Archbishop Gomez Calls Us to 'Witness to the New World of Faith' In Pastoral Letter on the New Evangelization

10/17/2012

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"Our world will return to God only by way of witnesses," he writes, "by way of men and women who testify by the example of their lives that Jesus Christ is real and that his Gospel is the path to true happiness." He calls on Los Angeles Catholics to use this Year of Faith as "a time of interior renewal and spiritual preparation for a new Christian witness to our city and our continent."

Archbishop Gomez outlines five pastoral priorities for the Year of Faith and the years that follow. These include: education in the faith, promoting priestly and religious vocations, fostering Catholic identity and diversity, promoting a "culture of life," and strengthening marriage and the family in the face of "widespread cultural confusion."

He writes: "This Year of Faith should be a time in which we examine every area of pastoral life in our great Archdiocese. . We need to ask ourselves: Is our work leading men and women to Jesus Christ and his Church? Is the Christian faith spreading and is knowledge of the faith deepening through our programs and ministries?"

Archbishop Gomez's Letter to the more than five million Catholic faithful in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles (Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties), like his other letters mentioned above, deserves to be circulated well beyond his current assignment, Los Angeles. It is just too good and must be shared.

In the first centuries of the Church, the letters of Bishops were "circulated" among the faithful. In fact, that is where the term "encyclical" comes from. Archbishop Gomez has urged Catholics to use the Year of Faith as a time to renew their love for Jesus Christ; to delve more deeply into prayer and Scripture; and to study and internalize the teachings of the Catholic Church. His letter deserves to be circulated.

He expresses his conviction it is an encounter with the Risen Jesus Christ which will prepare Catholics to embark on a "new Christian witness to our city and our continent" - and he is absolutely correct. He invokes the example of "America's first missionaries," Franciscan friars like Blessed Junipero Serra, who established the California Missions. We are living in a new missionary age and his analogy is spot on.

Archbishop Gomez encourages Catholics to rediscover their zeal for and commitment to the missionary work of spreading the Gospel to every corner of the archdiocese and world. The Archbishop writes "Our world will return to God only by way of witnesses, by way of men and women who testify by the example of their lives that Jesus Christ is real and that his Gospel is the path to true happiness."

The Archbishop has established a new Archdiocesan Office of the New Evangelization, "responsible for establishing and coordinating our initiatives to spread the Gospel and to increase Catholics' knowledge and love of their faith." He also announced that the Archdiocesan Office of Justice and Peace for Los Angeles would now be known as the Office of Life, Justice and Peace, "to include within its mission the work of defending innocent life against the threats of abortion and euthanasia."

Archbishop Gomez's Pastoral Letter was published in the Oct. 12 edition of The Tidings, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. It is available online here along with excellent resources for the Year of Faith and other New Evangelization efforts. It will soon be available in E-book format. It can be downloaded in PDF Format here. Prayerfully read it, read it again, and then give it away and live it!

- - -

Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Archbsihop Jose Gomez, Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Tydings, New Evangelization, Year of Faith,

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1 - 6 of 6 Comments

Robert C. Herrick
6 months ago
Replying to Michael. Since when is the statement that salvation outside the Catholic Church is impossible an infallible doctrine? Michael should check his catechism to find out the number of infallible doctrines there are.
Judy Claar
6 months ago
Deacon Keith: Thank you for introducing us to yet another ambassador of Christ. What he says his very good. Here is my question: What have we done wrong? Because some of us have lived lives of Example, and educated, and still there is a Falling Away. This Issue needs Addressed. Our secular world grows by the second. Blessings...
William Horan
7 months ago

