Book Review: The New Evangelization – A Work of the Divine Family
The world today is covered in darkness. Satan has turned the world God lovingly made into a kingdom where sin runs rampant, and disaster is close. Wars, famine, the assault on faith, the destruction of families, and the abortion of children are only a few events we witness happening in the world today. Satan has already infiltrated the Church, causing confusion, disunity, hurt, and doubts. Making the people think they need to fit into the world, when they are called not to be of this world. The world has heard the gospel and decided to turn away from salvation, to turn away from God. Evangelization alone no longer works. Faith has grown cold, and people no longer live a true Christian life. The Popes have called for the New Evangelization. It is about love that is the primary characteristic of God and of everyone who professes to be a Christian, and it is all about the work of the divine family — Father, Son, Spirit, Mary, Church (p.16)
Evangelization is rooted in God’s plan for us. Understanding His plan helps us realize the urgency of the work of Evangelization. The Father’s plan was for us to care about marriage and family, the culture of life, the environment, enjoying creation’s bounty, growing in holiness, giving God glory and honor due to Him (p.24). But paradise was lost, so God’s plan was challenged. Evangelization is the way God formulated to restore His plan, but many are ill-equipped to fight in this spiritual warfare.
It is said that one-third of the population today calls themselves Christians, and yet, many don’t live like one. For the New Evangelization, what needs to happen is for people to meet Christ, live Christ, and share Christ (p.30). To meet Christ is not just to know about Him but to know Him and be profoundly touched by Him. To be touched by Him to the point that you want to live like Him, to strive to be as holy and as perfect as Him. To deny yourself and take up your cross and follow Him. Following Jesus means sharing Him as He did during His ministry. It is an obligation we Christians must fulfill. He calls us to live as true Christians and to evangelize the world.
The Holy Spirit makes Evangelization possible. It empowers us through Baptism and provides us with gifts that aid us in our mission. Our evangelistic spirituality must be charismatic like the spirituality of Pentecost and the early Church, being fearless and readily bringing people back to the Church. This is a call to go back to the early ways of our Missionary Church.
As we complete the Holy Trinity, Mary became the mother of God and our role model. Her “yes” made God’s divine work of salvation possible. She is a key to living and understanding the New Evangelization. We, as Jesus’ bride, the Church, must imitate Mary in her trust, obedience, joy, and willingness to suffer. We must work for the salvation of the world. To effectively do the work of evangelization, we are called to unity, to value the poor, family, and the culture of life.
I am a Campus Missionary of UPLB, and this mission is a cross I carry. I’m an introverted person who’s not used to talking about myself, much less my faith. More often than not, I feel terrified, lost, and unworthy. Evangelizing people, especially university students, is frankly not my forte. I’m supposed to be rooted in Christ, but still, it is something I personally struggle with. To think of Him in every thought I have and every action I take. As I read this book, I realize how lacking I am as a Christian, how much I’m not able to fully love and be with the Lord. I lack knowledge of my own faith, the courage to defend it, and the zeal to share it. I wasn’t able to live out His plan for me. Privileged enough to know Him but not able to live like Him and proudly share Him as I should. I am so unworthy of His love, of the life He gave up to save me. But those realizations came with newfound determination, a fire lit in my heart to do better, to be holier, to become like Him, to be radically transformed by His love.
I felt lost, but this book has given me direction and clarity. It gave me the courage to start. I now strive to visit the Eucharistic Adoration more often, to pray the Rosary daily, and to give the Lord more time. It inspired me to read more about my faith to defend and to proclaim it. It has encouraged me to be more open about my faith and be less afraid of sharing it. The more I met and saw Him in my daily life, the more I strived to be like Him. Aligning myself with Him and obeying His will made me realize how much He has transformed me into the person I am today.
The book tells us that the Church now calls for the New Evangelization, the work of the divine family. It is rooted in God’s wonderful plan for us and tells us to meet Christ, live Christ, and share Christ. Salvation is within our reach with the help of the Holy Spirit and Mary as our role model. This book became my starting line and my guide, encouraging me to meet Him even when I feel spiritually dry and unworthy. As I journey through this world as an MFC Youth member, I realize that I will get hurt, I will face persecution and rejection as I strive to carry my cross and follow Him, but I am not alone. Being rooted in Christ gives me the strength and confidence to know that He will be with me every step of the way.
