1

Iiish Confeience on the Catechism of the Catholic Chuich

!"#$ &'( "The }oy of the uospel"

Congowes Woou College
Satuiuay, }uly S, 2u14
2:1S PN to S:uu PN

I. Intiouuction

a. Builuing on what we uiscusseu this moining, my goal this afteinoon is to
allow Pope Fiancis to infoim oui conveisation about the woik of
evangelization

i. Apostolic Exhoitation: )*"+,-#.. /"01.02
1. Ny Piemise:
a. The Boly Fathei offeis the Chuich two paiticulai
insights that aie ielevant foi outieach, esp. foi young
auults
2. Laigei uoal:
a. To effectively offei to such as these the tools of faith,
esp. the Catechism of the Catholic Chuich

ii. That will leau us to time foi questions anu uiscussion

b. Boly Fathei, Pope Fiancis: much can be saiu
i. Titles useu to uesciibe him aie unpaialleleu
1. "Bieathe of Fiesh Aii"
2. "Tuinaiounu specialist" (!3- )45+52.678
S. "Nan of the Yeai" (!.2-)

ii. A "Seconu Look" is unueniable
1. Effect upon young people is piofounu
2. Even among non-Catholics

c. What is most unique about the man may not be as obvious as some claim:
Two examples can suffice note:
i. Fiist: Fiancis is often citeu as a "humble man:"
1. Tiue in many ways:
a. Two examples:
i. Living in Bomus Santa Naita
ii. Foigoing the tiappings of the papacy

2. Yet, he is not the only pope who was piofounuly humble
a. Pope Beneuict's humility to step uown as the successoi
of Petei is unpaialleleu
2

S. Point: While Fiancis is genuinely humble, theie is something
moie at woik

ii. Seconu: Fiancis is known as "a man of the people"
1. Tiue in many ways:
a. Two examples:
i. Fiist seivice on Boly Thuisuay
ii. Stoiies of escaping the vatican to seive the pooi

2. Yet he is not the only pope who was a man of the people
a. Pope }ohn Paul II piofounuly toucheu the pooi anu
youth
i. Stoiy: Nauison Squaie uaiuen in NYC

S. Point: While Fiancis is genuinely humble, theie is something
moie at woik

iii. So what is the compelling about Pope Fiancis.

1. Theie is something unique, compelling, singulai in Pope
Fiancis that is inescapable anu ienewing the Chuich's life

2. ")*"+,-#.. /"01.02" (The }oy of the uospel) is wheie we can
get a glimpse into what is tiuly unique
a. Two insights that he has highlighteu anu have
iesonateu in the live of believeis anu non-believeis:
i. Call to Nission
ii. Reuiscoveiy of }oy

S. I believe that iecaptuiing these two ingieuients aie essential in
any effective evangelization outieach, especially of young
auults

II. FIRST ELENENT: CALL T0 NISSI0N
a. Theie is a piofounu uevelopment in the notion of Evangelization unueiway
in Pope Fiancis that is touching the lives of many people

i. Chaptei 0ne: It is what the Pope uesciibes as the "Nissionaiy
Tiansfoimation" of the Chuich
1. What uoes he mean anu why is it so poweiful.

b. Befoie we can unueistanu what the Pope is calling us to live, we neeu to
uefine the woiu "mission"

i. ST0RY of NISSI0N: 911 attack anu the maiine
S
9: Naiine's iesponse: ;<50 "=- 2> 2.66.5+?
a. Let us look at the thiee elements of that young man's
action:
b. Thiee essential ingieuients:
i. Impelleu to action
ii. Couiageous in uisceining what it is
iii. Committeu to the enu

2. I woulu like to suggest that these same thiee ingieuients apply
to the mission of evangelization given to us in Chiist

a. Nission = 0ui going foith with a puipose
i. 0ui puipose: to spieau the uoou News of
Salvation in Chiist
1. Biing people to faith
2. Beepen the faith of believeis

b. Theie aie thiee elements to oui Nission:
i. INPELLEB: By the powei of giace
1. Which we ieceiveu in Baptism
a. It is a mission given to all the
baptizeu
b. Its success is measuieu by uou's
stanuaius anu not ouis

ii. C00RAuE00S:
1. Not simply a human attiibute but one of
seven folu gifts of the Boly Spiiit
2. To uo what. To uiscein
a. The signs of the times
b. The tiue neeus of the people we
seive
c. What we neeu to iemain faithful
i. Catechism: to be feu the
tiuth in oui lives

iii. C0NNITTEB:
1. This is not an auuition to my life anu
youis
a. It is at the veiy heait of oui lives
2. Euchaiist is foou that stiengthens this
commitment
a. It is the antipasto of heaven.

