International Study of the Apostolate of Evangelization

1
International Study of the Apostolate of
Evangelization

• Education and formation
• Theory and practice
• Zagreb, 17-22. August 2009.

2
Literature

• Sources
• Synoptic gospels (Mt, Mk, Lk)
• The Acts of the Apostles (Acts)
• Gaudium et spes, II. Vatican Council (GS)
• Apostolicam actuositatem, II. Vat. Council (AA)
• Pope Paul VI, Evangelii nuntiandi, doc. 50. (EN)
• To Evangelize secularized Europe, Council BKEu
  doc.80.(ESE)
• Pope John Paul II, Catechesi tradendae (CT)

3
Literature

• Handbooks
• Ivancic T., Encounter with the Living God
• Ivancic T., God Transforms
• Ivancic T.,The Catholic Seminar Mir
• Ivancic T., The Evangelical profile of the
  Catholic seminar Mir
• Ivancic, Barun, Krolo, The Call and Answer
• R. Rituals, The Rite of Christian Initiation for
  Adults ( RCIA)
• Ivancic T., Father, Meditations
• Ivancic T., Spiritual Life in the Community Peace

4
Literatura

• Useful text
• John Paul II, Christifideles laici, doc.93.(CL)
• John Paul II, Ecclesia in Europa, doc.136 (EE)
• John Paul II, Dominum et vivificantem, doc. 87.
  (DV)
• Ivancic T., Guidelines for Spiritual life in the
  Prayer and Word Community

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I. PART Fundamental concepts and basic knowledge
1

• Reevangelization and evangelization
• From Christ for the Church
• From the Church to the world
• What does it mean to proclaim the Good News
• Ways to evangelization
• Whom to evangelize
• Who can evangelize
• The spirit of evangelization
• Where is the heartfull strength of the Gospel
  today
• Which methods should be followed so that the
  strength of the Gospel could transform the man
  and mankind

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Fundamental concepts and basic knowledge - 2

• Jesus I need to proclaim the Gospel about the
  Kingdom of God for I was sent for that. The
  Spirit of God is upon me, for He anointed me. He
  sent me to preach to the poor.
• Jesus is Gods Good News ( the Gospel)
• Goal The Kingdom of God and liberation of man
  from sin and evil the key to evangelization
• Conversion Metanoia a toa is the fundamental
  change in the heart of people
• The marks of such preaching and Kingdom are
  miracles and signs
• Those who have honestly accepted the Good News
  form a community which starts its own
  evangelization
• This is the fundamental mission and purpose of
  the Church, that is, of us who believe

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Fundamental concepts and basic knowledge - 3

• Evangelization and Church are inseparable Go and
  make all nations my disciples, says Jesus. And
  they, embracing the word, have baptized
  themselves and the Lord added to their number
  daily those who were being saved ( Acts 347)
• The Church fulfills its purpose when she becomes
  a witness, calls for admiration and conversion,
  when she becomes the proclamation itself
• The Church, the preacher of the gospel, starts to
  evangelize herself. She evangelizes herself
  through a constant conversion.
• The Church guards the content of the Good News
  and is obliged to transmit it to others
• Only evangelized Church can evangelize. Not
  Herself, but Christ and His Kingdom.
• Christ-Church-evangelization are inseparable.

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Fundamental concepts and basic knowledge - 4

• To evangelize means to bring the Good News into
  every human environment and through its influence
  to transform the humanity from within. (EN 17).
• What does this mean? It means to convert personal
  and collective consciences of people, their
  activities, their lives and their concrete life
  milieu (EN 18).
• To completely change mankinds criteria of
  judgment, values, points of interest, lines of
  thought, sources of inspiration and models of
  life whatever is in contrast with Gods plan
  (EN 19)
• The Gospel needs to transform the cultures of all
  nations (EN 20).
• The initial step in evangelization silent
  witnessing of a different life ( EN 21).
• After it has been witnessed, the Good News needs
  to be proclaimed by words, it needs to be
  explained and justified. However, the catechesis
  is only one point of view of evangelization (EN
  22).
• Kerygma is the first proclamation. It is the
  alignment with the life long programme with
  life, the Kingdom, the new world, the new
  ordering of things, the way of being it is the
  entrance into a new community

