Part I Continued

Part I: Spreading the Holy Fire
What Does Catholic Evangelization Mean?

“Evangelization” is a new word for a centuries-old mandate. Jesus was the first evangelizer because He is the “Good News” for us. At His Ascension to the Father, He commanded His disciples to carry out His mission when He said: “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age". (Matthew 28:19-20)

Where does the term “evangelization” come from? The Hebrew word, basar, meaning “to announce the good news or joyful tidings,” is connected in the Old Testament with “bringing the good news of salvation” (Cf. Isaiah 52:7; 61:1). Euangelizo, which is the Greek translation of basar in the Septuagint, is used in the New Testament to convey the same meaning: “bringing the good news of salvation.” In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus identifies Himself as the one anointed to “bring the good news” (4:18-21) and the story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection is said to be the “good news” (Mark 1:1).

In his writings, Saint Paul used euangelizo to refer to the ministry and mission, life and preaching of Jesus. Paul also used the word to indicate Christian activity to proclaim the Good News to non-believers. The early Christian Church used many other words for sharing faith, to proclaim or give witness. Early Church fathers continued to use the word euangelizo in their writings. When Latin became prominent, the word was translated evangelizo. Eventually, in the Middle Ages, evangelizo was translated into English. The term took two forms in English, evangelism and evangelization.

While evangelism was adopted by some Protestant Churches in the nineteenth century, that term was not used in the Catholic community. Just recently, in the middle of the twentieth century, a new understanding arose -- that evangelization is linked to the entire Christian endeavor. This understanding influenced the documents of the Second Vatican Council and the Apostolic Exhortation on evangelization written by Pope Paul VI. Evangelization is the term that is used by Catholics today to share the good news of God’s love. Evangelization is the invitation for Catholics to share their faith.3

However, most Catholics in the United States have associated evangelization only with the strong missionary activity of the Church. It was usually understood as the outreach to non-believers in non-Christian or foreign lands. However, in their own neighborhoods and culture, most Catholics chose to maintain a low, public profile. They tended to “blend in” with the culture and environment and hold their faith as a matter of private conscience, assuming a “live-and-let-live” posture. Some deemed it unseemly to expand their number by any overt means other than Baptism of those born into Catholic families or the catechetical formation offered to adults who happened to choose Catholicism as the result of personal experiences or the invitation and witness of other Catholics. The Second Vatican Council and the writings of recent popes and bishops have ushered in a new understanding of evangelization and a new commitment to it.

This new understanding reminds us that the Great Commission of Jesus given to us in the Gospel of Matthew:”Go and make disciples” has the same force as it did two thousand years ago. It further recognizes that Catholics have always been called to share their faith, even if they used other words to describe their activity.

Consequently, evangelization is more than missionary activity. It incorporates the broad range of Christian activities: catechesis, pastoral care, the Sacraments, Liturgy, the charitable and social outreach of the Church, etc. The new commitment to evangelization means that Jesus’ mandate to evangelize is addressed to every Catholic and not just to “official” ministers. Every Catholic by virtue of Baptism is called to evangelize.

For Catholics, the deepest encounter with the Risen Christ is in the Holy Eucharist. We preach a Eucharistic Lord, a Jesus who always comes with and through His People, the Church.

Since Jesus never comes alone, each Catholic evangelizer sees his or her evangelizing work as part of the mission first given to the apostles and still directed by their successors, the bishops.