NEW EVANGELIZATION

SESSION 2: SHARING THE JOY OF THE GOSPEL

Welcome!

Session Schedule

Opening PrayerPaired DiscussionTheme #1: The Joy of the GospelStanding ActivityTheme #2: The Gift of God’s Self-RevelationSmall Group Activity Closing Prayer

How can I give away the faith, hope and love I have received?

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria,

and to the ends of the earth.”

~Acts 1:8

Opening Prayer: Come Holy Spirit

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations. We ask this through Christ Our Lord, Amen!

Paired Discussion

How do you share your Christian faith, hope, and love in your daily life?

Discuss examples of how you have witnessed to the Gospel in specific situations—e.g., in your workplace, your neighborhood, or your local community.

What are some challenges you’ve encountered in sharing the Gospel? What are potential barriers to the new evangelization?

“THE JOY OF THE GOSPEL FILLS THE HEARTS AND LIVES

OF ALL WHO ENCOUNTER JESUS.”

(N. 1)

Theme #1:

The Joy of the Gospel

Intro: “A joy ever new… and the new evangelization”

“I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day…” (n. 3)

The heart of the message: The love of Godrevealed in the crucified and risen Christ.

“Missionary outreach is paradigmatic for all the Church’s activity” (n. 15): What’s this mean for my parish?

I. The Church’s Missionary Transformation

• “…all of us are asked to obey [the Lord’s] call to go forth from our own comfort zone to reach all the ‘peripheries’ in need of the light of the Gospel.” (n. 20)

• “Mercy is the greatest of the virtues.” [St. Thomas Aquinas]

• The Church is herself a missionary disciple.

II. Crisis of Communal Commitment

• Economy of exclusion and inequality

• Secularization and increasing relativism: “have led to a general sense of disorientation.” (n. 64)

• Temptations faced by pastoral workers: selfishness; gray pragmatism; defeatism; disillusioned pessimism; spiritual worldliness and a “theology of prosperity”; becoming “sourpusses”! (nn. 76-94)

III. The Proclamation of the Gospel

• Evangelization is the task of the Church.

• The encounter of God’s love in Jesus Christ makes us missionary disciples.

• Attend to the “way of beauty” and practice the “art of accompaniment.”

“People prefer to listen to witnesses: they ‘thirst for authenticity’ and ‘call for evangelizers to speak of a God whom they themselves know and are familiar with, as if they were seeing him’.” (n. 150)

IV. The Social Dimension of the Gospel

“The Option for the Poor” as a theological category: “I want a church which is poor and for the poor”! (n. 198)

Inclusion of the Poor in Society: •Eliminate structural causes of poverty•Focus on solidarity•Prioritize the universal destiny of goods

The Common Good and Peace in Society: “The dignity of the person and the common good rank higher than the comfort of those who refuse to renounce their privileges.” (n. 218)

V. Spirit-Filled Evangelizers

• How can we be “fearlessly open to the workings of the Holy Spirit”? (n. 259)

• “Our infinite sadness can only be cured by infinite love.” (n. 265)

• The Resurrection is “not an event from the past…It is an irresistible force”! (n. 276)

Sharing the Joy of the Gospel:Encounter, Conversion, Mission

Seven Qualities of a New Evangelist: Identify your strengths and areas for growth

“I am a mission on this earth; that is why I am here!”

(n. 273)

Seven Qualities of a New Evangelist

Standing Activity:

Brainstorm “Talking Points”

• Begin with a two-minute “quick write”: Which of Fr. Barron’s seven qualities of a new evangelist seem most helpful or important?

• With 2 or 3 neighbors discuss how Fr. Barron’s seven qualities would help us become the “spirit-filled evangelizers” which Pope Francis awaits?

Theme #2: The Gift of God’s Self-Revelation

I. God has spoken--A master plan:

“God created us to share in his own blessed life. God the Father sent his Son as the Redeemer and Savior of mankind, fallen into sin, thus calling all into his Church and, through the work of the Holy Spirit, making them adopted children and heirs of his eternal happiness.” (Comp., n. 1)

The Human Capacity for God

“The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself.” (CCC, n. 27)

We search for God through nature, human reason and the human person.

But God comes to us: Revelation enlightens our minds and hearts to the fullness of the divine mystery.

