Evangelization: A Hot Topic for the Church Worldwide

Something epic is happening as we speak.  Many around the world don’t know it but on the 50^th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, the Church has convened, for only the 13^th time in history, a general assembly of the Synod of Bishops.  Over the next three weeks, the global gathering of bishops will discus what it sees as the most pressing issue facing the Church today.  What is it?  Evangelization.

“The Church is essentially missionary, and offers a revelation of the face of God in Jesus Christ, who assumed a human face and loved us to the end,” declared the Lineamenta, a preparatory guide or outline for the synod.  “Yet we are living in a particularly significant, historic moment of change, of tension and of a loss of equilibrium . . . The situation is requiring the Church to consider, in an entirely new way, how she proclaims the faith.” 

This is the call of the new evangelization.  This is precisely what Young Life leaders are doing when they immerse themselves into the lives of kids and come up with fresh and innovative ways to celebrate the message and Person of Jesus Christ.  Always with an eye on their audience, always reading the “signs of the times,” Young Life leaders bring a revitalizing energy to the church’s universal mission to proclaim the gospel to all peoples. 

I eagerly await the apostolic exhortation that will follow the synod and shed light on the direction the Church is taking to fulfill its evangelizing mission amidst the complex demands of a postmodern world.  Young Life leaders may be blessed to follow the dialogue as it unfolds from the Vatican.  John Allen, acclaimed American journalist and senior correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter, is often featured on CNN and NPR.  Check out his latest update from this historic event and the global discussion on a topic near and dear to all of our hearts – evangelization.

http://ncronline.org/node/36796