How do we reach parishioners who represent an increasing social and cultural diversity? How can we bring the Gospel message to the far reaches of the Diocese of Sacramento? Where do we find solid ground in our faith which is lived in a diverse and changing world?

Over the last few months, the delegates for the Diocesan Synod have been grappling with these questions as they prepare for the Synod. The words of Pope Paul VI from almost 30 years ago ring true now more than ever: “The methods [of evangelization] must be adapted to the age, culture and aptitude of the persons concerned, they must seek always to fix in the memory, intelligence and heart the essential truths that must impregnate all of life.” (“Evangelii Nuntiandi,” No. 44)

Among the fruits of the Second Vatican Council has been a greater understanding of the nature of the Church, especially the role and place of the laity. At the same time, over the last 40 years since the close of the Vatican Council, we have witnessed remarkable changes in culture, society and national moral norms. Throughout his pontificate, Pope John Paul II has taken up the concern that Pope Paul VI had for evangelization. He coined the phrase the “new evangelization,” which means we have to find new ways to teach the Gospel and hand on the faith.

In light of the new evangelization, we strive to discover what may be genuine signs of the presence and purposes of God. Pope John Paul II calls us back to the very essence of who we are as Church: “[God] has revealed to mankind who he is. This definitive self-revelation of God is the fundamental reason why the Church is missionary by her very nature. She cannot do other than proclaim the Gospel, that is, the fullness of the truth which God has enabled us to know about himself.” (“Redemptoris missio,” No. 5).

In his 1975 encyclical on evangelization, Pope Paul VI stressed that members of the Church, too, are “evangelized by constant conversion and renewal, in order to evangelize the world with credibility.” (No. 15) This includes what often is lacking, that is, a personal relationship with the Lord, Jesus, allowing our faith to be a living force in our lives.

Pope Paul VI insists: “Even the finest witness will prove ineffective in the long run” if one’s faith “is not explained, justified — what Peter called always having ‘your answer ready for people who ask you the reason for the hope that you have’ — and made explicit by a clear and unequivocal proclamation of the Lord Jesus.” (No. 22) “To evangelize is first of all to bear witness, in a simple and direct way, to God revealed by Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit.” (No. 36)

Dramatic changes, both within the Church and in the world, call us to an ever greater commitment to, and faith in, the person of Jesus Christ. Newness of life in Christ is the “Good News” for men and women of every age. In these days the laity especially are being called to be knowledgeable and passionate about their faith, so that the “Good News” of God’s love might be passed on to others.

Pope Paul VI asks: “In the long run, is there any other way of handing on the Gospel than by transmitting to another person one’s personal experience of faith?” (No. 46)

We pray that we may heed the prompting of the Holy Spirit during the Synod and after, so that we might better embrace Jesus Christ and discover new and effective ways of evangelizing a very secularized world.

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