On the Threshold of a New Evangelisation
Editorial FAITH Magazine November 1997 by Tim Finigan
What hope is there for the evangelisation of culture as we approach the millennium? Clearly this is a question on which Catholics could have legitimately differing views. It seems that even Cardinal Ratzinger and the Holy Father may differ slightly on their approach, with Ratzinger the more pessimistic. In FAITH Magazine, we have made no secret of our wholehearted endorsement of the hope expressed in the encyclical Tertio Millennio Adveniente. We have, indeed, found there a confirmation of the pastoral and theological approach that characterises the daily work of the Faith movement. Against the influence of an intellectually hostile and spiritually debilitating cultural environment, young people can be inspired to do the “one thing lacking”, give up everything and follow Christ.
Much to our encouragement, early in the encyclical, the Holy Father affirms the more “Scotist” approach to the incarnation which can be used to such effect in our scientific culture which is so aware of the universe as a cosmos:
I say “most” because our time and culture does not present a purely negative face. The collapse of communism in the East was entirely unexpected; witness the “reshuffle” of defence budgets and existing alliances. There were many bewildering aspects to the public reaction to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. But we would be foolish, surely, to ignore the obvious demonstration of spiritual hunger which found an outlet and poured forth in such a torrent. Jesus told us that with faith we can move mountains. His promise does not have a “best before” date. A new evangelisation must be possible if we have faith that we are indeed made for Christ. If that is genuinely true, and if it goes against our nature to reject God, then a new evangelisation will always be possible and we may be surprised with the force of conversion if we do manage to find the key.
1998, the second year of immediate preparation for the year 2000 is designated by the Holy Father as the year of the Holy Spirit. He also invites us, providentially, to “a renewed appreciation of the theological virtue of hope.” He also lists some of the signs of hope in society:
Similarly, the progress that is made in the natural sciences can be used for good or evil in the cultural context. The battle is being fought stoutly on both sides. It would be quite wrong to imagine that the scientific atheists have it all their own way. Stanley Jaki’s masterful thesis on the Christian origins of modern science are proving to be true in practice today. As Christianity wanes in Western culture, so the anti-science movement has risen as though recognising the offspring’s lineage. Increasingly, the idea of an ordered universe which is designed, sits rather more easily with a rational approach to the universe than the idea of an ultimately meaningless chaos with a purely mechanistic explanation. So it is that in a scientifically literate nation like the US the vast majority of people believe in God, with graduates somewhat more likely to be theists than non-graduates. The time is surely ripe for the reflection of the Holy Father on creation:
This attitude would contrast with the project of the coming year of 1998 and the stirring of hope within the Church. It is a profoundly evangelical attitude to call to repentance as conversion to Christ. As for St John the Baptist, so for the Catholic evangelist today, the cry to the world is “Behold the Lamb of God!” We believe that the universe is created for Christ and for the kingdom of God. So we believe that in the deepest part of the being of every member of the human race, the call of Christ will naturally find and echo. We will not reach there by tempering the demands of the gospel or the genuinely “supernatural” aspects of our faith. The Holy Father’s repeated criticism of this failure to proclaim the gospel is well-founded because only the fullness of the gospel will bring about the scale of conversion needed for the spread of the gospel which he envisages. We are indeed made for Christ and our study of the natural sciences brings us increasingly to bow before him. There is every reason to hope that the millennium may indeed be an “historic moment” for the Kingdom and for the new evangelisation.
Editorial FAITH Magazine November 1997 by Tim Finigan
What hope is there for the evangelisation of culture as we approach the millennium? Clearly this is a question on which Catholics could have legitimately differing views. It seems that even Cardinal Ratzinger and the Holy Father may differ slightly on their approach, with Ratzinger the more pessimistic. In FAITH Magazine, we have made no secret of our wholehearted endorsement of the hope expressed in the encyclical Tertio Millennio Adveniente. We have, indeed, found there a confirmation of the pastoral and theological approach that characterises the daily work of the Faith movement. Against the influence of an intellectually hostile and spiritually debilitating cultural environment, young people can be inspired to do the “one thing lacking”, give up everything and follow Christ.
Much to our encouragement, early in the encyclical, the Holy Father affirms the more “Scotist” approach to the incarnation which can be used to such effect in our scientific culture which is so aware of the universe as a cosmos:
Thanks to the Word, the world of creatures appears as a “cosmos,” an ordered universe. And it is the same Word who, by taking flesh, renews the cosmic order of creation. The Letter to the Ephesians speaks of the purpose which God had set forth in Christ, “as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” (1:9-10) (Tertio Millennio Adveniente 3)In practice, where the teaching of the Church is presented with this confidence and, as a living faith that makes sense of our universe, there is indeed hope for not only the sustenance of Catholic life in areas where otherwise it withers on the vine but also for the new evangelisation that the Pope calls for, against most of the obvious cultural indications.
I say “most” because our time and culture does not present a purely negative face. The collapse of communism in the East was entirely unexpected; witness the “reshuffle” of defence budgets and existing alliances. There were many bewildering aspects to the public reaction to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. But we would be foolish, surely, to ignore the obvious demonstration of spiritual hunger which found an outlet and poured forth in such a torrent. Jesus told us that with faith we can move mountains. His promise does not have a “best before” date. A new evangelisation must be possible if we have faith that we are indeed made for Christ. If that is genuinely true, and if it goes against our nature to reject God, then a new evangelisation will always be possible and we may be surprised with the force of conversion if we do manage to find the key.