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Fundamental concepts and basic knowledge -5The
test of truth, the touchstone of evangelization
it is unthinkable that a person should accept the
Word and give himself to the kingdom without
becoming a person who bears witness to it and
proclaims it in his turn (EN 24).The apostolate
of evangelization (AE)
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Fundamental concepts and basic knowledge -6

• Changing and unchanging content To evangelize
  means to witness in a simple way about God who
  revealed Himself through Jesus Christ in the Holy
  Spirit that God loves the world, holds
  everything in being and calls men to eternal life
  (EN 26).
• The core of the message salvation through Jesus
  Christ, that is Gods love for man and mans
  love for God and other men, self-giving,
  forgiveness, renouncement, mystery of evil,
  active search for good, prayer of adoration and
  thanksgiving, encounter with God and Church,
  rights and duties, family life, society,
  international cooperation, peace, justice and
  development.
• Liberation of man, human advancement, in
  anthropological, theological and evangelical
  order.
• The religious orientation of evangelization is
  necessary, more than the material is. (EN 28-34).

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Fundamental concepts and basic knowledge - 7

• To differentiate earthly, human and political
  liberation from the evangelical one, which
  encompasses everything. It seeks for liberation
  (EN 35-36).
• Ways and means of evangelization by witness,
  preaching, the verbal proclamation, catechesis,
  mass media, personal touch, sacraments, popular
  devotions (EN 40-48).

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Fundamental concepts and basic knowledge - 8

• To whom shall the Good News be proclaimed? To all
  nations and every creature (Mk 1615).
• Despite the obstacles to those far away, to
  dechristanized Europe, to non-Christian nations,
  to believers to strengthen their faith, to
  atheists of all kind, to Christians who believe
  but do not practice, to churchs movements- that
  they may within the Church and not outside of it
  (EN 49-58).

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Fundamental concepts and basic knowledge - 9

• Who can evangelize? The entire Church.
• Evangelization is solely the ecclesial act, it is
  possible only when it is in accordance with the
  Churchs mission as oppose to personal
  inspiration (EN 60).
• The evangelizer can act only in communion with
  the Church and her Pastors (EN 60).
• The universal and particular Church are one.
• Evangelization must be aware of the mentality of
  the people who are being addressed (EN 63).
• Profound openness to the universal Church -
  indispensible loyalty to faith
• The Pope, bishops, priests, religious, laity.
• Laity the world of politics, social life,
  economics, culture, sciences, art, interpersonal
  life, mass media, love, family, the education of
  children and youth, professional work, suffering.
  Various charismas and services. Thus, not to
  form communities but to evangelize ( EN 70-73).

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Fundamental concepts and basic knowledge - 10.

• Basic conditions for evangelization are
  inspiration by the Holy Spirit, to bear witness,
  building up of unity, to be in the service of
  truth, to be guided by love with the zeal of all
  the Saints
• Evangelization is not possible without the work
  of the Holy Spirit. He is the soul of the Church.
  In the mouth of the preacher He puts the word
  which he himself would not know and He opens the
  heart of the listener and enables him to
  understand and accept that word (EN 75).
• Evangelization has methods that are good but even
  the most perfect of those cannot compensate the
  silent work of the Spirit.. The most perfect
  preparation of the evangelizer has no effect
  without the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit
  the most convincing dialectic has no power over
  the heart of man. Without Him the most highly
  developed schemas resting on a sociological or
  psychological basis are quickly seen to be quite
  valueless. (EN 75)
• The Holy Spirit is the main actor and the purpose
  of the evangelization (EN 75).
• .

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Fundamental concepts and basic knowledge -11.

• Either tacitly or aloud - we are being asked the
  same question Do you really believe what you are
  proclaiming? Do you live what you believe? Do you
  really preach what you live? The witness of life
  has become more than ever an essential condition
  for real effectiveness in preaching. EN76).
• The world which, paradoxically, despite
  innumerable signs of the denial of God, is
  nevertheless searching for Him in unexpected ways
  and painfully experiencing the need of Him -- the
  world is calling for evangelizers to speak to it
  of a God whom the evangelists themselves should
  know and be familiar with as if they could see
  the Invisible. The world calls for and expects
  from us simplicity of life, the spirit of prayer,
  charity towards all, especially towards the lowly
  and the poor, obedience and humility, detachment
  and self-sacrifice. Without this mark of
  holiness, our word in in danger of being vain and
  sterile (EN 76).
• Mary is the star of evangelization. (EN 82).

