FOR PROPHETS AND APOSTLES
Here are my Helvetica-font slides from my latest talk at Saint Anthony of Padua Catholic Church. Topic was on understanding the place of those Outside the Church and all that the Catechism and Scripture has to say about the matter. I also got to talk about Hell. Good times in youth group!
My Little Series Continues...
Here is my second post on the interrelationship between community and evangelization. If you have not read the post on community, go and do so now. It will blow your mind. Or, it will prepare you for this article, at least.
PART TWO: EVANGELIZATION TODAY
I have about 15 articles on this website about evangelization. You can check those out to get a bigger picture of my views on evangelization and what it is all about, but for now, I am going to paint for you a quick portrait of evangelization in order to hasten the point of this most excellent blog series.
First, evangelization is the whole work of the Church, starting from grace and ending in glory. It is also a work of the whole Church, not left up to the priests on the altar, the monks in foreign lands, or the nuns in the inner-city Catholic schools. It is just as much your responsibility as it is mine, and I have a fancy website! So this means that evangelization is why the Church exists, how the Church continues to exist, and is the reason for our existence within the Church.
But what is evangelization?
I was at a gathering of ministry leaders the other day and I found out why some people had such a huge resistance to the new Roman Missal English translation. The sad thing is, it is all based on a huge misunderstanding, which means there is an opportunity for solid catechesis.
First thing's first, the people who were angriest were the oldest. They represented the mid-60's and older crowd. Not a single young adult or middle-aged person was upset about this third revision. As I noticed this, I began asking some questions to them as to why they were angry.
That's when I discovered the huge misunderstanding.
Veni, Sancte Spiritu! Come, Holy Spirit!
This is the theme for Life Teen, Inc., and thus for all their Summer Camps. Last week I was priviledged to host a whole week, delivering the HS as best as I could. The fine folks at the camp (looking at you, J.P.) recorded many of my talks and turned 'em into mp3 files so that I could share with you all through my podcast just what I have been up to.
The first one is the opening talk of the week, so there is a lot of invitations being extended to people who may not want or be ready for a relationship with the living God. We go easy on them because we don't want to push people away right off the bat. Faith is a big deal. We ought not to assume that everyone is open and ready to "go deeper" or "lean in" to it.
The new and corrected translation of the Roman Missal is coming at Advent to a parish near you. This means that the changes in wording, call and response, will be a difficult and lengthy process of adjustment. There are already a bunch of people who are angry that it is even happening at all. Catholic publications and secular press alike have expressed reservations or have outright attacked the new translation and warned against its widespread use.
I think such concerns are way overblown in every way except one. This could actually be a smooth transition, a teachable moment, and a great source of renewal in the English speaking world were it not for that one thing that concerns me.
I just don't think the Catholic Church in America is all that great with liturgical catechesis.
