Fr Billy Swan
In golf, the swing is everything. Bad swing, bad golf. Great swing, great golf. That’s why serious golfers regularly return to the basics of their swing and the parts that make it up – the backswing, swing speed, ball-contact and follow through. These are the components that make up an effective and graceful golf swing that is key to the game.
The same is true for evangelisation. There are basics that we need to get right and regularly return to if we are serious about being missionary disciples of Christ and being effective instruments of others coming to faith in Him. Explored here are four component parts of evangelisation: the personal, inter-personal, liturgical and cultural. In the measure that these four aspects are effective and actively work together, the better the Church can carry out her mandate given by Christ to ‘Go make disciples of all nations’.
First the personal. Karl Barth, the Swiss Protestant theologian from the last century, was once asked by a journalist towards the end of his life: “Dr Barth, what was the most profound of your many theological insights?”. The journalist was expecting a long and complex answer. Instead, Barth answered simply: “Jesus loves me”. Here is where it all begins and the point to where we return time and time again. Only when we know in our bones that “Jesus loves me” are we ready to evangelise. It is a truth that gives one’s life purpose and meaning. It is the gift of love by Another that holds us, renews us and changes us. In a conference he gave in the monastery of Gethsemane, Thomas Merton asked the question: “Who am I?” and replied: “My deepest realization of who I am is – I am one loved by Christ…The depth of my identity is in the center of my being where I am known by God”.
For Pope Francis, this personal encounter with the love of Christ is the beating heart of evangelisation. In the opening paragraph of his Apostolic Exhortation ‘The Joy of the Gospel’, the pope states: “The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus…I wish to encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelisation marked by this joy”. Later in the document when instructing preachers, he says: “What is essential is that the preacher be certain that God loves him, that Jesus Christ has saved him and that his love has always the last word” (para. 151). This could also be said of every Christian dedicated to the mission of evangelisation. What is essential is that we be convinced in God’s love towards us, that Jesus Christ has saved us and that He is our final hope. In the words of Francis: “I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ…I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day” (para. 3).
The second essential component of evangelisation is the inter-personal. We can never be content just to be a disciple of Christ but must have a passion to make disciples too. The conviction that “Jesus loves me’ must translate to “Jesus loves you too”. Spirit filled evangelisers are convinced that: “We have a treasure of life and love which cannot deceive, and a message which cannot mislead or disappoint. It penetrates to the depths of our hearts, sustaining and ennobling us. It is a truth which is never out of date because it reaches that part of us which nothing else can reach” (Pope Francis, The Joy of the Gospel, para. 265).
Here is the treasure that we possess that we must not keep for ourselves but share with everyone in a way that offers hope and new life. An example to illustrate. A friend of mine is currently in hospital and gravely ill. We recently had a conversation about love and hope. With the inspiration of the Spirit, I tried to share this message with her: “Christ is with you in this dark place of suffering and is leading you on this journey that will lead to light. He loves you, suffers with you and goes ahead of you on the road, leaving a space for you to move into where there will be light and joy. Whether you reach that place in the road before you die or after, once you are united to Christ, he will take you there and all will be well”. Here is the hope that does disappoint for it is the power of Christ’s love that is proclaimed in the present and anticipated for the future.
Interpersonal evangelization has also to do with how we meet, engage and interact with those we encounter. We indeed have a treasure to share but unless we share it with deep respect for others, warmth, love and patience, we will undo the good we are trying to achieve. The common experience of being human is the bridge that unites us to those we seek to evangelise. In this light, evangelisation is about the Good News of how the gift of faith makes our humanity radiant and beautiful.
The third dimension of evangelisation and the one often overlooked is the liturgical. During the Rite of Baptism, the ears and mouth of the newly baptized are blessed so that the Lord Jesus “may soon touch your ears to receive his word and your mouth to proclaim his faith to the praise and glory of God the Father”. Here at the very beginning of the Christian life is a forward impulse to go out from oneself to proclaim faith, hope and love. At the end of the Eucharist, one of the dismissal formulae used by the priest, deacon or bishop is: “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord”. In other words, let you whole life announce what is true, namely that Christ is alive, his kingdom is at hand and his love is the most powerful force in the world. Because of the celebration of the Mass, there ought to be an outward propulsion of missionary zeal to return to our homes, friends, schools and places of work with a new energy to evangelise and claim the world for Christ. Every Eucharistic celebration ought to be a moment to renew our desire “to proclaim the newness of the Gospel with boldness in every time and place, even when it meets with opposition…Jesus wants evangelisers who proclaim the good news not only with words, but above all by a life transfigured by God’s presence” (The Joy of the Gospel, 259). This mandate to evangelise from the Eucharist also includes evangelisation at the Eucharist with the ministry of welcome, inclusion, meeting and greeting – all part of a celebration of life and joy.
The fourth component of evangelisation is cultural. Pope St Paul VI once said that the split between faith and culture is one of the great dramas of our time (Evangelii Nuntiandi). He wrote that in the 1970’s. It is even more true today. There is growing evidence that Western culture is in a state of decline with the fundamentals of a stable civilization being constantly undermined. The Christian response must always be to evangelise the culture, to participate in public affairs and re-lay the foundations of a society that has become unstable. This involves the celebration of all in the culture that is good and the calling out of aspects of our culture that are bad and that damage the common good. A savvy evangelist critiques culture and opens up the vision of the Gospel that offers greater promise and hope.
To conclude. Every generation of Christians needs to connect with the spirit, zeal and energy of the early Church after Pentecost who were bold and brave in going out to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. These were people who were profoundly touched by their encounter with Jesus of Nazareth before his death and because of his resurrection. This experience moved them out from themselves to encounter others in Jesus’ name which lead to others becoming disciples too. They celebrated their common life with prayer, especially with the Eucharist where their zeal for mission was recharged and refocused. They shared their faith publicly with their subversive message of Jesus’ Lordship which in turn lead to the transformation of cultures and societies. From the persona to the interpersonal, the liturgical and cultural - these are the basics of evangelisation we return to time and time again for in the words of Pope St Paul VI, the Church does not have a mission, she is a mission and she exists to evangelise.
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