Seek New Methods of Evangelization

 Seek New Methods of Evangelization

VATICAN CITY, 11 SEP 2010 (VIS) - At midday today Benedict XVI received participants in a congress for recently-consecrated bishops, regularly organised by the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
The acceptance and the fruit of the proclamation of the Good News are closely linked to the quality of faith and prayer. Those called to the ministry of preaching must believe in the power of God which is released in the Sacraments and which accompanies them in their duty to sanctify, govern and announce. They must believe and live what they proclaim and celebrate.

You must not give in to pessimism and discouragement, because it is the Holy Spirit that guides the Church and gives her ... the courage to persevere and seek new methods of evangelization, so as to reach areas as yet unexplored.

The Christian truth, is attractive and persuasive because it responds to the profound need of human existence, convincingly announcing that Christ is the one Savior of all of man and of all humankind. This announcement remains valid today, just as it was at the beginning of Christianity when the first great missionary expansion of the Gospel took place.

The Internet a Millieu Shaping Us

The Internet a Millieu Shaping Us

Globalization and Christian Hope

VATICAN - Benedict XVI tells the youth: “In our age of globalization, be witnesses of Christian hope all over the world.”
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - “Christ is not a treasure meant for us alone; he is the most precious treasure we have, one that is meant to be shared with others. In our age of globalization, be witnesses of Christian hope all over the world. How many people long to receive this hope!” These are the words addressed by Benedict XVI to the youth of the entire world in his Message for the XXVI World Youth Day.

The Pope mentions that the upcoming World Youth Day will take place in Madrid, Spain, in August 2011, on the theme “Planted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in the faith" (cf. Col 2:7) and that it will be celebrated “at a time when Europe greatly needs to rediscover its Christian roots.” Part of being young is “desiring something beyond everyday life and a secure job, a yearning for something really truly greater...Because human beings are made in the image of God, we do this in a unique and special way. We reach out for love, joy and peace...In some parts of the world, particularly in the West, today’s culture tends to exclude God, and to consider faith a purely private issue with no relevance for the life of society.” The Pope warns of the “a growing mentality of relativism, which holds that everything is equally valid, that truth and absolute points of reference do not exist. But this way of thinking does not lead to true freedom, but rather to instability, confusion and blind conformity to the fads of the moment.”

Commenting on the text from St. Paul chosen as the theme of the World Youth Day: “Planted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in the faith" (cf. Col 2:7), the Pope notes that “grammatically all three terms in the original text are in the passive voice. This means that it is Christ himself who takes the initiative to plant, build up and confirm the faithful.” Benedict XVI then exhorts the youth to build their house on the rock, to try to follow Christ's word every day. “Listen to him as a true friend with whom you can share your path in life. With him at your side, you will find courage and hope to face difficulties and problems, and even to overcome disappointments and set-backs.”

In the cultural context in which we live today, “Indeed, there is a strong current of secularist thought that aims to make God marginal in the lives of people and society by proposing and attempting to create a 'paradise' without him. Yet experience tells us that a world without God becomes a 'hell': filled with selfishness, broken families, hatred between individuals and nations, and a great deficit of love, joy and hope. On the other hand, wherever individuals and nations accept God’s presence, worship him in truth and listen to his voice, then the civilization of love is being built, a civilization in which the dignity of all is respected, and communion increases, with all its benefits.”

Benedict XVI exhorts the youth to learn to “see,” to “meet” Jesus in the Eucharist, in the Sacrament of Penance, in the poor, the sick, in those in difficulty, in a personal dialogue with Him in faith, through reading the Gospels and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, in prayer. “Our personal faith in Christ, which comes into being through dialogue with him, is bound to the faith of the Church. We do not believe as isolated individuals, but rather, through Baptism, we are members of this great family; it is the faith professed by the Church which reinforces our personal faith,” the Pope says. “There have been, and still are, many Christians who are living witnesses of the power of faith that is expressed in charity. They have been peacemakers, promoters of justice and workers for a more humane world, a world in accordance with God’s plan. With competence and professionalism, they have been committed in different sectors of the life of society, contributing effectively to the welfare of all... In the same way, if you believe, and if you are able to live out your faith and bear witness to it every day, you will become a means of helping other young people like yourselves to find the meaning and joy of life, which is born of an encounter with Christ!” (SL) (Agenzia Fides 4/09/2010)
Links:

Complete text of the Holy Father's Message, in English

http://www.fides.org/eng/documents/Msg_XXVI_GMG_ingl_04092010.doc

Complete text of the Holy Father's Message, in Spanish

http://www.fides.org/spa/documents/Msg_XXVI_GMG_spa_04092010.doc

Jesus the Christ e-Conference

Meeting Jesus on the internet, E-Conference: “Jesus the Christ: Fully Human, Truly Divine”


Sydney (Agenzia Fides) – Fr. Gerald O'Collins SJ will be the headline speaker at the Broken Bay Institute's next National E-Conference, 'Jesus the Christ: Fully human, Truly divine', on Thursday 16 September 2010. The e-conferences began in 2009, and have proved an innovative new way to bring Catholic communities across Australia together for groundbreaking talks from renowned international and local speakers. Communities across the country have hosted the talks via internet feed. These gatherings can follow the talks online, and then participate in sharing and discussion among themselves, and send email questions direct to the speakers. Previous e-conferences have explored the Year of St Paul, St Luke, and Mary - First Disciple. The latest focuses on the central figure of our faith, Jesus Christ. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 1/9/2010 )
Links:
http://jesus.vividas.com/

Real Faith. Real Radio.