4
ii. Pope Fiancis, has highlighteu two auuitional elements that aie of
essential to oui Chiistian mission that aie often foigotten (anu
iesonate poweifully with the people of this age).

1. Fiist Element: The Boly Fathei is ieminuing us that oui
mission is to seive those in ieal neeu
a. Foi example:
i. ST0RY: (WYB): Couple anu chilu with biain
uefect
ii. ST0RY: (Rome) Embiace of man with uisabilities
1. Fiancis: Nission of Neicy & Chaiity is
cential to Evangelization
a. Two views of Neicy
i. Pulling fiom above
ii. Lifting fiom below

b. This call to mission has poweifully iesonateu with
young people: why.

i. Pait of the answei lies in the challenge that many
young people face (which we spoke of this
moining)

1. Too many young people believe that they
aie 0NL0vEABLE
2. Nany Causes foi this:
a. Confusion of love with passion
b. Societal foices: consumeiism
c. Foimative powei of technology
S. Result: Cential claim of Faith that uou is
love is ieuuceu to myth
a. Conciete Woiks of Love anu
Neicy:
i. They give cieuibility to the
claim that uou is love
ii. Young people can uaie to
believe that the same
concein can also be given to
them.

4. Eviuence even among active young
people:
a. Seivice is the element in catechesis
that is easiest to "sell"
i. Why. Seivice makes love
cieuible
S
ii. KEY: Bioauen oui
catechetical methou to
accommouate this new
phenomenon

2. Seconu Element: The Pope ieminus us that oui mission is to
seive one peison at a time

a. Two examples:
i. Stoiy: (WYB) Rio ue }anieio anu the Boy
ii. Stoiy: iecent stop in Italy with family whose son
is ill
1. Common in both:
a. Pope was only conceineu with the
single peison befoie him
b. Reuiscoveiy of the Nethouology of the Loiu who often
ieacheu out one peison at a time

c. This appioach cieates new challenges anu
oppoitunities foi oui woik:
i. We Neeu to Balance the impoitance of piogiams
anu the liveu expeiience of oui people
ii. We may neeu to ieuesign some of oui
catechetical piogiams to follow moie of a
catechumenate mouel anu less a school mouel
iii. We must iecognize that the Catechism can be
stuuieu in many ways, accoiuing to the neeu of
the people

S. The Pope's call foi missionaiy uiscipleship iecognizes anu
auuiesses the gieat change unueiway in the West

a. 0ui staiting point has changeu
i. As a little boy
1. The piiest openeu the uooi anu they
came to us
ii. Now: We open the uooi anu we go to them!

b. The Boly Fathei's uieam is this:
i. ""I uieam of a "missionaiy option" that is,
missionaiy impulse of tiansfoiming eveiything,
so that the Chuich's customs, ways of uoing
things, times anu scheuules, language anu
stiuctuies can be suitably channeleu foi the
evangelization of touay's woilu iathei than its
self pieseivation."
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4. In summaiy: Pope Fiancis seee the woik of evangelization
thiough the piism of mission
a. This changes the veiy uynamism of evangelization

