Ministry Tip of the Week
by Seth Evangelho
If you haven't been evangelized, it means you've never personally encountered Jesus Christ. It means you haven't had the kind of interior conversion that impels you to make a true act of faith and to give your life in service to the Lord. My goal this year is to articulate 52 ways we can lead people closer to this experience of Jesus. In other words, 52 "means" of evangelization. The Church, however, teaches there are FIVE specific and overarching ways that God, in the Person of the Risen Jesus, is truly and fully encountered (General Directory for Catechesis, 46). Upon reflection, we realize, through these five "means", the merciful presence of Christ is literally exhausting the environs of human experience.
So what are the 5 means of evangelization?
Witness - Proclamation - Liturgy - Catechesis - Service
Previously, I've introduced four already (just click on the titles if you wish to revisit them):
Share Yourself (week 1), Know the Kerygma (week 2), Everything Leads to the Liturgy (week 17), andCatechesis is a Means of Evangelization (week 21). Next week, we'll finish out the fab five encounters with Service. This week, my goal is to see them in context. I've created a chart to show these unique meetings with Christ in the context of personal conversion, as well as to highlight the importance of their role as catalyst in our Christian experience of "being sent."
Witness - Proclamation - Liturgy - Catechesis - Service
Previously, I've introduced four already (just click on the titles if you wish to revisit them):
Share Yourself (week 1), Know the Kerygma (week 2), Everything Leads to the Liturgy (week 17), andCatechesis is a Means of Evangelization (week 21). Next week, we'll finish out the fab five encounters with Service. This week, my goal is to see them in context. I've created a chart to show these unique meetings with Christ in the context of personal conversion, as well as to highlight the importance of their role as catalyst in our Christian experience of "being sent."
As a consequence of authentic evangelization and sound faith formation, our hearts are opened to prayer, Christ is truly encountered, we're formed in his love, and we're sent into the world as missionaries - wherever we are - ambassadors for the Kingdom. This is the process of evangelization, and we never arrive. We always continue to shed layer upon layer of pride, to open our hearts to ever-deepening experiences of conversion, and to identify more fully with the saving mission of Christ; indeed, always through these powerful encounters of grace we continually experience through the five means of evangelization.
Witness - Proclamation - Liturgy - Catechesis - Service
And it's to our overwhelming advantage , both personally and apostolically, when all five means of evangelization are incorporated organically into our own daily walks of faith. As we learn to encounter Christ in all things and to share him with others, our own hearts come to experience a personal "fire" for the awe-inspiring goodness of God. It's then that we become contagious with his Spirit, making our efforts to introduce others to Jesus far more fruitful. Through the worship, teachings, and saints of his Church, as well as through our own personal experiences of faith and active service, the Lord has equipped us to find him in any situation. Wherever someone might be on their journey, we can ensure Christ's presence in our work, and we can do so with purpose and confidence.
Witness - Proclamation - Liturgy - Catechesis - Service
And it's to our overwhelming advantage , both personally and apostolically, when all five means of evangelization are incorporated organically into our own daily walks of faith. As we learn to encounter Christ in all things and to share him with others, our own hearts come to experience a personal "fire" for the awe-inspiring goodness of God. It's then that we become contagious with his Spirit, making our efforts to introduce others to Jesus far more fruitful. Through the worship, teachings, and saints of his Church, as well as through our own personal experiences of faith and active service, the Lord has equipped us to find him in any situation. Wherever someone might be on their journey, we can ensure Christ's presence in our work, and we can do so with purpose and confidence.
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