the signs of the times and the actions of the Holy
Spirit.
Our proclamation of Jesus Christ is not just Good News,
it is the Best News the world has ever and will ever
hear! Jesus came so that our happiness might be complete.
He promises and indicates a path to happiness even for
the hungering and the thirsty, the naked and the persecuted.
He sends his own Holy Spirit to make straight our road
to happiness with the flagstones of his deep and abiding
fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. And by taking
upon himself the sadness of every one of our sins, he
wins our forgiveness and opens to us a doorway to the
Eternal Bliss of sharing the very happiness of God.
Far too many understand the message of evangelizers
to be nothing more than a dull list of prohibitions
and reprimands. The message is so much more positive
than negative! Followers of the Good Shepherd are those
who have been so blessed and liberated that they can
cry out: "Now I want for nothing. Goodness and
kindness follow me all the days of my life" (Ps.
23). Evangelizers have the mission of making that cry
heard globally!
In its teachings and talks, in its Schools of Evangelization,
at its conferences and gatherings, in its use of media
and every means of communication, by the example of
its own joy and sense of humor, by emphasizing all the
blessings promised at such comparatively little cost,
by trumpeting the great cardinal virtue of hope so characteristic
of the teachings of Pope John Paul II, Evangelization
2000 prays that it might become one of many vibrant
and confident heralds of the New Springtime. We can
leave the winter snow behind, and experience an Easter
joy! We can hear the call, and voice of God, our loving
Father. We can see the path to travel, and its name
is Jesus our only Way. We will be given all the strength
and wisdom needed for traveling that road, and our decisive
power will come from the Divine Person of Power, the
Holy Spirit.
May Mary help us to treasure in our own hearts the
Mystery of her Son (d. NMI #59), so that we can share
her great joy in Him with the entire world.
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