Z Ewangelią od-nowa. Katolickie założenia ewangelizacji kultury

Abstract

After the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church considers itself as a misterium, a communio, and a missio. This is the Trinitarian vision of the Church. The Father sent the Son and the Spirit: out of these two missions a community is born. For two millennia the Church has been proclaiming faith in many dimensions. A new culture has been born of Christianity, but Christianity cannot be reduced to culture, it cannot be a mere guardian of the past. In its very heart lies the non-proselytic mission to spread the Gospel, a mission whose importance is being more and more readily acknowledged with time. A bishops’ synod is planned for the year 2012 in Rome. The available lineamenta not only augment the call for a new Evangelization but also draw attention to the contemporary context of people’s lives. It is noted that the 20th c. wars and totalitarian systems, responsible for the deaths of millions, have not only lead to the rejection of Christianity but also of what or who was before considered a paragon to follow. Nihilistic attitudes are surfacing and transforming into anarchy; social attitudes prioritize changes in those laws which shelter people from misfortune and misery. The conversion of hearts is necessary in both cases. The Church proposes, in this context, the Word of Jesus Christ, who reinstalls the proper sense of the human life. This means, in turn, the need to evangelize contemporary culture.