RENEWAL
Vatican II recognized the need to return to our original charism. Gaudium et Spes was a path forward to engage the world around us. Lumen Gentium serves as a reflection on who we are as a Church, here to glorify God and announce the Good News. If you have not read these documents of the Second Vatican Council, or if it has been several years since you have done so, I exhort you to read these documents, which are still relevant today and are more accessible than ever before. “By her proclamation of the Gospel, [the Church] draws her hearers to receive and profess the faith, she prepares them for baptism, snatches them from the slavery of error, and she incorporates them into Christ so that through love for him they grow to full maturity.”

4 Pope St. John Paul II was the first to use the term “New Evangelization,” and in response to the question about what he meant by it, he said: “The commemoration of this half of the millennium of evangelization will achieve its full meaning, if as bishops, with your priests and faithful, you accept it as your commitment; a commitment, not of re-evangelization, but rather of a new evangelization; new in its ardour, methods and expression.”

5 Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, picking up the theme of evangelization, taught that our faith is not merely a program but rather an opening of the heart … to a person: Jesus Christ.
6 Then – and now – we have to think of new ways to evangelize and re-evangelize the world.

Even more recently, our Holy Father Francis has laid out a vision for the universal Church, building on the teachings of his predecessors: “I dream of a ‘missionary option,’ that is, a missionary impulse capable of transforming every-thing, so that the Church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation.”

7 Pope Francis has repeatedly urged everyone – clergy and laity alike – to leave the comfort of our homes, churches, rectories, etc., and imitate Jesus in seeking out the lost and bringing them the Good News of salvation. Clearly, the Holy Spirit is moving us to return to our roots.
Questions for reflection:

•  What qualifies someone to be a missionary disciple in your eyes?
• How can we assist people to open their hearts to the person of Jesus Christ?
• What new methods must be employed in the New Evangelization? Name an example of the New Evangelization in action.
  
•  If you were Peter and God asked you to spread his kingdom all over the Diocese of Pensacola– Tallahassee, where would you start?
•  If you were asked what is the “kingdom of God," how would you respond?
• What do you think our society would look like if we were all in full communion with God?

Bishop William A. Wack

This statement is meant to be provocative. It does not mean that Christianity is dead – that will never happen, of course. Rather, it can no longer be taken for granted that Christian values are the norm. In 1974, Archbishop Fulton Sheen declared, “[W]e are at the end of Christendom.” He could see how people were turning away from God and the truth, in order to refashion God in the image and likeness of humanity. Like our first parents, we were disregarding our dignity and declaring the Church to be unnecessary – even a detriment – to our happiness. In our day, Pope Francis has said, “Brothers and sisters, Christendom no longer exists.” 3 We see it even more clearly today: the Church – and her leaders – are often suspect, ridiculed and dismissed. To be sure, many members and leaders of the Church have engaged in sin, infighting and scandalous behavior, sowing doubt about the truth of the Gospel and its transformative effect on the lives of believers. The people of God must go forward in a spirit of humility, penance and service, in order to show forth the presence of Christ in our midst. For many people today, there are few (if any) objective truths. “Truth” for them is what matters most to them and their happiness. Any restrictions on their freedom or happiness are regarded as suspect or even as intolerance. “That may be truth for you,” they say, “but not for me.” We may argue and debate over where this attitude – this ‘hardness of heart’ – is coming from, but we cannot dismiss the fact that it is the prevailing attitude of our time. What has worked in the past will not work in the same way today. We can no longer be content with opening our church doors and watching people come in. In fact, they are leaving faster than they are joining, and they have been for quite a while.
Questions for reflection:

• Bishop Wack says, “We can no longer be content with opening our church doors and watching people come in.”

What can we do instead?

• How have you experienced in your own life the transition from Christendom to a predominantly indifferent or hostile society?
•  What cannot be taken for granted when sharing the Catholic faith with others?
• Have you seen any of your family members leave the Catholic faith? How did you respond?

Bishop William A. Wack

Over the course of the fourth century, Christianity went from being a persecuted, marginal religion, to a religion favored by emperors and the elite and the wealthy. Over time, Christianity was not only accepted; it became one of the world’s largest religions. As new lands were developed and countries were conquered, Christianity spread wider and wider. “Christendom” (an unofficial term) came about.
What is Christendom? In essence, Christendom constitutes a society that is guided by Christian ideals, beliefs, morals, etc. “When the Christian narrative of the human drama and its corresponding moral order have become prominent in a given society and have come to provide, at least largely, that society’s ruling vision, what emerges can be called a ‘Christendom culture.’” 2 For many centuries (in the West, at least), Christianity was accepted as the norm. The Church was protected, respected, and given a great deal of prominence in society. Despite setbacks, scandals, and even a great schism between the East and the West in 1054, followers of Christ were still able to carry out the mission given to them by their founder. 
There are periods in history when evangelistic fervor was greater than others. Wars and crusades were waged to defend the faith and to convert non-believers. The physical structure of the Catholic Church, that is, the hierarchy, became more prominent and defined. In places like what is now our diocese, the State encouraged and funded efforts to bring the Gospel to people in far-off lands. For example, the king of Spain commissioned Tristan de Luna y Arrellano to colonize (and evangelize) Florida in 1559. The Franciscan missionaries who traveled with him celebrated the first Mass in what is now the United States that same year.
Especially in recent centuries, the Catholic Church became established throughout the world – and the sense of urgency that our ancestors had was diminishing considerably. Even so, the Church has faced many persecutions over the years, for instance, during the Protestant Reformation, the French Revolution, the rise of Communism, the Cristero War in Mexico, and so on.

Questions for reflection:

• “In essence, Christendom constitutes a society that is guided by Christian ideals, beliefs, morals, etc.”
• How and where do you see society guided by Christian ideals, beliefs and morals today?     
• How is the Church still facing persecution today?     
• Bishop Wack challenges us to protect our Catholic faith as perfectly as possible. Share a story in the past year when you have had to protect your faith.¨          
• What saints from the era of Christendom motivate you to go on mission and proclaim the Gospel?       

   Bishop William A. Wack