The bishops of England and Wales have issued a pastoral letter on mission and mercy.
The key to effective evangelization, said the bishops, is “to be ready to live constantly in the presence of God, knowing that God never takes his eyes off us, not to catch us out, but because he loves us so much.”
“When we are constantly aware of that loving gaze which is upon us, and of the mercy and encouragement that flows our way, then we are enabled to look on others in the same way,” they continued, adding:
These are the foundations of evangelization. On them, other steps can be built: the opportunity to speak about our faith; the expression of that love in programs of action towards those most in need; a loving care for those who have been hurt by life and hurt within the Church, for whom any return to the practice of their faith is particularly difficult. In this effort for evangelization we seek out ways of accompanying others, through friendship, through prayer, through conversation, so that they sense in us the welcome that God most certainly extends to them. Our efforts need not be complicated or heroic.
Related Articles
One Comment
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
There they go again! In the above statement there is no mention of the Name of Jesus-just God. All praise and honor to the Father and Holy Spirit, but Jesus is Almighty God-with a face. I bet these bishops would resent the fact that THEIR name was removed from any council’s roster and they were referred to as “the bishop of London” or some other place. Their Church-in reality-is “The Roman Catholic Church of Jesus, God Almighty.” A little long, but bears mentioning. His Name is the cachet of our life, just as-in a similar way-Coca Cola is the name that comes to mind when thinking about a “soft drink.”