Living and Serving with Faith

as a Challenge of Vatican II
on New Evangelization
Fr. Amado L. Picardal, CSsR, SThD

1
 The Year of Faith
 50 years of Vatican II
 Synod of Bishops on “New Evangelization
and the Transmission of Faith”
New Evangelization: Transmission of Faith

“From the very beginning the Church has

understood her responsibility to pass on the Good
News.
The task of the New Evangelization, following in
this apostolic tradition, is the transmission of the
faith.
The Second Vatican Council reminds us that this
task is a complex process which involves the faith
and life of every Christian.
This faith cannot be transmitted in a life which is
not modeled after the Gospel or a life which does
not find its meaning, truth and future based on the
Gospel.” (Prop 57)
3
“The teaching of Vatican II is a vital
instrument for the transmission of
faith in the context of New
Evangelization”

Proposition no. 12

4
 The Problem about Faith
 The majority: seasonal & nominal Christians
 Those who do not know and understand the
faith
 Those who do not celebrate their faith
 Those who do not live their faith
 People who have abandoned the faith or lost
their faith
 Baptized but not evangelized (born into the
faith, but not growth and maturity in faith)
5
 New Evangelization as Response
to the problem of faith
 New Evangelization for the Transmission of
Faith
 New ardor, new forms, new methods of
evangelization
 The proclamation of the Good News of Jesus
Christ that leads to personal conversion,
deepening of faith and genuine discipleship

6
Expected outcome of Evangelization
 A deeper awareness of the reality of
Christ in our life and accepting him as the
center of our life
 Personal conversion
 A decision to live more actively as
disciples of Christ
 A communitarian living out of discipleship
 Deeper sense of belonging and bonding with
fellow believers (communion)
7
 Ongoing catechesis (deepening of the
understanding of one’s faith)
 Missionary dynamism (sharing the light of
faith to others)
 A deeper awareness of the present realities
& the responsibility to transform the situation
– loving service

8
Encounter with Jesus Christ
Evangelization is christo-centric
It leads to an encounter with Christ
Its purpose is to enable people to
know, love and follow Christ
Focus: telling the story of Jesus –
the beloved Son of God,
filled with the Holy Spirit,
sent by the Father out of love to
fulfill the divine plan of salvation
by his death and resurrection.
9
10
“Every pastoral program must transmit the
true novelty of the Gospel, and be centered
on a personal and living encounter with
Jesus. It should also be ordered to eliciting in
all people a generous embrace of the faith,
and a willingness to accept the call to be
witnesses.”
13th Synod of Bishops (Prop 42)

11
The Jesus-story
At the heart of the proclamation is the Jesus story
and its faith-interpretation.
The missionary discourses in the Acts includes
the main activities of the life of the historical
Jesus and the mystery that they contain:
his incarnation as Savior
his public ministry
his death and the resurrection
his glorification
These discourses always conclude by inviting all to
conversion and faith in Jesus Christ. 12
 Narrative methods
akin to Asian cultural
forms are to be
preferred. In fact, the
proclamation of Jesus
Christ can most
effectively be made by
narrating his story, as
the Gospels do.

John Paul II, Ecclesia in Asia

13
13
14
 The messianic mission of Jesus
 As Prophet – he announced the Good News
of the coming of the kingdom - of salvation &
liberation. He also denounced sin and evil in
all its form.
 As Priest – he offered his body & blood – his
life - on the Cross signified by the offering of
the bread & wine at the last supper
 As king – he came to serve and not to be
served. He showed his love and service by
his suffering and death and by his
resurrection inaugurated the kingdom of God,
and brought about salvation & liberation.
15
 The Nature and Identity of Jesus
 True man and true God
 The Savior/liberator who out of love
saves us from sin and evil and all its
manifestation
 The Lord who continues to be present in
our life, in the Church & the sacraments
 The One who calls us to be his friends
and disciples
 He is the light our life 16
17
Response to the encounter with
Jesus Christ:
Conversion and faith (discipleship)
“repent and believe in the Gospel”
Mk 1:15

