THE NEW EVANGELIZATION FOR THE …

1 S Y N O D O F B I S H O P SXIII ORDINARY GENERAL ASSEMBLYTHE NEW EVANGELIZATIONFOR THETRANSMISSION OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITHINSTRUMENTUM LABORISVATICAN CITY2012 The General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops and Libreria Editrice text can be reproduced by bishops' conferences, or at their authorisation, providedthat the contents are not altered in any way and two copies of the same are sent to theGeneral Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, 00120 Vatican City Instrumentyum laboris can be found onthe Internet at the Vatican website: Increase our faith! (Lk 17:5) is the Apostles prayer to the LordJesus, when they realize that faith, which is a gift from God, is the only wayof having a personal relationship with him and fulfilling their vocation asdisciples. Their plea arose from an awareness that their limitations keptthem from forgiving others. Faith is also needed in performing signs whichillustrate the presence of the Kingdom of God in the world.

2 Jesus used thefig tree, withered to its roots, to encourage his disciples. Have faith inGod. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, Be taken up andcast into the sea and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what hesays will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you,whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will beyours (Mk 11:22-24). St. Mark the Evangelist also emphasizes theimportance of faith in accomplishing great works. Truly, I say to you, ifyou have faith and never doubt, you will not only do what has been done tothe fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, Be taken up and cast intothe sea, it will be done (Mt 21:21).On various occasions, the Lord Jesus admonishes the Twelve fortheir lack of faith. To the question of why they were unable to cast out ademon, the Master responds: Because of your little faith ()4 J < 84(@B4FJ\"< : <) (Mt 17:20).

3 On the Sea of Tiberias, before calmingthe storm, Jesus reproves his disciples: Why are you afraid, O men of littlefaith? ( 84(`B4FJ@4) (Mt 8:26). They were to entrust themselves to Godand to Providence, and not worry about material things. But if God soclothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is throwninto the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? (Mt6:30; cf. Lk 12:28). A similar situation takes place before the multiplicationof the loaves. Faced with the realization that the disciples had forgotten totake bread in crossing to the other side of the lake, the Lord Jesus says: Omen of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves the fact that youhave no bread? Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the fiveloaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? (Mt16:8-9).Matthew s Gospel gives special attention to the account of Jesus walking on the water and reaching the Apostles in the boat.)

4 After calmingthe Apostles fear, he accepts the challenge of St. Peter: Lord, if it is you,bid me come to you on the water (Mt 14:28). At first, St. Peter walkstowards Jesus on the water without any difficulty. But when he saw thewind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, Lord, save me! ivJesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, Oman of little faith, why did you doubt? (Mt 14:30-31). Afterwards, Jesusand St. Peter together get into the boat and the wind ceases. The disciples,witnesses to this great happening, prostrate themselves before the Lord andmake a full profession of faith: Truly you are the Son of God! (Mt 14:33).In our times, St. Peter s experience can be reflected in many of thefaithful as well as entire Christian communities, especially in traditionallyChristian countries. In fact, because of a lack of faith, various particularChurches are witnessing a decline in sacramental and Christian practiceamong the faithful to the point that some members can even be called non-believers ( B4FJ@4; cf.)

5 Mt 17:17; 13,58). At the same time, manyparticular Churches, after initially displaying a great enthusiasm, are nowshowing signs of weariness and apprehension in the face of very complexsituations in today s world. Like St. Peter, they grow fearful of opposingforces and temptations of various kinds as well as challenges that surpasstheir human capabilities. But, just as salvation came to St. Peter fromChrist alone, so too the faithful, when they become personally involved asmembers of an ecclesial community, can experience Christ s saving the Lord Jesus can extend his hand and indicate the sure path in thejourney of brief reflections on faith in the Gospels can help illustrate thetopic of the XIII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops: TheNew EVANGELIZATION for the Transmission of the Christian Faith . Theimportance given to the faith is further emphasized by the decision of theHoly Father, Pope benedict XVI to celebrate a Year of Faith, beginning on11 October 2012, to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the openingof the Second Vatican Council and the twentieth anniversary of thepublication of The Catechism of the Catholic Church.