1998, the second year of immediate preparation for the year 2000 is designated by the Holy Father as the year of the Holy Spirit. He also invites us, providentially, to “a renewed appreciation of the theological virtue of hope.” He also lists some of the signs of hope in society:
There is also need for a better appreciation and understanding of the signs of hope present in the last part of this century, even though they often remain hidden from our eyes. In society in general, such signs of hope include: scientific, technological and especially medical progress in the service of human life, a greater awareness of our responsibility for the environment, efforts to restore peace and justice wherever they have been violated, a desire for reconciliation and solidarity among different peoples, particularly in the complex relationship between the North and the South of the world. (Tertio Millennio Adveniente 46)We can understand readily that medical progress can be used for good or for evil. Abortion, euthanasia and embryo experimentation are evils that have sometimes clouded the magnificent progress in the treatment of diseases which, only a few years ago, routinely killed large numbers of people.
Similarly, the progress that is made in the natural sciences can be used for good or evil in the cultural context. The battle is being fought stoutly on both sides. It would be quite wrong to imagine that the scientific atheists have it all their own way. Stanley Jaki’s masterful thesis on the Christian origins of modern science are proving to be true in practice today. As Christianity wanes in Western culture, so the anti-science movement has risen as though recognising the offspring’s lineage. Increasingly, the idea of an ordered universe which is designed, sits rather more easily with a rational approach to the universe than the idea of an ultimately meaningless chaos with a purely mechanistic explanation. So it is that in a scientifically literate nation like the US the vast majority of people believe in God, with graduates somewhat more likely to be theists than non-graduates. The time is surely ripe for the reflection of the Holy Father on creation:
God created the world through the Word. The Word is eternal wisdom; the thought and substantial image of God; “he reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature” (Heb 1.3). Eternally begotten and eternally loved by the Father, as God from God and light from light, he is the principle and archetype of everything created by God in time. (Tertio Millennio Adveniente 3)The year of the Holy Spirit does not in any way temper the power of this Christological perspective on creation. At the beginning of the encyclical, the Pope gives the context of his Trinitarian emphasis:
Paul’s presentation of the mystery of the incarnation contains the revelation of the mystery of the Trinity and the continuation of the Son’s mission in the mission of the Holy Spirit. The incarnation of the Son of God, his conception and birth, is the prerequisite for the sending of the Holy Spirit. (Tertio Millennio Adveniente 1)Hence in 1998, as we reflect on the work of the Holy Spirit, we can continue in the same line of prayer and catechesis, showing the work of the Holy Trinity giving Christ to us as the Lord of the universe and the Lord of history.
In our own day too, the Spirit is the principal agent of the new evangelisation. Hence it will be important to gain a renewed appreciation of the Spirit as the one who builds the kingdom of God within the course of history and prepares its full manifestation in Jesus Christ, stirring people’s hearts and quickening in our world the seeds of the full salvation which will come at the end of time. (Tertio Millennio Adveniente 45)An essential aspect of this new evangelisation is that of repentance and conversion. The radical “turning again” the metanoia, of the Baptist’s preaching is needed both within and outside the Church:
How can we remain silent, for example, about the religious indifference which causes many people today to live as if God did not exist or to be content with a vague religiosity, incapable of coming to grips with the question of truth and the requirement of consistency? To this must also be added the widespread loss of the transcendent sense of human life and confusion in the ethical sphere, even about the fundamental values of respect for life and the family. The sons and daughters of the church, too, need to examine themselves in this regard. To what extent have they been shaped by the climate of secularism and ethical relativism? And what responsibility do they bear, in view of the increasing lack of religion, for not having shown the true face of God, by having “failed in their religious, moral or social life”? (Tertio Millennio Adveniente 36)The need for conversion is obvious. Perhaps we need to be more optimistic that the Lord can bring this about through his grace. It would be too easy to despair, to see the victories won for ethical relativism in the media and in public life and to conclude that the only role for Catholicism for the time being must be that of a small ghetto, the “faithful remnant of Israel” which is limited to the occasional counter-cultural stirring of conscience.
This attitude would contrast with the project of the coming year of 1998 and the stirring of hope within the Church. It is a profoundly evangelical attitude to call to repentance as conversion to Christ. As for St John the Baptist, so for the Catholic evangelist today, the cry to the world is “Behold the Lamb of God!” We believe that the universe is created for Christ and for the kingdom of God. So we believe that in the deepest part of the being of every member of the human race, the call of Christ will naturally find and echo. We will not reach there by tempering the demands of the gospel or the genuinely “supernatural” aspects of our faith. The Holy Father’s repeated criticism of this failure to proclaim the gospel is well-founded because only the fullness of the gospel will bring about the scale of conversion needed for the spread of the gospel which he envisages. We are indeed made for Christ and our study of the natural sciences brings us increasingly to bow before him. There is every reason to hope that the millennium may indeed be an “historic moment” for the Kingdom and for the new evangelisation.