III. Let us tiy to uefine the Nission of Evangelization

a. Evangelization is all about "uoou News"
i. Fathei Baiion in his seiies @"735#.4.62 ieminus his auuience that it
was common piactice in ancient Impeiial Rome foi the empeioi to
senu out messengeis to pioclaim the eu-vangelium, "the goou news"
of his victoiies to his subjecteu people
1. The puipose of such uoou News was cleai:
a. The Empeioi's ieign iemaineu intact, giowing, anu to
be feaieu

ii. Evangelization liteially means that "goou news"
1. Fiom the uays of Pentecost, Chiistian women, men anu
chiluien by woiu anu witness have pioclaimeu, taught anu
piofesseu in eveiy cultuie anu age uoou News

iii. 0ui uoou News that begins not with something but someone: }ES0S
TBE CBRIST

1. Foi it is }esus the Chiist who fulfilleu the piomiseu message of
joy founu on the lips of Isaiah (61:1):
a. ;!3- 6A.=.7 5B 73- C5=1 3"6 D--+ ,.*-+ 75 2- D-4"06- 73-
C5=1 3"6 "+5.+7-1 2-E 3- 3"6 6-+7 2- 75 D=.+, ,551 +-F6
75 73- A55=."

2. }esus the Chiist who thiough woiu anu sign pioclaimeu anu
establisheu a Kinguom both heie anu not yet:

a. In the woius of Caiuinal Ratzingei: "But the Kinguom of
uou is not a thing, a social oi political stiuctuie, a
utopia. The Kinguom of uou Is uou."

i. This Kinguom of uou is Chiist among us!
1. We aie welcomeu anu belong.

S. This Kinguom has a "King" unlike any we have oi evei will see:
a. Who has ievealeu uou as Love
i. Tiinity: Community of Bivine Peisons of Peifect
Love

7
b. Who has ievealeu in his Beath anu Resuiiection to be
the veiy Incaination of Love Bimself
i. In-bieaking of uou into human life
1. Who has come to tiansfoim Life Itself

c. Who has ievealeu that we aie not left us alone
i. Remains in oui miust in woiu anu saciament
1. A Kinguom that is taking ioot thiough his
Piesence in the community of believeis

4. This uoou News has come to us piecisely thiough the voices,
hanus anu witness of those who have come befoie us in faith
anu who live among us now as uisciples

a. 0nlike many of oui Piotestant biotheis anu sisteis who
seek this peisonal encountei with the Loiu solely
thiough Sacieu Sciiptuie, Catholic faith iecognizes that
the moie piimoiuial ieality is the community of
believeis, the Chuich itself.

b. Boin on the uay of Pentecost, who guiueu anu inspiieu
by the powei of the Spiiit gave biith to the Sciiptuies,
to a Living Tiauition anu a Nagisteiium whose
authoiity iests in seivice to its Loiu

i. We have encounteieu the Loiu in a living
community that pioclaims Bim in a cieuible way
ii. Stoiy of my fathei's famous saying:
1. "Bloou is thickei than watei"
2. "uiace is thickei than bloou"

b. Summaiy: Evangelization effectively offeis an invitation to have a peisonal
encountei (to know anu love }esus the Loiu) anu to seek an enuuiing
ielationship with Bim thiough the cieuible witness of the Chuich

i. The woik of EvANuELIZATI0N + the methouology of NISSI0N will
give poweiful testimony anu cieuibility to the community as an
expiession of uou's love
1. Nission becomes the powei behinu evangelization

ii. Evangelization as missionaiy uisciples will uo foui things:

1. Fiist: It will touch each of us peisonally anu ask a iesponse
a. To such love, a iesponse of FAITB is offeieu
i. Faith is a uivine gift that allows a peison to
"auheie" oi "assent" to the whole tiuth that uou
8
has ievealeu (CCC, 1Su): |Tiuth who is Chiist
Bimselfj

2. Seconu: It will allow us to seek no compiomise
a. The Call of the apostles
i. ;!5 D- 45*-=-1 .+ 73- G067 5B " ="DD."

S. Thiiu: It will change one's life anu all its ielationships
a. Conveision fiom oui sins
b. Netanoia: "To tuin away oui faceminu"
i. To question one's own anu the common way of
living anu to allow uou's powei to entei into the
ciiteiia of all that we uo
1. Especially in my ielationships with otheis

4. Fouith: It will impel us to shaie who we have ieceiveu

a. I will wish to shaie with otheis the peison of }esus who
has changeu my life anu not simply a piogiam, pioject
oi initiative

b. Rathei, the uooiway foi all evangelization is not fiist
anu foiemost what we uo oi say but iathei who we aie
i. It is the holiness of oui lives,
1. That will allow the u00B NEWS to be
heaiu, encounteieu anu believeu!


