Pastor in rural Georgia was
visiting a hospital.
A parishioner had just given
birth to a child.He found the young father looking through the glass at his baby.
Baby was making all sorts of racket.
It’s OK – cleans out her lungs, gets her voice going.
Oh she’s mad as . . . saw collar, sorry father.
OK – but why is she mad?
Won’t you be mad – one minute you are with God in heaven and the next minute you are in Georgia.
You believe she was with God before she came here? Oh yeah.
Will she remember?
Well, that’s up to her mother and me. And the church. We’ve got to see she remembers, because if she forgets, she is a goner.
God is being pushed out – of personal iife – social life – political life - culture
75% Catholics – gone from Mass.
Second largest group in America after Catholics - ex Catholics
Gone –
Personally it makes me crazy - sign over front doors of College Seminary
Salus Animarum Suprema Lex - worry about their souls.
1)
Ordinary evangelization
toward practicing Catholics, fueled by sacraments
2)
Mission toward
non-Christians – used to occupy much energy, less now most have heard of
Christ.
3)
New
Evangelization - not about a new
message & not about boosting numbers – tries now to
engage inactive Catholics - to
rediscover the person of Jesus and the beauty of the Catholic faith. It is new because of who does it - YOU
NEW because our culture has changed – we must understand it. Biggest shift in church in 500 years.
Consider - Father Barron’s New Evangelization for Lent - 6 weeks 1 & ½ hour