18
 Conversion
“The drama and intensity of the age old
clash between good and evil, between faith
and fear should be presented as the
essential background, a constituent element
of the call to conversion in Christ …
The New Evangelization requires personal
and communal conversion.”
(13th Synod of Bishops, Prop # 22)

19
“For you were once in
darkness, but now you are
light in the Lord.
Live as children of light, for
light produces every kind of
goodness and righteousness
and truth.
Take no part in fruitless
works of darkness; rather
expose them…”

Ephesians 5:8-11
20
 What conversion entails:
 Turning away from sin and evil (the dark
side)
 Putting away the Old Self and the deeds of
darkness (selfishness, greed, corruption,
immorality, vices, etc.)
 Putting on the New Self and living in the
Light (imitating Christ’s virtues –
kindness, compassion, love, service,
humility, truthfulness, etc.)
 Becoming a new person (being born again),
becoming the best version of ourselves
 Growing in Faith
21
 Faith
 Faith as Believing (assent) truths that Jesus
revealed (doctrine – creed) - intellect
 Faith as Trust in Jesus – a loving trusting,
relationship
 Faith as Expressed in Deeds -

22
Three Dimensions of Faith

Creed
(conviction)
head
Cult Code
(confidence)(commitment)
heart hands

23
Faith: Believing in Jesus and all that
He taught (creed)
 Believing in the Divine Invisible reality
 God the Loving Father - creator and liberator
 Jesus the Beloved Son – sent by the Father
to Fulfill the divine plan of Salvation
 The Holy Spirit – sent by the Father and
Jesus to empower the Church to continue
Christ’s mission

24
Growing in Faith as believers

 Listening to the Word: to be evangelized

 Proclaiming the Word: to evangelize
 Living the Word: Witnessing
25
 Listening to the Word
 We should allow ourselves to be evangelized
by Christ, this means listening to his word and
to his teachings
 We allow his word to touch our hearts, to
convert us, to change our life.
 This requires studying the teachings and
values of Jesus as recorded in the bible and as
interpreted by the Church. (dogmatic, moral,
social teachings)
 We need to read and study the bible and the
teachings of the Church (catechesis) 26
Proclaiming the Word of God
 As disciples we continue his mission of
proclaiming the good news of the kingdom to
others
 This is not only the task of the priest but also
lay people
 Maturity in faith means that each one of us
accept the responsibility for mission – to be
filled with missionary dynamism

27
Living the Word: Witnessing
“The world listens more to witnesses than to
teachers.’ Paul VI
 We proclaim the Word of God not only with
our words by with our lives – we give witness
to the Word by our behavior, by how we live.
 The most effective way of proclaiming the
teachings of Jesus, such as love,
compassion, service, truthfulness,
forgiveness is to live what we preach.
28
 Announcing & Denouncing
 To share in Christ’s prophetic mission means
not only announcing the Good News
 It is also denouncing evil in our midst,
especially the culture of death, corruption
 This means becoming a conscience in
society
 This also means announcing the Good News
of the kingdom – a message of salvation, of
justice, peace and love
29
 Faith: Trusting in Jesus
 Deep, Personal & Loving Relationship with
Jesus our Savior who will always be with us
 Expressed and deepened in Prayer
 Celebrated in the sacraments – especially
the Eucharist

30
31
Prayer: Expression of Trust in Christ
When we pray we are expressing
our faith and trust in Christ
We believe that our Lord is near
and he listens to our prayer
We put our trust in him and expect
him to answer our prayer
Prayer is not just asking favors
from the Lord, it is also a time to
ask for his forgiveness and an
occasion to give thanks to him.
32
Celebrating the Sacraments

As followers of Jesus, we express our faith by actively

participating in the celebration of the Eucharist – the
sacrament of table-fellowship, of our communion and
unity with Christ and with one another.

