Light of the World

 some gems from Venite ad me, just released:

Parents, above all, constitute that first “tabernacle” in which children can glimpse all the beauty and strength of being disciples of the Lord Jesus. This witness takes shape in a pattern of simple, everyday gestures: personal prayer and prayer as a couple, reading the Gospel, recalling the words and deeds of Jesus, remembering the patron saints, the constant invocation of the maternal protection of the Virgin Mary, participation in Sunday Mass, visits to shrines and various forms of popular piety, care for the poor and disadvantaged, prayers of thanksgiving before meals, asking the Lord’s blessing on birthdays of family members, and the devout preparation of the Nativity scene during the Christmas season.

-Venite ad me, no.37

“Individualism does not make us more free, more equal, more fraternal. The mere sum of individual interests is not capable of generating a better world for the whole human family. Nor can it save us from the many ills that are now increasingly globalized. Radical individualism is a virus that is extremely difficult to eliminate, for it is clever. It makes us believe that everything consists in giving free rein to our own ambitions, as if by pursuing ever greater ambitions and creating safety nets we would somehow be serving the common good.”- Fratelli Tutti, as referenced in Venite ad me, no.56

65. It is evident that, in these cases, the proclamation of the Gospel—carried out in a variety of ways, from word of mouth and invitations to pilgrimages to an active presence in new media—makes it possible to respond to an authentic search for meaning that is reemerging amid the suffocating effects of immanence. Such a search can take many forms, none of which should be disregarded: the search for greater openness of heart, the need for peace and harmony with the world, the desire for consolation and healing, experiences of rupture and conflict that prompt a fresh start, new forms of beauty, a certain rediscovery of the past and of traditions, as well as many other examples that could be mentioned. These are realities that we should view with gratitude, recognizing in them the work of the Holy Spirit, who continues to act in people’s hearts.

78. The link between the kerygma and catechesis, in the context of this epochal change, is very close, to the point that the latter “cannot always be distinguished from the first proclamation,” and therefore it “is called to be in the first place a proclamation of the faith.”[75] Precisely in this regard, it may be helpful to recall a situation that is now increasingly common. As has already been noted, it happens more and more often that Christian parents are unable to pass on the faith to their children. Yet the very fact of requesting baptism for their children or accompanying them to catechesis already demonstrates a certain presence of faith and a fragile but genuine witness that should not be disregarded. In such cases, it is even possible that the children or adolescents who come to catechesis have not yet received an explicit first proclamation of the Gospel. Precisely for this reason, catechesis becomes the setting in which this proclamation can be offered anew, confirming the need for a profound kerygmatic renewal of catechesis, since it does not always give rise to an intense experience of encounter with Christ, one that can endure over time.[76]

79. On the other hand, it is a fact that the large number of children and adolescents who drift away from the Church and the sacraments immediately after completing their Christian initiation or their course of formation in a Catholic school indicates that catechesis still struggles to find the most appropriate ways to foster a solid and lasting personal encounter with Christ.

86. In practical terms, in order to truly inspire an experience of faith, the proclamation of the kerygma must adopt a style, language, and tone capable of reaching people where they are—with their desires and dreams, their struggles and trials. It must, therefore, be capable of presenting the good news of God’s love and mercy in such a way that those who receive it can truly understand that it is precisely to them that this love and mercy are directed. This is the style that characterizes the parables of the Lord Jesus, which even today capture the hearts of those who hear them.

Faith, in fact, is not transmitted solely through individual proclamation or teaching, but within a people who celebrate together. 

100. A final observation concerns the different stages of every human being’s life (childhood, adolescence, youth, adulthood, and old age). These stages, in fact, constitute a kind of continual “reappropriation” of the gift of one’s birth into the world and, like that birth, are experiences that are both surprising and challenging. The ecclesial community must therefore develop a proclamation of the Gospel that is more attentive to the different stages of life, giving due consideration to the various situations of growth and renewal that each stage brings with it. At the same time, it should be remembered that many people encounter the Church only during celebrations marking certain fundamental moments in life: baptisms, weddings, and funerals. Therefore, it is essential to recognize that, in such circumstances, a precious opportunity arises to reach them with a proclamation of the kerygma capable of touching their hearts, while avoiding words that fail to foster any genuine encounter.

101. Of particular importance is the issue—already discussed—of the generational divide in the transmission of the faith. In this regard, the community of believers finds in the pastoral care of adults, who are also the parents of the younger generations, a new field of ministry marked by particularly complex challenges. Indeed, in the past, at least in countries with a long Christian tradition, the proclamation of the kerygma was directed almost exclusively at the young. Today, however, there is an increasingly urgent need to accompany people—including those baptized at a very young age—who live apart from the ecclesial community and who, despite feeling an inner call to a life according to the Gospel, struggle to understand and make the Church’s language their own. In these cases, the transmission of the faith to the younger generations depends on the evangelization of adults. Indeed, how can adults pass on the faith to the younger generations if they themselves do not first live it out on a personal level? Further difficulties may also arise from situations marked by various forms of existential poverty, especially in urban contexts characterized by marked fragmentation or in isolated rural areas. All of this challenges the Church as a whole, urging her to become ever more synodal and missionary, especially by fostering the charisms that the Holy Spirit stirs up in the People of God.