"Evangelisation will always contain - as
the foundation, centre and at the same time summit of its dynamism - a clear
proclamation that, in Jesus Christ....salvation is offered to all men, as
a gift of God's grace and mercy."
Evangelii Nuntiandi 27.
The late Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, is in the eyes of many one of the greatest Popes that has ever lived. He is a prophet for our times and has been an inspired spiritual leader.
What follows are a short selection of some of his key teachings on evangelisation for you to read and pray with. For each, given your own individual situation, ask yourself what your response is to them.
"The
task which awaits you - the new evangelisation - demands that you present,
with fresh enthusiasm and new methods, the eternal and unchanging content
of the heritage of the Christian faith. As you well know it is not a matter
of merely passing on a doctrine, but rather of a personal and profound meeting
with the Saviour."
Pope John Paul II, Commissioning Families, Neo-Catechumenal
Way. 1991.
"Sometimes even Catholics have lost or never
had the chance to experience Christ personally; not Christ as a mere 'paradigm'
or 'value', but the Living Lord: 'the way, and the truth, and the life'."
(John 14:16)
Pope John Paul II to American Bishops.
"I sense the moment has come to commit all
of the Church's energies to a new evangelisation......No believer in Christ,
no institution of the Church can avoid this supreme duty: to proclaim Christ
to all the peoples."
John Paul II, Redemptoris Missio, 1990.
"Yes, now is the time for mission! In your
Dioceses and parishes, in your movements and communities. Christ is calling
you." "Come, and tell the world of the happiness you have found
in meeting Jesus Christ, of your desire to know him Vision of Hopebetter, of how you are
committed to proclaiming the Gospel of salvation to the ends of the earth!"
Pope John Paul II, 25th July 2001.
This list was created by the Evangelical Catholic Initiative, 72 Hillcourt Road, Glenageary, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and is used with their kind permission.
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This beautiful painting of Our Lady protecting Europe illustrates the Christian roots of Europe, and shows Our Lady surrounded