33
In the sacrament of penance and reconciliation
we affirm our faith in Lord’s mercy and
compassion as we express our repentance for
our sins and our desire to live a new life.
34
Faith: Obeying Jesus’ commandments

“faith without works is dead”

Expressed in concrete deeds of love and service
Care for the poor
Care for the earth
Working to make the kingdom of God a reality:
action for justice, peace, development,
liberation, integrity of creation

35
 How can we express concretely our loving service
to others especially in this situation where there is
so much poverty, war and violence?
 Our loving service to others must be concretely
expressed through our care for the needy, care for
the earth, our option for the poor, our deeds of
justice, liberation and peace.
 In a situation where there is poverty, we are called
to do everything in our power to alleviate poverty.

36
In a situation of war and violence, we are called
to be peace-makers, peace-builders.
To be a Christian today is to be a peace
advocate. 37
 We need treat those who work for us with justice
and compassion
 Wherever we are working (whether in
government, education or private sector) we must
make sure that it will be for the service of people.
We must avoid being involved in corruption and
help stop corruption.
 We need use our talents, skills and resources for
the benefit of others and in transforming society.
 We need to volunteer our services to our parish,
diocese, charitable institutions, non-government
organizations, etc.
38
Care for the Earth – defending the environment

39
 Communitarian Faith

 Faith is not just personal

 It is primarily communitarian
 We are born into a Christian community – the
Church -which is the community of faith
 We experience conversion within the Christian
community
 We grow in faith within the Christian
community
 We live our faith as a community – as
members of the parish and BECs 40
 Integral Faith Formation
 Formation of the Head – to know, understand
and accept the teachings of Christ and the
Church (evangelization & catechesis). Doctrinal
formation.
 Formation of the Heart – to develop trusting &
loving relationship with Christ (prayer & the
liturgy). This involves a spiritual formation.
 Formation of the Hands – to develop the
capacity to love and serve others as concrete
expression of faith (social action). This formation
should prepare them for engagement in the
social, economic, political terrain.
41
 Moral Formation
 Integral faith formation includes moral formation
 This means the formation of conscience
Knowing what is right (moral) and wrong & sinful
(immoral)
 This involves a moral catechesis – knowing the
Church’s teachings on the value of life, of
sexuality and marriage, family, social justice,
peace, etc.
This includes the church’s stance against the
culture of death, corruption, etc. must be taught
 Moral formation should lead to living and behaving
according to the teachings of Christ & the Church
 In this way, a split-level Christianity is overcome42
Formation for Mission
“The fundamental objective of the formation of
the lay faithful is an ever-clearer discovery of
one's vocation and the ever-greater
willingness to live it so as to fulfill one's
mission.” CFL 58

What is the vocation and mission of the

faithful?

43
 According to Vatican II (LG 36), AA & CFL: by
virtue of baptism, the lay faithful have the right
and responsibility to actively participate in the
three-fold mission of Christ
 The prophetic mission (mission of proclaiming
and giving witness to the Good News, of
denouncing sin and evil)
 The priestly mission (sanctification and active
participation in the liturgical celebration
 The kingly mission (serving others, working for
justice, peace and the integrity of creation)
44
 Lay formation must be geared towards enabling
the lay faithful to fulfill their three-fold mission
 In order to proclaim, teach and give witness,
they must first be evangelized and catechized
(this means going through a process of
conversion and the deepening of the
understanding of their faith).
They must develop their skills and competence in
conducting evangelization and catechesis.
 In order to actively participate in the liturgical
celebration, they need spiritual and liturgical
formation.
45
 In order to actively participate in the social
apostolate, they need to know and
understand the social teachings of the
Church
 Their commitment must be deepened
 Their skills and competence in social
action and service must be developed.

