Announcing the Gospel

I've never had an original thought in my life. The name of our blog is no exception. The title comes from Pope Paul VI's apostolic exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi, which usually goes by the title "On Evangelization in the Modern World." Literally translated it means "To proclaim the Gospel."

The title comes from the first sentence which says,

"There is no doubt that the effort to proclaim the Gospel to the people of today, who buoyed up by hope but at the same time often oppressed by fear and distress, is a service rendered to the Christian community and also to the whole of humanity."

The purpose of this blog is to help you share your faith with others from the heart of the Catholic Church - to announce the Gospel. We are totally dedicated to the Magisterium, the official teaching office of the Church consisting of the Pope and the bishops in communion with him.

Most practicing Catholics would like to share their faith, but don't know how. Perhaps you have found yourself in a situation where your beliefs were questioned or maybe even attacked. You felt called to defend the faith, but didn't want to be defensive and so you kept your mouth shut. But we don't do anyone any favors by being quiet. As Paul VI said, sharing the gospel is a service to others, especially those "oppressed by fear and distress." We owe it to others to 'announce the gospel.' Sharing our faith is an act of love.

"Gospel" means "good news." And what is the "good news" that people need to hear? Simply this: God is love. One reason, I suppose, that Catholics are reluctant to share their faith is because they think people know at least this much. But do they? I think not. I think many people believe that the Gospel and the Church are oppressive.

Pope Benedict XVI understands that the gospel is not well known and so needs to be announced, clearly and simply. That's why his very first encyclical - God is Love - was written. A Pope's first encyclical is usally regarded as the foundational statement of his pontificate. It's his 'magna carta,' so to speak, expressing what he considers to be the most important priority for the Church and the world at this time.

"In a world where the name of God is sometimes associated with vengeance or even a duty of hatred and violence, this message is both timely and significant. For this reason, I wish my first Encyclical to speak of the love which God lavishes upon us and which we in turn must share with others."

This is a message that the world desperately needs to hear. It's a message that we as Catholics have a duty to proclaim.

Paul VI wrote Evangelii Nuntiandi in 1975 - ten years after the close of Vatican II whose main objective, he says, was "to make the Church of the twentieth century ever better fitted for proclaiming the Gospel to the people of the twentieth century." That was 35 years ago. We're now well into the twenty-first century and the question is, "Has the Church become 'better fitted' to proclaim the Gospel?" More directly, "Have I become better fitted to proclaim the Gospel?" Have you become better fitted?