Pope says new evangelization begins with heart that believes, loves, hopes

(June 14, 2011) “Faith is not conserved by its own merits in the world, it is not automatically transmitted to the human heart, but must always be announced. To be effective, the proclamation of faith must begin with a heart that believes, hopes and loves; a heart that loves Christ and believes in the power of the Holy Spirit!” This was Pope Benedict XVI’s message to the bishops, clergy religious and laity of his diocese Monday evening, gathered together in the basilica of St John Lateran to open the annual convention of the Diocese of Rome. The Holy Father called priests, parents and catechists to launch a new evangelization, to transmit a living faith to the future generation of Romans and create a community of believers in the eternal city where the Gospel is not only preached but put into practice.
Pope Benedict then called on pastoral workers to embrace the need for a new evangelization. He said each one of us, must bring this Good News to the world, that Jesus is Lord . He recalled how his predecessor Blessed John Paul II spoke of the need for a new evangelization aimed at those who, “despite having already heard of the faith, do not appreciate, moreover no longer recognize the beauty of Christianity, and sometimes even consider it an obstacle to happiness”. The Pope said that all baptized are called to be the messengers of the Gospel in today’s world, but above all parents, whose duty it is to seek Baptism for their children. All mothers and fathers are called to cooperate with God in the transmission of the priceless gift of life, but also in making known He who is The Life, and the Church must support parents in this mission, said Pope Benedict.
The Pope also spoke of the formation of children and teenagers, the need to help them understand and mature in their faith but also experience prayer, charity and solidarity. To this end, Pope Benedict continued, the world of the parish oratory, summer camps and small experiences of being of service to others are of precious help to adolescents on their Christian journey.
Finally Pope Benedict encouraged all those committed in these fields to help others discover the Gospel not as a utopia but as the full and real form of human existence.