The New Evangelization and the Poor
We cannot solve the problems of the New Evangelization without the help of the poor. Cardinal Claudio Hummes gives us some direction when he states: "A servant church must have as its priority solidarity with the poor," he said. "The faith must express itself in charity and in solidarity, which is the civil form of charity," Hummes said.
"Today more than ever, the church faces this challenge. In fact, effective solidarity with the poor, both individual persons and entire nations, is indispensable for the construction of peace. Solidarity corrects injustices, reestablishes the fundamental rights of persons and of nations, overcomes poverty and even resists the revolt that injustice provokes, eliminating the violence that is born with revolt and constructing peace."
May I suggest a way to practice this “solidarity” here in the USA:
A "preferential option for the poor" should be maintained in our Catholic Schools. If we find that we cannot afford to keep our schools open to the poor, the schools should be closed and the resources used for something else which can be kept open to the poor. We cannot allow our Church to become a church primarily for the middle-class and rich while throwing a bone to the poor. The priority should be given to the poor even if we have to let the middle-class and rich fend for themselves.
Practically speaking, the Catholic Schools must close and the resources used for "Confraternity of Christian Doctrine" and other programs which can be kept open to the poor. Remember, the Church managed without Catholic Schools for centuries. We can get along without them today. The essential factor is to cultivate enough Faith to act in the Gospel Tradition, namely, THE POOR GET PRIORITY. The rich and middle-class are welcome too. But the poor come first. (William Horan -- w.horan@comcast.net.)
Paul-Emile Leray
7 months ago
Thank you for this article and also for sharing the Pastoral Letter by making it available to the readers. I appreciated many things contained in this letter, including what was written about sharing faith, identity, responsibility. Let us not have an attitude whereby we behave as if we have a patent, copyright, or monopoly on God. The laity can greatly assist the clergy by living with increasing awareness and intensity in the practice of our faith. We often tend to view our faith as some great big weighty burden that practically crushes us as we feel as if the world is on our shoulders; in truth, although it can and does feel this way at times, faith is also a path towards joy, happiness, offering a harmonious balance between faith and reason if properly understood and rooted. Let us leave the true gurus, our Catholic leaders schooled and trained with proper theology and philosophy, guide us; not the pharisees and wizards in Hollywood who often peddle their snakeoil by trying to sell us their "how to" books while they are in the business of exercising their "how to get rich fast" techniques. The center, the mean, the harmonious balance between synchronistic faith and reason NOT in opposition with one another but rather complimenting each other in the ever upward spiral towards the being and perpetual becoming; a thrill. The dou's, to borrow a Japanese martial art analogy, the path towards, the michi, the way; once on the path stay on it and keep pursuing until the end. And the michi we are on is infinitely more glorious than the martial art michi. However, that michi can assist in terms of technique, discipline, and certain elements of conceptualization. There are many pathways towards the top of Mt. Fuji. Our path doesn't stop at the top of a volcano. If it did, the next time it erupts, I fear it would have been better to never have taken that path to begin with! Our path transcends nationalism, political boundaries, partisan politics, and allows us to not get into all sorts of odd worships and infantile level idol worships while putting too much exaggerated importance on cult-like personalities. Chrisitianity offers radical freedom, including from all forms of government. No single human can then have any exaggerated amount of power or control over you....NOT ONE. It is liberating! Fly like the eagles you are, America! Easy to say and write, practically impossible to do without falling off the track and getting derailed from time to time; but what a challenge to try! It's a thrill to try and keep trying! It is actually fun and exciting, an adventure, to be somewhat of a FOOL for God. It is even more fun when one starts touching that fine line between sanity and insanity. Once a person rides that line, it then becomes boring to stop. Let us electrify and evangelize; and the crazier some think we are, the better! Then, we will often be underestimated and can strike and ignite here and there; whenever and wherever the opportunity presents itself. It is better to be wise and thought a fool, than to be a fool and pass oneself off as wise. If some think we are crazy, so much the better! And just when you might think you are going insane, the mere fact you question your sanity is what? PROOF of sanity, in the words of Tony de Mello. (a Jesuit who passed away in 1987, therefore 25 years ago this year...an electrifying writer) St. Thomas More.....MORE! Where are these types in the political spheres today? Too silent. They exist, but the fires are burning too quietly. A little fuel and dynamite placed inside their souls from time to time is necessary. Otherwise we risk ending up sitting on the wrong pew inside all sorts of odd Churches. Let us get back to the root, the core, the Catholic Church and not fall off the boat to end up in a dinghy floating around all over the place on the high seas. Yes, spirituality is the ocean but NOT all boats survive the high seas or get you to the destination. Some boats lead the passengers right off the edge of Niagara Falls while being piloted by a drunken pilot and a crew so completely baffled that the entire passenger ship ends up doing power turns out at sea and capsizing. The true ship is the Catholic Church and the Pope is the pilot, not some Hollywood stargazing loon who is out there peddling his latest smoke and mirror canoe show while operating a boat with a motorcycle license with a helmet on top of his head to boot! Plus, he's likely charging his passengers money as he leads the entire flock off the edge of Niagara Falls. This is what happens in secular cultures. Be careful of smorgasbord approaches to spirituality, because before you know it you end up with an omelette so mashed up that everyone sitting around the table sees a loaded pizza while you are believing to be serving an omelette. It's a MESS, that will give one stomach pains and indigestion. Let the laity respect the leaders by also assisting them to assist who? Us. When I attend Catholic Mass, I don't need 150 saviors who somehow think they will save my soul after being Catholic for 2 years! I have ONE Savior, therefore do not need an endless long list of pontificating maniacs jumping on me each and every time I step onto Catholic grounds! Haha! Being Catholic doesn't have to feel like a cowboy country tune gone sour whereby the farmer has lost his wife, herd of cattle, the wolf has the farmer himself in his crosshairs as he is standing planted knee deep like a sheep bogged down with all 4 legs stuck in a gopher hole crying the blues. It can also feel like a Freddie Hubbard tune such as Straight Life, a little "liquid love" in the words of Quincy Jones. JOY is also part of being Catholic. We don't need to be walking around as if we are existential philosophers to the point of contemplating a jump infront of the next train about to pass by. It needs to be made more attractive. And getting into arguments immediately after the Mass has ended, as to who has the proper interpretation of the homily, is childish. This is why a proper formation of conscience and culture is also important. We are all fallen, imperfect, and sinners. Let us not crucify one another while often agreeing with each other because how we present ourselves sometimes looks as if an all out war was on the verge of breaking out. Let the POPE and his well trained cardinals and archbishops lead us and let us ask them for guidance instead of taking down notes whenever some cult-like personality figure high on flash and low on substance steps infront of the microphone. Being famous does not presuppose being a guru. Just because one is good with the hammer, it does not follow that the entire universe is a nail. A sports celebrity is a sports celebrity. A Hollywood talking head is just that. A platitudinal altitudinal pop psyche cult-like personality figure is just that. And no, being famous does NOT mean one is wise. It simply means he or she is what? Famous. And often it is being infamous first, then famous next for what? Usually for being a fool with fame and money. For anyone suffering from sloth? Buy a coffin and sleep inside it for a few nights, better yet a few weeks. In the morning when the alarm bell rings, you will practically spring up like a slingshot and live your lives as if you were on fire filled with joyous gratitude for every single moment of your existence! Plus, it is good training for where you will spend most of your time anyhow...inside a coffin! (not the soul, simply the physical body) There is NO such thing as eternal death, this is one of the central mysteries of the Eucharistic celebration each and every time a Catholic Mass is offered on the planet. If I have misunderstood or misinterpreted something, let me know. There is NO such thing as eternal death. It is explicit in every single Eucharistic celebration in each Catholic Mass. It is LIBERATING! This alone ought to send people flying off like eagles in complete utter fearlessness, while keeping one's feet firmly planted on earth since we aren't birds...we are human. I don't see feathers on my arms and don't sleep in a nest in a tree. We are walking on a planet that Jesus himself walked on. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, St. Ignatius; they all walked this planet. We have many things in common with these great historical figures. And Jesus? He is just as alive now as he was when he proved to Thomas that it was him. Celebrate the faith, for too many walk around as if they are depressed by being Christian. It is not depressing. It is LIBERATING! Fly like eagles, instead of like chickens pecking away at bits and pieces of mixed up smorg culture trash left behind by a farmer a little too busy to close the end gate of his manure spreader. There are many eagles behaving like chickens because they have been enculturated into believing they were chickens when in reality they are eagles. And not everyone is a duck requiring to fly in duck formation either. The eagle is the eagle because he is an eagle. I wish more Catholics would start realizing they were eagles instead of hanging around in the chicken barn about to get eaten by kraits. Pretty soon, the foxes will come and eat the eagles if nobody tells them they have no business being chickens. If it is too difficult to go from a chicken to an eagle, then spend a little time flying with the ducks in formation and then fly off into eagle land after that. The view is much better from that perspective than it is while staring at the ground pecking away at smorg culture in a lost vacuum of dissipated dinghy like boats being led over Niagara Falls. Get on the proper ship or risk ending up in the titanic upside down at the bottom of Niagara. And the Vegas guru with a Hollywood bestselling smorg pop-psyche book risks being the one presiding at your funeral while he delivers his message of hope from a dinghy sinking after it exploded from having too much HOT AIR inside it! And the other guru will be flying overtop in a hot air balloon also being propped up by his HOT AIR. Get on the TRUE SHIP and if you fall overboard swim fast and get back on it again and again and again. Now, let us get out the popcorn for the ZEBRA SOPHISTRY SYMPOSIUM stage show about to begin in just a few hours as the political sophists take stage. Who will do the least amount of damage? The salt or the pepper? I prefer certain dishes with neither, but since someone has to lead than who will do the least amount of damage? We can't serve sliced up zebra for supper, so since one must be elected who should it be? I already feel as if I have eaten a horse after listening to the ballyhoo BALONEY coming out of their mouths. Let us not be bamboozled by these political sophists. Catholics in America, step behind your TRUE Catholic leaders and RISE UP to save who? YOURSELVES!
Paul-Emile Leray
Tom McGuire
7 months ago
Archbishop Gomez's emphasis on the encounter with Christ must be the center of evangelization. However, his approach, which reflects the model of leadership of the past, may appeal to many faithful and loyal Catholics, it may not be the way for inviting those who have abandoned Catholic practice to return to active participation.

I found the interventions of the Asian Bishops at the Synod of New Evangelization on Monday October 15, to be more effective responses to the opportunities for the new evangelization. They spoke of the experience of Asia, but the experience of the multicultural, scientific and technological cultures of the United States would respond well to their recommendations. They call for changing models of leadership and ways of preparing priests. As in their opening remarks the emphasis is on the humility of Christ and elimination of any form of arrogance. They call for greater emphasis on the small christian communities as a way of engaging Catholics in a living encounter with Jesus Christ.
michael
7 months ago
Since the Second Vatican Council, 36% of Roman Catholics within the United States have left the true Faith. If it were not for immigration into this country from our south and the small amount of converts, the population implosion would be far more apparent. For years, we have been hearing about a New Evangelization, but how can we preach to others when our own house is in disorder. We live in a period of great infidelity to the Revelation given to us by the Son of God through His holy apostles. Faith has become an opinion in the minds of many "American" Catholics who contracept and divorce and remarry just like everybody else. Heck, recent polls claim that 60% of Catholics support Obama / Biden. It seems, too, that most public office holders who are Catholic stand for a "morality" foreign to Tradition and yet they go uncorrected. The predecessor of AB Gomez, the infamous Cardinal Mahoney, allowed for the funeral Mass and burial of one of the biggest abortion doctors in the Golden State. More than 70% of us are unaware of the great mystery of Transubstantiation. And as for the dogma of outside the Roman Catholic Church no one can be saved...well let's just say that this infallible teaching was rejected long ago by most Catholics in the West. In fact, if people can be saved through other religions, what is the point of evangelizing? No...any new evangelization must begin at home, not with programs or ad hoc committees, but with individual Catholics living the one, true Faith, outside of which no one can be saved, as well as living the moral law especially in regards to marriage and family. As a final note, prophecies from countless saints have stated that times of apostasy will come to be followed by Divine chastisement. And it is only in this minor chastisement, which is soon to come, that men will convert.

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