The Missionary Option - What it Means to "Be A Disciple"

Evangelization means we are sent as Disciples. Each one of us in virtue of our baptism is called to live our faith and to bear witness to the Gospel. First, there were the groundbreaking writings on the New Evangelization by Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II and others. Then Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio (now Pope Francis) was one of the primary authors, in 2007, of an important document from the Fifth General Conference of the

Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean, called the Aparecida document. Called by some the foundational document of Pope Francis’ pontificate,  Aparecida calls us to be missionary disciples who work to build a world of love and solidarity. Missionary disciples joyfully announce the Gospel and proclaim the love of God that transforms hearts and minds—as well as unjust structures that perpetuate poverty and suffering.

In a recent address, USCCB President, Archbishop Joseph E Kurtz said that the New Evangelization in the U.S. must be made of three components

1.   personal conversion – a continuous effort by every Catholic to evangelize themselves through prayer and reading the Gospel

2.   a confidence in the power of the Gospel to impart God’s Grace to all who hear it

3.   creative new ways to share the Gospel.

Many of those new ways are through new media and new technology. That is the reason we have featured Catholic Apps, for example, on this page.

To make the New Evangelization a reality is to become pilgrims on a journey or pilgrimage with Jesus Christ— much like the journey of Jesus meeting the disciples along the road to Emmaus.  The journey or pilgrimage includes moments for a deepening of our faith, increasing our participation in the sacramental life of the Church, and leads finally to our destination of being Christian witnesses.

"A new evangelization is synonymous with mission, requiring the capacity to set out anew, go beyond boundaries and broaden horizons. The new evangelization is the opposite of self-sufficiency, a withdrawal into oneself, a status quo mentality and an idea that pastoral programs are simply to proceed as they did in the past. Today a 'business as usual' attitude can no longer be the case. Some local Churches, already engaged in renewal, reconfirm the fact that now is the time for the Church to call upon every Christian community to evaluate their pastoral practice on the basis of the missionary character of their program and activities."

—Synod of Bishops XIII Ordinary General Assembly, The New Evangelization for the Transmission of Christian Faith, Lineamenta

Pope Francis’ recent apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium (the Joy of the Gospel) makes it clear when he writes, “I dream of a 'missionary option', that is, a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything, so that the Church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation.”

This is a huge statement. As a Church, we have been inward-focused and guilty of “triumphalism” to use Pope Francis’ term. His Holiness is calling for our Church to thrive by choosing the missionary option in everything that we do.

“Evangelization is the Church's deepest identity.  Evangelization brings the good news of the Gospel to all who seek the life-giving message of faith in Jesus Christ… Each one of us in virtue of our baptism is called to live our faith and to bear witness to the Gospel… Stewardship is an expression of discipleship rooted in a personal relationship with Christ. Good stewards generously share their gifts and blessings with others for the sake of the Kingdom.”

— Bishop David Ricken, USCCB Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis

Evangelization Challenge This Week

Read one of the following:

EvangeliiGaudium(the Joy of the Gospel)

Aparecida document, 2007