You there, 2014, Who Do You Say I Am?

When I came to you, brothers and sisters,

I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you 

in lofty words or wisdom.

 For I decided to know nothing among you 

except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

And I came to you in weakness and in fear 

and in much trembling.

My speech and my proclamation 

were not with plausible words of wisdom,

but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power,

 so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom

but on the power of God. 1 Cor 2:1-5loading

Few are the subjects that can open a floodgate of words better than that of religion. And this was no less true for the time of St. Paul as it is for us today. The scriptures tell of Paul having to engage in long and animated debates. One such account is found in Acts 17:16-32, where Paul is engaged in debate with some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers, in the Areopagus, at Athens, where it tells us, - (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.) The account ends with, "When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.”

But when Paul went to the people in Corinth to proclaim the gospel things were different. In his own words, as we have seen above, "My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power ... I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified." 

Here, we have an excellent example of the distinction between, "to evangelize" and "to catechize". As the evangelist, Paul proclaims a person, Jesus - his holiness, his cruel execution, and his triumphant resurrection. This Jesus, now truly alive, Paul reveals, he has personally encountered. He knows all this, not by someone telling him about Jesus, but, "with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power"; which first happened to him on the road to Damascus. 

The work of evangelization is to encourage others to seek to have their own "demonstration", given by the Spirit, of the truth of Jesus. This "personal encounter", will become the foundation for the catechetical exploration into the mystery of Jesus, which will follow. What convinces the heart is found in evangelization. What informs the mind is found in catechesis.

 Pope John Paul, in his document on this subject, APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION ON CATECHESIS IN OUR TIME, in paragraph #19, points out, that very often instruction in the Faith, that is catechisis, is given first, to those who have not experienced a personal faith in Jesus, upon which to build. They have not first been evangelized.

It is here that the meaning of the New Evangelization comes into focus. Our faith must rest on a foundation that goes beyond words and discussions. It must come first from the Spirit, demonstrating directly to our spirit, the person of Jesus, as real and alive, and inviting us to personally engage him in our lives. This grace of, "a demonstration of the Spirit and of power",  is known by different names: Baptism of the Holy Spirit, Grace of Renewal, Encounter With Christ, and others. 

When this personal Grace of Renewal, this Demonstration of the Spirit, has entered your heart, there is no argument that will be able to contradict. To be sure, arguments against will try, but the Spirit's voice, speaking directly to your heart will expose them for what they are.

Debating religion will get us nowhere. In the Church today, we are all being called to be evangelists - first by renewing our personal encounter with Christ by seeking the Grace of Renewal - second by demonstrating by our lives, the transforming power of the Spirit working in us. 

Evangelization in the words of Jesus -

Jesus said to his disciples:

“You are the salt of the earth.

But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?

It is no longer good for anything

but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

You are the light of the world.

A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.

Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket;

it is set on a lampstand,

where it gives light to all in the house.

Just so, your light must shine before others,

that they may see your good deeds

and glorify your heavenly Father.” Mtt. 5:13-16

The words of Pope Francis on today's evangelization