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| The perfect prayer companion for the film Media Apostle |
Evangelization has to do with the calling of every baptized
person. Evangelization is our response
to Baptism – and in turn as we invite others they respond through baptism or a
renewal of their baptism.
Pope Francis’s first letter, Evangelii Gaudium – Joy of the
Gospel – outlines the four proposals of evangelization. Each of these is
prayerfully considered in this new prayerbook.
1. First we need a
personal encounter with Jesus Christ. In
the forward to Live Christ! Give Christ!, the president of the pontifical council for the promotion of the new
evangelization, Archbishop Fisichella, wrote:
Pope Francis says
this is to cultivate an interior space, moments of adoration, prayerful encounter
with the Word, sincere conversations with the Lord. We need to focus on
contemplation. The prayers in this book are great primers as we enter into the
presence of God. Archbishop Fisichella says these prayers will help us get past
the voices of secularism, agnosticism, and relativism. They lead us to a deeper
meaning in life. They guide us to a profound listening and give us a greater
capacity to deepen our relationship with Jesus and our own conversion. The
title of the prayerbook also sums up the contents. We are invited to live
Christ and find that our response is evangelization. Alberione said that
apostles who pray overflow like a fountain. So our response, called
evangelization, will naturally follow our personal encounter with Christ.
2. The second
proposal of the new evangelization is the proclamation of the Gospel to engage
the culture. The chapter Evangelizing in
a Communications Culture leads us into prayer for using the new media, for
Incarnating Christ in the Culture. We are to incarnate ourselves as we grow
into Christ… “Knead me Lord Jesus, in the world of communication as Eucharistic bread that will nourish other’s minds and hearts.”
3. Another
proposal for the New Evangelization is the transformation of the social,
economic, and political orders leading to true liberation. The prayer chapters
on the Word of God, The Holy Eucharist, and Prayers of Reconciliation and
Forgiveness assist in our understanding that God is with us in the seemly
impossible task. As Pope Francis says
“The very heart of the Gospel is life in community and engagement with others.”
Praying with St. Paul is another chapter that fulfills this mandate
wonderfully. Paul knew how to engage the culture and change the world through
God’s good news.
4. Fourth and
final in the priorities of the New Evangelization is unity among believers and
all people of faith. Today we live in a culture of communication. It is our
meeting point, just as the Areopagus was the meeting point of the culture Paul
evangelized. The chapter entitled Prayers for those Engaged in the New
Evangelization reminds us that we are constantly in communication with others
in so many ways.
Our choices are to be informed by the Gospel. We are in need
of evangelization first – before we set out to evangelize and discern how to
respond to issues with the Gospel message.
The prayer book starts out with a chapter on Prayers to the
Holy Trinity – the first and perfect communion of community and the prime
communicators. We consecrate ourselves to the Trinity so that we are in that
intimate communication. We pray to the Holy Spirit so that our life is
transformed.
With the Holy Spirit, Mary is always present. The chapter on
prayers to Mary, Queen of Apostles reflects that she is always present in the midst
of the evangelizers. She joined the apostles that first Pentecost. We pray for
a new Pentecost along with Mary, Mother of the Church. Without her we can never
truly understand the New Evangelization.
Pauline Books & Media