46
Means of New Evangelization
Means of Social Communication
“The use of means of social communication
has an important role to play in order to reach
every person with the message of salvation.
In this field, especially in the world of
electronic communications, it is necessary that
convinced Christians be formed, prepared and
made capable to transmit faithfully the content
of the faith and of Christian morality.
They should have the ability to use well the
languages and the instruments of today that
are available for communication in the global
village.
“The most effective form of this
communication of the faith remains the
sharing of the testimony of life, without which
none of the media efforts will result in an
effective transmission of the Gospel.
Education in the wise and constructive use of
social media is an important means to be
utilized in the New Evangelization.” Prop 18
Prayerful reading of Sacred Scripture
“God has communicated himself to us in his Word
made flesh. This divine Word, heard and celebrated in
the Liturgy of the Church, particularly in the Eucharist,
strengthens interiorly the faithful and renders them
capable of authentic evangelical witness in daily life.
The Synod Fathers desire that the divine word be ever
more fully at the heart of every ecclesial activity.
The gate to Sacred Scripture should be open to all
believers. In the context of the New Evangelization
every opportunity for the study of Sacred Scripture
should be made available.

50
 “The Scripture should permeate homilies,
catechesis and every effort to pass on the faith.
In consideration of the necessity of familiarity
with the Word of God for the New
Evangelization and for the spiritual growth of
the faithful, the Synod encourages dioceses,
parishes, small Christian communities to
continue serious study of the Bible and Lectio
Divina, the prayerful reading of the Scriptures.”
Prop 11

51
The Eucharist
“The Eucharist must be the source and summit of the
New Evangelization.
The Synod Fathers urge all Christ’s faithful to renew
their understanding and love for the Eucharistic
celebration, in which their lives are transformed and
joined to Christ’s offering of his own life to the glory of
God the Father for the salvation of the whole world…
Sunday needs to be recovered for the New
Evangelization … Sunday with its sacred and special
character together with Sunday Mass should be the
center of Catholic life.
Full, active and conscious participation in the liturgy on
the part of the whole community is the goal. The
liturgical year with its feasts should be followed by a true
program of evangelization, especially at Christmas and
Easter.” Prop 34
Popular Piety

“Popular piety is a true place to

encounter Christ, and also express the
faith of the Christian people in the
Blessed Virgin Mary and the Saints.
The New Evangelization recognizes the
value of these faith experiences and
encourages them as ways to grow in
Christian virtue.” Prop 39
 “Pilgrimages to shrines and sanctuaries are
an important aspect of the new evangelization.
Not only because of the millions of people who
continue to make these pilgrimages but
because this form of popular piety at this time
is an especially promising opportunity for
conversion and the growth of faith.
It is important therefore that a pastoral plan be
developed that properly welcomes the pilgrims
and, in response to the deep desire of the
pilgrims, opportunities be offered so that the
time of the pilgrimage can be lived as a true
moment of grace.”
Proposition 19 : New Evangelization and
Human Development
Today it is not possible to think of the New
Evangelization without the proclamation of full
freedom from everything that oppresses the
human person, i.e. sin and its consequences.
Without a serious commitment for life and
justice and the change of the situations that
generate poverty and exclusion) there can be
no progress.
This is particularly true in the face of challenges
of globalization.
55
 Objects and Agents
of New Evangelization
The Poor
“Today there are new poor and new faces of
poverty: the hungry, the homeless, the sick and
abandoned, drug addicts, migrants and the
marginalized, political and environmental refugees,
the indigenous peoples.
The current economic crisis seriously affects the
poor. Among the poorest in contemporary society
are the victims of grievous loss of respect for the
inviolable dignity of innocent human life.
The preferential option for the poor leads us to
seek out the poor and to work on their behalf so
that they may feel at home in the Church.
They are both recipients and actors in the New
Evangelization.” Prop 31
57
The particular Church (diocese)
“Each particular Church is the primary community of
the Church’s mission.
It must animate and lead a renewed pastoral activity
able to integrate the variety of charisms, ministries,
states of life and resources.
All these realities must be coordinated within an
organic missionary project, capable of communicating
the fullness of Christian life to everyone, especially to
those who feel themselves far from the Church’s care.
Such an endeavor must arise from the dialogue &
cooperation of all diocesan components, including:
parishes, small Christian communities,
educational communities, communities of
consecrated life, associations, movements
and individual faithful.
Every pastoral program must transmit the true
novelty of the Gospel, and be centered on a
personal and living encounter with Jesus.
It should also be ordered to eliciting in all
people a generous embrace of the faith, and a
willingness to accept the call to be witnesses.”
Prop 42
 Clergy