God Comes To Meet Us

In the Word made flesh, God has “provided the definitive, superabundant answer to the questions that man asks himself about the meaning and purpose of his life.” (CCC, n. 68)

Transmission of Divine Revelation: in Scripture and Tradition, guided by the Magisterium.

The Magisterium, or teaching office, of the Church is the authentic interpreter of the Deposit of Faith.

II. Sacred Scripture & the Deposit of the Faith

“Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God.” (DV, 10)

Tradition: Apostolic teaching of Christ passed by word and deed

Scripture: Written proclamation of salvation,inspired and guided by the Holy Spirit

“All Sacred Scripture is but one book, and this one book is Christ, ‘because all divine Scripture speaks of Christ, and all divine Scripture is fulfilled in Christ’” (Hugh of St. Victor). (CCC, n. 134)

Scripture, Tradition, and Magisterium

Scripture and Tradition tell us where we have been,where we are, and where we are going.

The Magisterium provides the trustworthy and reliable interpretation of teachings on faith and morals.

“Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium are so closely united with each other that one cannot stand without the others.” (Comp., n. 17)

 

Reading and Praying the Scriptures with the Church

Lectio Divina: The “sacred reading” of the living Word of God

Read Scripture within “the living Tradition of the whole Church”

Look at the unity of Scripture

“The New Testament lies hidden in the Old. and the Old is unveiled in the New."

+St. Augustine

III. Christian Faith:Professed, Celebrated, Lived, and Prayed

The human response to God’s revelation: “I believe”!

The theological virtue of faith: “an assent of the intellect and will to the self-revelation God has made through his deeds and words.” (CCC, n. 176)

“I believe”/ “We believe”: faith as both a personal and an ecclesial or communal response

How do you say the Creed?

The CCC & the Christian Mystery

The symphony of the faith

The “golden threads”: Christ-centered; Trinitarian; highlighting the dignity of the human person

The Four Pillars:

1) "The Profession of Faith”--The Creed

2) "The Celebration of the Christian Mystery”--The Sacraments

3) "Life in Christ”--Ten Commandments

4) "Christian Prayer”--The Our Father

Embracing the Gift of God’s Self-Revelation

• Fulfilling our heart’s desire

• Saying “Yes” to God

• Opening our hearts to the living Word of God,in the Church’s Scripture, Tradition, and Magisterium

Small Group Activity:Scripture in the CCC “Scavenger

Hunt”

1. John 1:1-18(Prologue)

2. Matt 5:3-12 (Beatitudes)

3. Mark 8:27-35(Peter’s confession of faith)

4. John 6:26-58(Bread of life discourse)

5. Matt 25:31-46 (Judgment of the Nations)

6. Luke 23:33-49(Jesus’ crucifixion & death)

7. Luke 24:13-35(Road to Emmaus)

8. Acts 2:14-41(Peter’s speech at Pentecost)

Check your group’s assigned passage in the CCC’s index.

Which sections of the Catechism quote the passage?

What other references from the Tradition or the Magisterium do these sections also reference?

Are there any insights or comments related to the passage that you find helpful or interesting?

How can I give away the faith, hope and love I have received?

Personal take-away?

Follow-up Reflection and Resources

2) Recommended follow-up: US/CCA, Cha. 3,

"Proclaim the Gospel to Every Creature“

Fr. Barron’s “Priest, Prophet, King”

3) For Catechists & Catholic School Teachers:“Record of Formation,” including:

required reflection & documentation

4) Session Powerpoint & Additional Resources:www.dioceseofjoliet.org/layformation

1) Session Evaluation & Feedback

Closing Prayer:For the New Evangelization (DCW)

Gracious and merciful God, we pray that through the Holy Spirit all Catholics may hear the call of the New Evangelization and seek a deeper relationship with your Son, Jesus.

We pray that the New Evangelization will renew the Church, inspiring all Catholics to “go forth and make disciples of all nations” and transform society through the power of the Gospel.

We pray for all members of the Church, that we heed the words of Christ—“do not be afraid”—and strengthened by the Holy Spirit’s gift of courage, give witness to the Gospel and share our faith with others.

Opening Prayer:For the New Evangelization (DCW)

We pray that we may become like the father of the prodigal son—filled with compassion for our missing brothers and sisters—and run to embrace them upon their return.

We pray that all people yearning to know Christ and the Church may encounter him through the faithful who witness to his love in their lives.

Loving God, our Father, strengthen us to become witnesses to the saving grace of your Son, Jesus, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen!