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Cardinal Wuerl: Evangelization should be relevant, rooted in tradition

By on October 9, 2012 6:46 am in Vatican News / 9 comments

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Catholic efforts to reach out to lapsed members must show them the relevance of faith today, but “must do so without losing its rootedness in the great living faith tradition of the church,” Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington told Pope Benedict XVI and bishops from around the world gathered at the Vatican.

Cardinal Wuerl, appointed by the pope as relator of the world Synod of Bishops on the new evangelization, introduced the synod’s work Oct. 8 with a global overview of the challenge of evangelization today, and laid out the values that he said must be the foundation of the church’s outreach.

Speaking in Latin, the cardinal addressed the pope, synod members, experts and observers for more than 45 minutes.

The cardinal said a “tsunami of secularism” has washed across the world, leaving in its wake a tendency to deny God’s existence, or to deny that God’s existence is relevant to human thinking and action.

Yet, without God “the very understanding of what it means to be human is altered,” he said.

A key task of the new evangelization is to help people see that human dignity and human rights flow from the fact that human beings are created in God’s image, he said.

The new evangelization, initiated by Blessed John Paul II and enthusiastically embraced by his successor, is a project aimed at reviving Christian faith in increasingly secular societies.

“Whatever we hope to achieve in this synod and whatever pastoral goals we set for re-proposing Christ to this age, we must do so firmly rooted in the biblical vision of man created in the image and likeness of God, as part of a creation that reflects God’s wisdom and presents a natural, moral order for man’s activities,” Cardinal Wuerl said.

The cardinal told the synod that too many Catholics do not know the church’s basic prayers or teachings, don’t understand why it’s important to go to Mass, and rarely go to confession.

The church must reach out to them, he said, sharing the faith and educating them with the contents of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. [More]

SOURCE

Catholic News Service

 
 
 
 

9 Comments

  1. Catholic Lady says:
    October 9, 2012 at 9:46 pm

    Mathew 28:19 “The Great Commission” – Go (an action word, a command) therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.
    Mark 16:15 – And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned..
    our Evangelical Protestant brothers and sisters in Christ take this command seriously, and so should we Catholic Christians – We need to spread the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

    Reply
    • Jim says:
      October 9, 2012 at 10:23 pm

      Thanks, Catholic Lady, for rallying the troops. Indeed, the average Evangelical takes their faith more seriously than the average Catholic.

      Reply
  2. Florian says:
    October 9, 2012 at 9:32 pm

    While the Cardinal Wuerl speaks of the “tsunami of tsecularism,” his NY neighbor the Cardinal Dolan, trained in the art and science of history, just might recognize that the reformation- and post-reformation RC church contributed mightily to this tsunami, and by many accounts actually caused it.

    Marriage and family are a case in point. When the RC church imposed the “Tridentine form” of marriage, precisely to invalidate all marriages not solemnized under Catholic auspices, civil governments eventually intervened to establish the “civil form” of marriage, which in many countries is the DEFINITIVE exchange of consent and the official beginning of the marital relationship. This step was absolutely necessary to preserve what could be preserved of family harmony. And so on. The RC church has not learned from its mistake, and shows no sign of doing so in the future.

    Reply
    • Jim says:
      October 9, 2012 at 9:41 pm

      Florian — that wasn’t a mistake on the RC Church’s part at all. The fact is, the Church sees marriage as a sacrament made as a covenant not only with the spouse, but with God. So, it is only natural for the Church to want people to be married in God’s Church. Get your head in the game, Florian.

      Reply
    • Catholic Lady says:
      October 9, 2012 at 10:05 pm

      The first sign in the Gospel of John takes place at the marriage feast at Cana. Jesus changes water into wine. This sign draws attention all the way back to the beginning of time in the opening chapters of Genesis where readers find the foundations for the sacrament of matrimony. This first sign siultaneously points ahead and forshadows the marriage supper of the Lamb that will occur at the end of time….
      Christians usually wish to honour one another by entering into the Sacrament of Marriage within the Church of God.

      Reply
  3. Peggy says:
    October 9, 2012 at 3:01 pm

    Yes, remain rooted in the ESSENTIAL TRADITION, but respectful of the fact that Tradition can and must change as the Holy Spirit continues to help us understand modern human beings and scientific knowledge that may correct traditional understanding.

    Reply
  4. John Kelly says:
    October 9, 2012 at 2:21 pm

    A 45-minute speech in Latin, was instant translation for most of the attendees supplied?

    Reply
  5. Jim says:
    October 9, 2012 at 9:19 am

    Way to go, Cardinal Wuerl. Thank you for your wonderful work for God’s Church on Earth.

    Reply
 
 

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