“The Synod Fathers encourage bishops and

priests to know the lives of the people they serve
in a more personal way.
People are looking for authentic and credible
witnesses in their bishops and priests who live
and model the faith and the New Evangelization.
The bishop is an evangelizer who leads by
example and shares with all the baptized the
blessings of being called to evangelization.
“Ongoing formation for clergy on the New
Evangelization and methods for
evangelization in the diocese and parish are
needed in order to learn effective means to
mobilize the laity to engage in the New
Evangelization.
We invite the Bishops, those principally
responsible for the whole pastoral work of
the Church, to develop a plan that animates
and accompanies in a direct and personal
manner the pastoral work of the
presbyterate, the decisive leadership core of
the New Evangelization.” Prop 49
“Seminaries should take as their focus the New
Evangelization so that it becomes the recurring
and unifying theme in programs of human,
spiritual, intellectual and pastoral formation in the
ars celebrandi, in homiletics and in the
celebration of the sacrament of Reconciliation,
all very important parts of the New
Evangelization.
The Synod recognizes and encourages the work of
deacons whose ministry provides the Church
great service.
Ongoing formation programs within the diocese
should also be available for deacons.” Prop 49
Religious
“In this moment of new evangelization, the
Synod asks all men and women religious and
members of secular institutes to live their
identity as consecrated persons radically and
with joy.
The witness of a life which manifests the
primacy of God and which, by means of the
common life, expresses the humanizing force
of the Gospel is a powerful proclamation of the
Reign of God.
Consecrated life, fully evangelical and
evangelizing, in profound communion with
the pastors of the Church
and in co-responsibility with the laity, faithful to
the respective charisms, will offer a
significant contribution to the New
Evangelization.
The Synod asks Religious Orders and
Congregations to be fully available to go to
the geographical, social and cultural frontiers
of evangelization. Prop 50
The Parish
The parish, in and through all of its activities,
should animate its members to become agents of
the New Evangelization, witnessing through both
their words and their lives.
For this reason, it is important to remember that
the parish remains the usual environment for the
spiritual life of the parishioners.
The Synod therefore encourages parish visits to
families as a way of parish renewal…
Along the same line, pastoral agents in hospitals,
youth centers, factories, prisons, etc., have to
bear in mind that the New Evangelization should
find a home in these places.
Prop 44
Basic Ecclesial Communities
“In order to bring to all people the Good News of
Jesus, as required by a New Evangelization,
all the parishes and their small communities should
be living cells,
places to promote the personal and communitarian
encounter with Christ,
experience the richness of liturgy,
to give initial and permanent Christian formation,
and to educate all the faithful in fraternity and
charity especially towards the poor.” Prop 26
67
The lay faithful