6 Both observances willtake place during the celebration of the synod. Once again, the Lord swords to St. Peter the Apostle, the rock on which he built his Church, haveparticular meaning (cf. Mt 16:19): But I have prayed for you that yourfaith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen yourbrethren" (Lk 22:32). The door of faith (Acts 14:27) will again be opento all of goal of EVANGELIZATION today is, as always, the transmission of theChristian faith. This task primarily concerns communities of Jesus disciples which are organized into particular Churches, diocesan andeparchial, whose worshippers gather regularly for liturgical celebrations,hear the Word of God, celebrate the sacraments especially thevEucharist and look to pass on the treasure of faith to the members oftheir families, communities and parishes. They accomplish this task byproclaiming and bearing witness to the Christian life through thecatechumenate, catechesis and works of charity.

7 EVANGELIZATION in generalis the everyday work of the Church. With the assistance of the Holy Spirit,this so-called ordinary evangelizing activity can be endowed with renewedvigour. New methods and new forms of expression are needed to convey tothe people of today the perennial truth of Jesus Christ, forever new and thesource of all newness. Only a sound and robust faith, witnessed in apoignant manner in the lives of the martyrs, can give impetus to many short-term or long-range pastoral projects, breathe new life into existingstructures and spur a pastoral creativity to meet the needs of people todayand the expectations of present-day renewed dynamism in the Christian community will lead torenewed missionary activity (missio ad gentes), now more urgent than ever,given the large number of people who do not know Jesus Christ, in not onlyfar-off countries but also those already allowing themselves to be animated by the Holy Spirit, Christianswill then be more attuned to their brothers and sisters who, despite beingbaptized, have drifted from the Church and Christian practice.

8 The newevangelization is primarily directed to these people so that they canrediscover the beauty of their Christian faith and the joy of a personalrelationship with the Lord Jesus in the Church and the community of Instrumentum laboris treats the afore-mentioned subjects andwill serve as the agenda for the upcoming synodal assembly. The documentis a summary of the responses to the questions in the Lineamenta, whichwere submitted by the synods of bishops from the Eastern CatholicChurches sui iuris, the episcopal conferences, the departments of the RomanCuria and the Union of Superiors General as well as other institutions andcommunities of the faithful, who wished to participate in the Church'sreflection on the synod topic. Assisted by the Ordinary Council and thevaluable contribution of experts, the General Secretariat of the Synod ofBishops prepared this document which describes many promising aspectsof EVANGELIZATION reflected in the Church on all five continents.

9 At the sametime, it proposes various topics for consideration so that the Church maycontinue to perform adequately her work of EVANGELIZATION , while takinginto account the many challenges and difficulties of the present by the Lord s words, Let not your hearts be troubled; believeviin God, believe also in me. (Jn 14:1) and clearly guided by the HolyFather, Pope benedict XVI, the synod fathers are preparing themselves toreflect on these matters in an atmosphere of prayer, listening and affectiveand effective communion. They will not undertake this work alone; they willbe accompanied by those continuing to pray for the synod. Looking to thecommunion of the Church Triumphant, the members of the XIII OrdinaryGeneral Assembly trust in the intercession of the saints, in particular theVirgin Mary, who is blessed because she believed that there would be afulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord (Lk 1:45).

10 The All-Good and Merciful God is constantly extending his hand tohumanity and the Church and is always prepared to do justice for his elect,who are invited to grasp his hand and, in faith, seek his assistance. Thissituation should not be presupposed, as indicated by the forceful words ofJesus: When the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?" (Lk 18:8).Therefore, at the present time, the Church and all Christians need to repeatthe following prayer over and over again: I believe, help my unbelief! (Mk 9:24).To ensure that this synodal assembly meets these expectations and theneeds of the Church in our time, we invoke the grace of the Holy Spirit,whom God has poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour"(Titus 3:6), and again call out to the Lord Jesus, "Increase our faith!" (Lk17:5).a Nikola ETEROVI Titular Archbishop of CibaleGeneral SecretaryVatican City, 27 May 2012 The Solemnity of Pentecost1 Cf.