Catholic Radio Network

GRN Alive, part of the Guadalupe Radio Network, is a live Catholic radio show broadcasting every Monday night from 8-9pm Central Standard Time. Our studios are located in San Antonio, Texas. Listen to us old school (KJMA 89.7 FM in South Texas) or new school (via the 'Listen Live' link above).
You are a vital part of GRN Alive, because our cast and crew created this show for you. We want to know what drives you crazy, what makes you laugh so hard that your drink shoots out your nose, where you love to hang out, your big 'what if' questions, and the YouTube video you can't get enough of. Call us live, send an email, leave a voicemail, write on our wall, text us (210.646.4GRN), tweet us, or leave a comment on the front page blog. Let's make radio fun again.

GRNAliveRadio.com | Real Faith. Real Radio.

New Media and Evangelization

Blessed James Alberione is known as "the first apostle of the new evangelization" John Paul II. Following are his original writings on what was new media in his time, the press, and then an update of his reflections showing how Pauline Spirituality (Paul alive today) is perennial in addressing the needs of today and the means that brings gospel healing and hope to each person:

The Press - Program from Donec Formatur, 1932 (James Alberione)To write: it is to preach, to comment on, to popularize, and to apply to life the Holy Gospel. Just as God spoke and wrote, just as Jesus Christ spoke and made others write, just as the Apostles spoke and wrote. The printed preaching is in a better position, in its principal part, to reach all.
To print: Herein technology is embraced in order to make things faster, better, independently. It is the preparation of the elements, scientific organization, typesetting, printing, and binding. In this, it is not an art, not an industry, but utilizes industry; and raises art and industry to the height of apostolate.
Diffusion: let it reach everywhere, to all, according to needs. a) The nature of the needs determines the nature of the initiative. b) The aim is to reach all, including those who have access to the Church.
New Media - Program (Charismatic Language Update 2010)
To write: it is to preach, to review, to write scripts, radio programs, articles, to write blogs to use social media and marketing, to apply to life the Holy Gospel. Just as God spoke and wrote, just as Jesus Christ spoke and made others write, just as the Apostles spoke and wrote. Media preaching is in a better position, in its principal part, to reach all.
To create: Herein technology is embraced in order to make things faster, better, independently. It is the preparation of the elements, scientific organization, e-books, apps, printing, and books on demand, html, websites, and videos. In this, it is not an art, not an industry, but utilizes industry; and raises art and industry to the height of apostolate.
Diffusion: let the Word of God reach everywhere, to all, according to needs and in the language of the medium employed a) the nature of the needs determines the nature of the initiative. b) The aim is to reach all in whatever way and in whatever place people are in today’s global society.

Jesus' New Lifestyle

As the Apostle Paul demonstrated the authenticity of his apostolate with the persecutions, the wounds and the torments suffered (cf. 2 Corinthians 6-7), so persecution is also proof of the authenticity of our apostolic mission. But it is important to recall that the Gospel "takes shape in human consciences and hearts and expands in history only in the power of the Holy Spirit" (John Paul II, encyclical "Dominum et Vivificantem," 64) and the Church and missionaries have been made ideal by him to fulfill the mission entrusted to them (cf. Ibid., 25). It is the Holy Spirit (cf. 1 Corinthians 14) who unites and preserves the Church, giving her the strength to expand, filling Christ's disciples with an overflowing wealth of charisms. It is from the Holy Spirit that the Church receives the authority for the proclamation and the apostolic ministry.


Because of this, I wish to strongly reaffirm what I already said in regard to development (cf. "Caritas in Veritate," 79), that is, that evangelization needs Christians with arms raised to God in a gesture of prayer, Christians moved by the awareness that the conversion of the world to Christ is not done by us, but is given. The missionary endeavor requires an ever more profound union with him who is the One Sent by God the Father for the salvation of all; it requires sharing that "new lifestyle" that was inaugurated by the Lord Jesus and that the Apostles made their own (cf. Address to the Participants in the Plenary Assembly of the Congregation for the Clergy, March 16, 2009).

