Reflections of Pope Benedict XVI
"Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction." "Anyone who has come across something true, beautiful and good in his life -- the one true treasure, the pearl of great price -- hastens to share it everywhere, in the family and at work, in the contexts of his life"
(Deus Caritas Est, No. 1 & Homily at first Vespers of the solemnity of Pentecost, 3 June 2006).
In these words, Pope Benedict renews the call of John Paul (the Great) for a “new evangelization.” It is to each individual Christian who has encountered Jesus Christ to whom the task of evangelization is given. As the apostles were empowered by the Holy Spirit on Pentecost to boldly proclaim the Kerygma and to witness by their teachings, examples (and their deaths), so too are we able to call upon the Holy Spirit for the power and strength to live lives of witness and to speak anointed words to all.
We have found the “pearl of great price.” It is not a thing but a person – our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! We are saved by his Incarnation, Passion, Death and Resurrection. This is the truth which fills our heart with immeasurable joy. This is the truth which must overflow into our every action and word.
The “new evangelization” is not a process, but an encounter. We have encountered Christ – in the Eucharist, in the Gospel, in the Church, in our brothers and sisters. We must now lead others to this same encounter. The “new evangelization” is not to take place merely in our churches. It is to take place in our homes, schools, and places of work and recreation. We are to evangelize our family, our friends, our colleagues, and everyone whom we encounter.
We are called to be the “Light of the World” to everyone we meet, wherever we meet them.
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