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II. PART The model of evangelization First
Christian Catechumenate

• Four stages
• 1. pre-catechumenate
• 2. catechumenate
• 3. time of purification and enlightenment
• 4. renewal of the sacraments of initiation and
  mystagogy

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1. Pre-catechumenate

• Mans existential situation where did he come
  from, where is he going to, why does he live,
  what is the purpose of life, who threw him into
  life, why is there suffering and death, is there
  God, to whom does the earth and universe belong
  to. Ignorance and infirmity
• Where does quilt come from, what is sin, what is
  the source of evil, who is the evil one,
  mysterium iniquitatis. How is God like, where is
  He, what does He think of us, why doesnt He help
  us?.
• Why is there so much injustice, some are enjoying
  life, some are suffering, some are healthy, some
  are ill, some are being born some are dying, some
  are good other are evil. Where are we to go, is
  there a solution, who can help us?
• Evil is powerful despite the faith and
  redemption the world is falling apart, people
  are suffering without knowing the purpose of it
  and the way out it. Why?
• What is faith, what is conversion, what is
  prayer? Do we live it?

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2. Catechumenate

• How to find the purpose, freedom, salvation,
  health, life without death, the truth about our
  destiny, power over evil?
• Jesus from Nazareth, redemption, God universal
  amnesty, baptismal rebirth, the power of the Holy
  Spirit, the Church, Kingdom of God, the children
  of God, resurrection, eternal life.
• Convert and believe. Prayer is a dialogue with
  the Father.

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3. Time of purification and enlightenment

• Practical entering into Gods Kingdom
• commitment to life and the work of Jesus Christ,
• to accept the unconditional love of the Heavenly
  Father,
• renouncement of sin and idols,
• repentance,
• forgiveness,
• confession,
• deliverance prayer,
• prayer for healing,
• confession of faith,
• the prayer of Our Father.
• faith

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4. Renewal of sacraments of initiation and
mystagogy

• The way into experiencing the sacraments of
  initiation
• Pray for the Power of the Holy Spirit
• Experience of faith, experience of grace,
  experience of spirit
• To discover and accept with the heart the
  sacraments of initiation
• To recognize the Church as the Body of Christ, as
  your new life, your transformed being.
• Mystagogy experience of the sacramental grace.
• To await in faith the transformation of your life

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How to live after the AE seminar

• To study the 29 notes and instructions from the
  handbook Encounter with the Living God page. 246
  252 of how to continuously and broadly
  improve and consciously live the experience of
  grace and the new life given to us from the
  Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit.
• To study the ways of how to organize the seminars
  for AE handbook, page 253 271.
• To learn how to lead the various groups of
  believers prayer and evangelical groups.

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III. PART Enabling one for the apostolate of
evangelization

• For the apostolate of evangelization one is being
  prepared through
• 1. Education theological and professional
• 2. Formation through the programme of the
  Community Prayer and the Word

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1. Education

• A. Professional study for the AE,
• completed written and oral exam,
• private practice,
• experimental,
• written dissertation and official practice,
• comprehensive exam and professional practice,
• at the end to compile a handbook by which one
  receives the Master degree and now can train
  others for the AE.
• B. The study of theology B.A in theology or
  completed the three year study degree for lay
  people or completed exam for the CCC

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2. Formation

• Levels of formation
• Candidate level-experience from the AE seminars
• Novitiate rules of the Community Prayer and the
  Word, history of the CPW, history of spirituality
  of CPW, spirituality for the AE, basic knowledge
  of the CCC, basic knowledge of the history of the
  Church
• Aspirtion experience of faith and spirit
  according to the handbooks of AE and HTh.
• Extraordinary members work at the AE seminars
• Ordinary members ability to intependently lead
  the AE seminars
• Mentor ability to take others through the AE
  formation.

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IV. PART The growth in the new life

• To participate in the work of your Church
  parish.
• To be in a constant friendship with Jesus by
  filling yourself with the power of the Holy
  Spirit.
• Daily meditation of the New Testament.
• To remain in touch through the inseparable bond
  with other experts of the AE
• To seek for help, advice and spiritual growth at
  the CPW.
• To persevere in disciplining oneself in the life
  of prayer and sacraments
• to participate in the permanent improvement at
  the CPW theological, professional and spiritual
• To read the books of theological and spiritual
  content