“The vocation and the mission proper to lay

faithful is the transformation of worldly
structures, to let all human behavior and
activities be informed by the Gospel.
This is the reason why it is so important to
guide the Christian laity into an intimate
knowledge of Christ in order to form their
moral conscience through their life in Christ”
Prop 45
68
Youth
“In the New Evangelization, the youth are not
only the future but also the present (and gift) in
the Church.
They are not only the recipients but also agents
of evangelization, especially with their peers.
The youth are in the stage of searching for
truth and meaning in life that Jesus who is the
Truth and their Friend can provide.
Through exemplary Christian adults, the saints,
especially the young saints, and through
committed youth ministers, the Church is visible
and credible for the youth.”
69
“Wherever they are, at home, in school, or in
the Christian community, it is necessary that
evangelizers meet the young and spend time
with them; propose to them and accompany
them in following Jesus, guide them to
discover their vocation in life and in the
Church.
As the media greatly influence the physical,
emotional, mental and spiritual well-being of
the youth, the Church through catechesis and
youth ministry strives to enable and equip
them to discern between good and evil, to
choose Gospel values over worldly values,
and to form firm faith convictions.” Prop 5170
New Ecclesial Movements & Communities
“Since Vatican II, the New Evangelization has
greatly benefited from the dynamism of the new
ecclesial movements and new communities.
Their ideal of holiness and unity has been the
source of many vocations and remarkable
missionary initiatives.
The Synod recognizes these new realities and
encourages them to utilize their charisms in
close collaboration with the dioceses and the
parish communities, who in turn, will benefit
from their missionary spirit.” Prop 44
71
The Christian Family
The Christian family as the domestic Church is the
locus and first agent in the giving of life and love, the
transmission of faith and the formation of the human
person according to the values of the gospel.
In imitating Christ, the whole Church must dedicate
herself to supporting families in the catechesis of
children and youth…
At the same time the New Evangelization should strive
to address significant pastoral problems around
marriage, the case of divorced and remarried, the
situation of their children, the fate of abandoned
spouses, the couples who live together without
marriage and the trend in society to redefine marriage.
The Church with maternal care and evangelical spirit
should seek appropriate responses for these situations,
as an important aspect of the new evangelization.
Every pastoral plan of evangelization should also
include a respectful invitation to all those who live
alone, to experience God in the family of the Church.
It is necessary to educate people in how to live human
sexuality according to Christian anthropology, both
before marriage as well as in marriage itself.
The Synod notes with appreciation those families who
leave their homes in order to be evangelizers for Christ
in other countries and cultures.” Prop 48
 Catholic Educational Institutions
“Children, teenagers and young people have a right to be
evangelized and educated. The schools and Catholic
universities respond in this way to this need…
Schools should assist families in introducing children into
the beauty of the faith. Schools offer a great opportunity
to transmit the faith or at least to make it known.
The Synod Fathers are grateful for the work of education
carried out by thousands of teachers, male and female,
in Catholic educational institutions in the five continents.
Because of the singular role of teachers, it is important
that they receive ongoing formation in carrying out their
responsibilities…
For this reason in order to ensure that our institutions
are agents of evangelization and not just products
of evangelization, the Synod:
- Encourages Catholic educational institutions to do
all that is possible to preserve their identity as
ecclesial institutions;
- Invites all teachers to embrace the leadership which
is theirs as baptized disciples of Jesus, giving
witness through their vocation as educators; and
- Urges particular Churches, religious families, and all
those who have responsibility in the educational
institutions, to facilitate the co-responsibility of lay
people, offering adequate formation and
accompaniment for this.” Prop 27
 New Evangelization can be carried out in the
Catholic Education Centers
 The faculty, staff and administration can be
agents of new evangelization
 The academic program should be imbued
with the values of the Gospel – such as
respect for life, family values, love,
compassion, service, truthfulness, holiness,
etc.
 The students are to be both the objects and
agents of new evangelization
 They are not only to be evangelized but
also must become evangelizers
 It is up to you find new ways and forms for
evangelization. You have to be creative.
 The schools should produce genuine
disciples of Jesus, capable of fulfilling their
mission
of proclaiming the Good News of salvation,
of worshipping the true God
and serving the people, especially the poor
and the needy,
 The schools should become seedbeds of
vocations to the priesthood and religious
life as well as lay people who can give
witness and share the faith wherever they
are.
 Thus, the schools should become centers
of new evangelization that can transmit the
faith and contribute to the renewal of the
Church and the transformation of society.
Summing-up
“the New Evangelization for the
transmission of the Christian faith calls all
believers to renew their faith and their
personal encounter with Jesus in the
Church, to deepen their appreciation of the
truth of the faith and joyfully to share it.”
prop
57
Sharing the Light of Faith
Before we can transmit the light of faith we
must first receive it.
Before we can evangelize we must first be
evangelized and converted
Before we can proclaim the Word, we must
first receive and be touched by the Word
Before we can teach we must first learn.
What we proclaim we must live and give
witness, for we proclaim not just with words
but with our life – our deeds and behavior.
“Shout the Gospel with your lives”
Charles de Foucauld