"In every time and place, evangelization
always has as its starting and finishing points Jesus Christ, the Son of
God (cf. Mk 1:1); and the Crucifix is the supremely distinctive sign of
him who announces the Gospel: a sign of love and peace, a call to
conversion and reconciliation "with these programmatic words Benedict
XVI summed up the meaning of the Eucharistic celebration that today
opened the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the theme" The
new evangelization for the transmission of the Christian faith. "
"The
Word of God - urged the pope - places us before the glorious One who was
crucified, so that our whole lives, and in particular the commitment of
this Synodal session, will take place in the sight of him and in the
light of his mystery." And addressing the hundreds of patriarchs,
bishops, experts and auditors gathered before St. Peter's basilica he
added: "My dear Brother Bishops, starting with ourselves, let us fix our
gaze upon him and let us be purified by his grace".
The pope
then explained the meaning of the "new evangelization." It is first and
foremost part of the continuous and perennial Christian mission: "The
Church - he said - exists to evangelize." And after recalling the ages
of evangelization of Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia, he added:
"Even in our own times, the Holy Spirit has nurtured in the Church a new
effort to announce the Good News, a pastoral and spiritual dynamism
which found a more universal expression and its most authoritative
impulse in the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council.. "
It must be
said that the Synod begins a few days before the Year of Faith, which
was launched by Benedict XVI for a re-invigoration of faith among
Christians, which will start on 11 October, the 50th anniversary of the
Second Vatican Council and the 20th anniversary of the publication of
the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
For the pope, the Council
produced a "renewed evangelical dynamism " that produced "a beneficent
influence on the two specific "branches" developed by it, that is, on
the one hand the Missio ad Gentes or announcement of the Gospel to those
who do not yet know Jesus Christ and his message of salvation, and on
the other the New Evangelization, directed principally at those who,
though baptized, have drifted away from the Church and live without
reference to the Christian life.. "
The Pope noted that "the
Synodal Assembly which opens today is dedicated to this new
evangelization, to help these people encounter the Lord, who alone who
fills existence with deep meaning and peace; and to favour the
rediscovery of the faith, that source of grace which brings joy and hope
to personal, family and social life. Obviously, such a special focus
must not diminish either missionary efforts in the strict sense or the
ordinary activity of evangelization in our Christian communities, as
these are three aspects of the one reality of evangelization which
complement and enrich each other".
Benedict XVI then listed the
instrument of evangelization. Inspired by the Gospel of today's liturgy
(during the 27th year, B, Marco 10.2 to 16), the Pope emphasizes the
value of witness of marriage, which "a Gospel in itself, a Good News for
the world of today, especially the dechristianized world. The union of a
man and a woman, their becoming "one flesh" in charity, in fruitful and
indissoluble love, is a sign that speaks of God with a force and an
eloquence which in our days has become greater because unfortunately,
for various reasons, marriage, in precisely the oldest regions
evangelized, is going through a profound crisis. And it is not by
chance. Marriage is linked to faith, but not in a general way. Marriage,
as a union of faithful and indissoluble love, is based upon the grace
that comes from the triune God, who in Christ loved us with a faithful
love, even to the Cross. Today we ought to grasp the full truth of this
statement, in contrast to the painful reality of many marriages which,
unhappily, end badly. There is a clear link between the crisis in faith
and the crisis in marriage. And, as the Church has said and witnessed
for a long time now, marriage is called to be not only an object but a
subject of the new evangelization. This is already being seen in the
many experiences of communities and movements, but its realization is
also growing in dioceses and parishes, as shown in the recent World
Meeting of Families".
More generally, the instrument of evangelization are the saints.
"The
Saints - said - are the true actors in evangelization in all its
expressions. In a special way they are even pioneers and bringers of the
new evangelization: with their intercession and the example of lives
attentive to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they show the beauty of
the Gospel to those who are indifferent or even hostile, and they
invite, as it were tepid believers, to live with the joy of faith, hope
and charity, to rediscover the taste for the word of God and for the
sacraments, especially for the bread of life, the Eucharist. Holy men
and women bloom among the generous missionaries who announce the Good
News to non-Christians, in the past in mission countries and now in any
place where there are non-Christians. Holiness is not confined by
cultural, social, political or religious barriers. Its language, that of
love and truth, is understandable to all people of good will and it
draws them to Jesus Christ, the inexhaustible source of new life".
To
emphasize the value of evangelical holiness, Benedict XVI today
proclaimed doctors of the universal Church, the priest John of Avila and
the Benedictine nun Hildegard of Bingen.
The first (1499-1569)
was a missionary in Mexico and later preacher in Spain. A friend of
great saints such as Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa of Avila, John of God,
"to penetrate in a uniquely profound way the mysteries of the redemption
worked by Christ for humanity. A man of God, he united constant prayer
to apostolic action. He dedicated himself to preaching and to the more
frequent practice of the sacraments, concentrating his commitment on
improving the formation of candidates for the priesthood, of religious
and of lay people, with a view to a fruitful reform of the Church. "
Hildegard
(1098-1179), a personality with encyclopedic knowledge, was a
prophetess, musician, scientist, philosopher, theologian, mystic,
writer. Friend of St. Bernard, while living in her monastery, she was
committed to the affairs of the society of her time, maintaining "a
great and faithful love for Christ and the Church."
Entrusting
the Synod to the saints, Benedict XVI recalled in a special way "Blessed
John Paul II, whose long reign was also an example of the new
evangelization."
Rather than searching for new techniques and
organizations, the Synod is primarily a call to conversion. "The summary
of the ideal in Christian life, expressed in the call to holiness,
draws us to look with humility at the fragility, even sin, of many
Christians, as individuals and communities, which is a great obstacle to
evangelization and to recognizing the force of God that, in faith,
meets human weakness. Thus, we cannot speak about the new evangelization
without a sincere desire for conversion. The best path to the new
evangelization is to let ourselves be reconciled with God and with each
other (cf. 2 Cor 5:20). Solemnly purified, Christians can regain a
legitimate pride in their dignity as children of God, created in his
image and redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, and they can
experience his joy in order to share it with everyone, both near and
far".
At the end of Mass, before praying the Angelus, Benedict
XVI recalled today's feast, of Queen of the Holy Rosary and asked the
faithful to use this simple prayer throughout the Year of Faith, "we now
turn - he said - in prayer to Mary, whom we venerate today as Queen of
the Holy Rosary. At this time, at the Shrine of Pompeii, the traditional
"Supplication" is being elevated to which countless people throughout
the world are joined. While we associate ourselves spiritually in this
choral prayer, I would like to suggest to everyone to renew the prayer
of the Rosary in the upcoming Year of Faith. With the Rosary, we allow
ourselves to be guided by Mary, model of faith, in meditating on the
mysteries of Christ, and day after day we are helped to assimilate the
Gospel, so that it shapes all our lives. Therefore, in the wake of my
predecessors, especially the Blessed John Paul II, who ten years ago
gave us the Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, I invite
you to pray the Rosary personally, in the family and in the community,
learning at the school of Mary, which leads us to Christ, the living
centre of our faith".