Pope Francis sets new tone for the New Evangelization

Pope Francis’ recently published exhortation on the “Joy of the Gospel” provides a new direction for the New Evangelization. That was the message participants at the 25th annual diocesan ministry conference received from Bishop Michael Mulvey and the conference’s keynote speaker, Peter Murphy, Ph.D.

“We do not walk through the world to condemn the world or to join the world. We are here to serve…our life is about service, evangelizing, bringing the good news to others” Bishop Mulvey said to nearly 900 catechists at the American Bank Center.

He told them that Pope Francis calls us to be missionary disciples, not just disciples. “The Holy Father redefines us as missionary disciples who walk through this world reaching others; a child in a classroom, a teenager in a group, an alienated couple who comes to the parish for baptism. They are welcomed,” Bishop Mulvey said.

He urged those in parish ministry to open their doors and invite people back to the church. “Thank God they have returned home, do not greet them with rules and doctrine. That’s not how we welcome God’s children home,” he said.

The bishop outlined two steps to be missionary disciples in parishes. First, he said, pray for others. “Jesus never called anybody a name, neither should we. Don’t condemn. Don’t judge others,” Bishop Mulvey said.

The second step is to revitalize parish life as a place of welcome. Parish renewal has been at the heart of Bishop Mulvey’s mission since becoming bishop of Corpus Christi. “Our parishes are in the midst of neighborhoods. We cannot create rules where people do not feel welcomed. Parishes must be places of joy,” he said.

“A parish is not a place filled with self-serving groups. Groups must serve not be caught up in their own agendas. Who de we serve? The poor,” he said. The poor in parishes are people in nursing homes, in jails, the homeless, misguided youths and families that are falling apart. Everyone in the parish is responsible for the poor, not just priests, deacons and religious.

Bishop Mulvey said he would be working to promote this effort in the coming years.

Murphy, who serves as executive director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Secretariat for Evangelization and Catechesis, told attendees “there is so much excitement in the church today.”

“Our faith is starting to remake the culture. It’s up to us to take the Holy Father’s message to a new level and explain what he is saying,” Murphy said.

He reminded catechists that Pope Francis always starts with a prayer. “That’s a good example for us in our work. The New Evangelization requires continuous outpouring of the Holy Spirit…we need to keep turning to our Lord as we falter.”

Like Bishop Mulvey, Murphy urged parish workers to invite their brothers and sisters who have strayed from the church to return home. He urged catechists to go outside of their religious education classrooms and find that child that does not know how to make the sign of the cross.

“We all get comfortable. The Holy Father is not letting us stay there; he is challenging us. We cannot just stay in our parishes; he is calling us to go out to the periphery, to the margins, to those who have never heard the Gospel,” Murphy said.

He said Pope Francis’s plan is the same as that of Jesus Christ. Evangelization is not meant to be hitting someone over the head with the Gospel. It is not meant to be in your face. “It is sharing the love and hope of the Gospel that we have in our hearts,” he said.

Murphy said that the New Evangelization affords Catholics an opportunity to deepen their faith in Christ, to grow in confidence with the Gospels. It is a new way of being church.

“There has been a breakdown in how Catholics share their faith. We need to repropose the Gospel to those who have lost their faith, who no longer live as Christians, in our families, in our parishes,” Murphy said.

Secularization has pushed faith from the public square, he said. It has been shunned and pushed to the outskirts of society. Marriage and family are under attack, requiring Catholics to explain those things anew.

Murphy cited a study that found that only 23 percent of Catholics attend Mass on Sunday. “We’re so busy we don’t have time for Mass,” he said. Health and disabilities are obstacles keeping people from Mass. Family responsibilities, such as soccer games or scout meetings on Sunday, also keep people away from church. Sunday is no longer reserved for the Lord, he said. Conflicts with work is another reason people are staying away from Sunday Mass. Others do not believe it is a sin to miss Mass on Sunday. People no longer believe they are religious people.

Pope Francis tells catechists that sometimes they are too concerned about relaxation and their free time instead of sharing their faith with others. Sometimes they suffer from an inferiority complex, and struggle with relativism. This results in poorly done activities. The great pragmatism of our day is wearing down people’s faith. They wrestle with defeatism, thinking they cannot win. The pope reassures us that it’s okay; it’s normal, Murphy said.

“He challenges us to reencounter the Lord and keep striving to follow the Lord,” he said.

Who is called to the New Evangelization, he asked?

“All of us. None of us are called to be passive; we must be active in the New Evangelization. We all have capabilities to spread the Gospel. You must be genuine, must be passionate and need to witness your faith. It’s not about using theological terms or doctrine. It’s about talking to people’s hearts, to share the joy of the Gospel,” Murphy said.