The Real Facebook

How is it possible to return to people's faces today?" asked Benedict XVI. Quoting from his own Encyclical "Caritas in veritate", he explains how the media can have a civilising effect "not only when, thanks to technological development, they increase the possibilities of communicating information, but above all when they are geared towards a vision of the person and the common good that reflects truly universal values.

To achieve goals of this kind, they need to focus on promoting the dignity of persons and peoples, they need to be clearly inspired by charity and placed at the service of truth, of the good, and of natural and supernatural fraternity.

Only in these conditions can the epoch-making change we are experiencing be rich and fruitful in new opportunities. ... More than by our technical resources, necessary though they are, we wish to identify ourselves by inhabiting the [digital] universe with a believing heart which helps to give a soul to the endless flow of communications on the Internet.

This is our mission, the indispensable mission of the Church. The task of all believers who work in the media is that of 'opening the door to new forms of encounter, maintaining the quality of human interaction, and showing concern for individuals and their genuine spiritual needs. They can thus help the men and women of our digital age to sense the Lord's presence'".

What Works: Gossip - Busted Halo

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What Works: Gossip - Busted Halo 
This is nothing new. In the Middle Ages, instead of Perez Hilton, its purveyors were roving minstrels (the French medieval term jongleur actually means “gossip”), but people have always been attracted to lurid news. I think it’s worse now because of the information age — the obsessive focus on information to create an illusion of control.

Need Faith? There's an App for That

Need Faith? There's an App For That

The Daughters of St. Paul, who run the Pauline Books and Media Center in Manhattan, are among the many Catholic groups using social media like Facebook and ...

www.cny.org/archive/ld/ld1072910.htm

Faith by Phone
Below is a list of some Catholic apps available for download, along with the Web site addresses for more information.
The Vatican: Vatican Observatory Foundation iPhone app, "Daily Sermonettes with Father Mike Manning," features Father Manning, author and television personality from "The Word in the World," which runs on Trinity Broadcasting Network, and his daily reflections inspired by Scripture. http://www.dailysermonettes.com/
Daughters of St. Paul: "Saint a Day" app, which features short meditations each day and a listing of saint's biographies, and "Rosary" app, featuring an audio rosary, slideshows for inspiration and music selections for praying the Rosary. www.pauline.org

Magnificat: "Daily Prayer" app, featuring morning, evening and night prayers inspired by the Liturgy of the Hours, and readings and prayers for each daily Mass. www.magnificat.com

Ave Maria Press: "Stations of the Cross" app, features a prayer companion based on Pope John Paul II's Bible-based interpretation of the stations. Available in iPhone and iTunes App Store.

Touched by the Gospel

In the years since entering the Daughters of St. Paul, I’ve served in our communications apostolate in Boston, New York City, and Toronto, both in our publishing house and in our Pauline Books & Media Centers. I studied theology and philosophy and graduated with a B.A. in English Communications from Emmanuel College in 2008. I’ve spent time with our sisters in Venezuela, Brazil, and Italy, and had the opportunity to meet other Daughters of St. Paul from all around the world, all engaged in the same mission — to bring the good news of the Gospel to everyone through the media. Today, I serve in our publishing house in Boston, Pauline Books & Media, as a children’s book editor. It is a service filled with endless creative possibilities, as I work and pray that young people will be touched by the Gospel and find in Jesus their true friend.
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Youngstown native to make final vows

Prayer in a Digital Age

Prayer of an Evangelizer in the Digital Age

Oh, Lord my God and my Creator, source of all things, I adore you and offer you each breath, each heart beat, each drop of blood that flows in my body, each moment as an act of love and surrender, in abandonment to you for your glory and the salvation of all people.

You are my Father and Savior. You are all good, merciful, compassionate, tender, passionate Lover of all humankind. You can do all things and you care for all your creatures. You have led people to discover the secrets of creation, especially in the media of social communication with their wondrous capacity of reaching out to the whole world in split seconds. And you have called me, [ as a Daughter of St. Paul,] to be an apostle in this digital age. Through the electronic signals I can send a message of love: I can send the message of Jesus who is Truth, Way, Life. You have called me to be a beam, a little signal shooting out to the universe, carrying Jesus and the message of his Father’s love for us all. This beam, this signal, runs through the atmosphere and consecrates the air and the electronic waves as it circles the earth in a never ending way that enables the Holy Gospel to reach millions upon millions of your sons and daughters in all the nations of the earth. We fulfill, in ways unknown to other generations, your command to “go out to the whole world and tell the Good News!”

I offer you, in union with Jesus through whom you created the universe, each fiber of paper, each pixel of the computer, each and every transmission generated by mankind’s ingenuity through these devices; each sound, each image. I offer every atom of all that exists back to you as acts of love and gratitude for the praise of your glory and the good of the vast human family.

Bless me and receive my love and gratitude, my promise to respect and use the communications media only for your glory and the salvation of everyone. Amen.
Written by Sr. Sharon Anne Legere, fsp, August 1, 2010