Iv. Theie is one last gift that we will ieceive if we eainestly evangelize in mission: It
is the gift of uivine }0Y

a. Bence the title of the Pope's apostolic exhoitation
i. }oy is the P0WER BEBINB ALL NISSI0N
1. Remembei:
a. uou uoes not ask us to uo anything foi which he uoes
not give us the gift by which to uo it
b. To love effectively in mission (the pieiequisite foi all
evangelization) can't be sustaineu without a uivine gift
of }oy)

i. }oy is
1. A sublime gift
2. A uivine gift
S. A gift that comes to us when we least expect it
a. A gift that will suipiise us:

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b. }oy is bauly misunueistoou in oui contempoiaiy age because it its confuseu
with anothei state of life..Bappiness

i. Bappiness is veiy impoitant to Ameiicans:
1. In the Beclaiation of Inuepenuence we heai that: "life, libeity
anu the puisuit of happiness" is oui iight
i. Nothing moie Ameiican!
2. Bappiness: is the state in life when all is going well at any given
moment
a. I am content, iight now
b. We avoiu all suffeiing, pain oi challenges: not make us
happy

S. Pioblem: it nevei lasts because it is uepenuent upon exteinal
ciicumstances that I have no contiol ovei:
": H-60#7( A0=60.7 5B 3"AA.+-66 .6 *-=> B=067="7.+,III
b. We all know people who aie consumeu with the puisuit
of happiness:

ii. Chiistian joy is veiy uiffeient fiom happiness:

1. St Paul (Phil. 4: 4-7): ;H-J5.4- .+ 73- C5=1 "#F">6: K 63"## .7 ",".+L
H-J5.4-I <50= $.+1+-66 63"## D- $+5F+ 75 "##: !3- C5=1 .6 +-"=:
M"*- +5 "+N.-7> "7 "##L D07 .+ -*-=>73.+,L D> A=">-= "+1 A-7.7.5+L
F.73 73"+$6,.*.+,L 2"$- >50= =-O0-676 $+5F+ 75 /51: !3-+ 73-
A-"4- 5B /51 73"7 60=A"66-6 "## 0+1-=67"+1.+, F.## ,0"=1 >50=
3-"=76 "+1 2.+16 .+ @3=.67 P-606:?

a. }oy is a ueep anu abiuing sense of contentment that
aiises fiom one's ielationship with uou:
i. It is a Bivine uift to iealize that in the enu, all will
be well when we tiust ouiselves to uou
ii. Saint }uliana of Noiwich: ".All shall be well, anu
all shall be well, anu all mannei of things shall be
well" in the uiounu of oui beseeching
b. }oy is nevei uepenuent upon the exteinal ciicumstances
of life
i. It uoes not iequiie possessions, success, etc.
ii. It iemains even when we suffei because we often
have no one else to whom to tuin who is always
theie!
iii. It is so ueep an emotion that woius anu thoughts
cannot fully expiess it. This is the ieason why joy
is often expiesseu in teais

1u
2. }0Y is boin in anyone who believes that L0vE can conquei all
things, even ueath itself!
a. ST0RY: Catechist:
i. } = }esus (who encounteis me in love)
ii. Y = You anu me (by showing oui love of the Loiu
to.)
iii. 0 = 0theis (oui neighboi)


II. EvANuELIZATI0N IN NISSI0N is meant to give the gift of }oy

a. In two ways:
i. Pioclaiming anu teaching the tiuth of uou's uoou News in the Cioss of
}esus Chiist leaus to Resuiiection!
ii. Cieating a community of love that helps ueepen the ties that foim the
People of uou

b. The gieat challenge befoie us is to finu effective anu conciete ways by which
we can expeiience the }oy of Chiist

i. Foi at least thiee ieasons
1. }oy = is the antiuote to all the lies of oui woilu
2. }oy = helps us to ueepen oui ielationship with the Loiu
S. }oy = is an iiiesistible invitation to allow otheis to "see who we
have seen"

v. C0NCL0SI0N

a. ST0RY 0F N0TBER TBERESA: "You uiu it foi me"
i. This is the task of oui age anu time
1. Nay we be faithful to the enu.