Challenges of BEC Journey in the light of New Evangelization
Guillermo D. Afable, DD
4th National BEC Assembly
November 11-14, 2019
Good morning everyone… Are you good? Let me start with showing a couple of logos of relevant past events, that you might recall… starting with the logo of the Great Jubilee 2000 (and following until the MCNE)
*We recall with gratitude 50 years of BECs in Daditama
*Inspired and directed through 48 years of Mindanao Sulu Pastoral Conference
MSPC I Nobyembre 17-21, 1971
Host: Arkidayosis sa Dabaw
Building Christian Communities: Worshipping, Teaching, Serving
MSPC II Marso 28 – Abril 1, 1974
Host: Arkidayosis sa Cagayan de Oro
Basic Ecclesial Communities: Self-Government, Self-Nourishing, Self-Sustaining
MSPC III Abril 14-17, 1977
Host: Arkidayosis sa Ozamiz
Christian Communities Towards Justice and Peace
MSPC VII Oktobre 23-27, 1989
Host: Dayosis sa Butuan
Evangelization Towards 2000
MSPC VIII Oktobre 26-30, 1992
Host: Dayosis sa Tagum
PCP II and MSPC VIII: Church Renewed in Social Transformation Through Integral Evangelization
MSPC X Oktobre 19-23, 1998
Host: Dayosis sa Dipolog
TMA’s Calls to Holiness, Updated Understanding of BEC, Peace and Integral Development
MSPC XIII Oktobre 22-26, 2007
Host: Dayosis sa Surigao
Restoring Moral Values Through BECs
*28 years of BEC after PCP II
Art 109 “Basic ecclesial communities under various names and forms… must be vigorously promoted for the full living of the Christian vocation in both urban and rural areas.”
Art 110 #1 “A CBCP statement making it clear that they are not simply another organization.”
#2 … for the proper orienting of priests and seminarians…”
*18 years of the Era of New Evangelization
Pastoral Exhortation of CBCP on the NEW EVANGELIZATION FOR THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH IN THE PHILIPPINES. “Live Christ Share Christ” (July 2012)
Thus we in the Church in the Philippines come to this program of the “New Evangelization” already with considerable prior extensive and intensive study, reflection, deliberation and resolution. In truth we have been trying to earnestly pursue “renewed evangelization” especially in the last twenty-five years.
“We are asked to explore and discover “the new methods and means for transmitting the Good News” more effectively to our people, always under the guidance of the Spirit. Above all, we are challenged anew to foster in the Church in our country a renewed commitment and enthusiasm in living out the Gospel in all the diverse areas of our lives, in “real-life practice”, challenged anew to become more and more authentic witnesses of our faith, especially to our Asian neighbors!”
The Church, in complete fidelity to the Gospel and Tradition, cannot “simply appeal to its former Christian heritage” but must discover how to conform herself “with the person and message of Jesus” in changing cultures (John Paul II, Ecclesia in Europa 2, 2003). He invites us to a New Evangelization: “new in its ardor, methods and expressions” (John Paul II, Discourse to XIX Assembly of CELAM, Port au Prince, 1983).
The CHALLENGE is PASTORAL CONVERSION
- FROM SACRAMENTALIZATION TO NEW EVANGELIZATION
In my 43 years in the ministerial priesthood, there has been a steady increase for the administration of the sacraments simply due to population increase, this, despite the decrease of active participation of the faithful. The increase in number of ordained ministers could not cope with fast increase in catholic population. So, the priests have barely enough time and energy celebrating the sacraments and sacramental, less of preaching, evangelization and catechesis. So, we end up with a situation with large numbers of sacramentalize Catholics but less evangelized.PCP 2 #156 – A renewed catechesis is thus the first element of a renewed evangelization. Yet not enough Filipinos are being catechized. Those who are catechized are not catechized enough.
#183 – “the most basic area of renewal and the one that must receive first priority is catechesis. Without education towards maturity in the faith, the social apostolate will become activism and fall prey into the temptations of unchristian ideologies. Without catechesis, worship will degenerate into formalism and will slide into superstition and a magical mentality.”
NNCDP #22 (2007) – The sheer number of Filipinos who need to be given basic catechesis coupled with continued high population growth confirms PCP2’s judgement that catechesis is the most basic area of renewal in the Philippines and should received first priority. The NPCCR makes “integral faith formation” the first of 9 pastoral priorities.
*New Evangelization is characterized as:
Evangelical – The Word of God is paramount, The Word of the Lord Christ known, loved and imitated. That Word is Love.
Empowered – Is guided and directed inspired by the Holy Spirit (charismatic)
Joyful – the Joy of the gospel is preached, witnessed to and moving minds and hearts.
New fervor – conversion to Christ, and the Church,
New methods – everyone is a missionary disciple,
New expressions – consumable by changing and changed culture esp. of the youth.*Structures for promotion:
– Parish center of new evangelization and Catechesis
– Diocesan center of new Evangelization and Catechesis
– SCHOOLS OF New Evangelization – Evangelization 2033 (prayer, proclamation, formation), Catholic schools
– Conferences on New Evangelization - From Structures of communion to Spirituality of communion
I am a Canon lawyer, believe it or not. When the new Code of Canon law was promulgated in 1983, I was actually in canon law studies. Then, we learned about all the structures of communion in accordance with the new Ecclesiology of VAT. II.Yes, from the universal, to the diocesan, to the parish structures of communion. Yes, we learned about synods of bishops, conference of bishops, diocesan synods, and parish pastoral councils, management of temporal goods, etc. All these were structures of communion.
By that time, we already were at the beginnings of another structure, in the level of the small community. The BECs, later touted to be a new way of being Church. Indeed it was, a non juridical institution in Local Churches where it was becoming a reality. However, as many of us now know, it is not that easy to make these structures of communion work. It was and continues to be resisted, misunderstood, set aside, or even rejected. Not even the force of law make it always work. Not even our very own PCP II decrees. Why?
I found the answer in only in 2001. Excuse me, I am a slow learner.
Pope John Paull II, Novo Millenio Ineuente, Jan 6, 2001
Witnesses to love#42 Love is truly the “heart” of the Church, as was well understood by Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, whom I proclaimed a Doctor of the Church precisely because she is an expert in the scientia amoris: “I understood that the Church had a Heart and that this Heart was aflame with Love. I understood that Love alone stirred the members of the Church to act… I understood that Love encompassed all vocations, that Love was everything”.
#43 A spirituality of communion
To make the Church the home and the school of communion: that is the great challenge facing us in the millennium which is now beginning, if we wish to be faithful to God’s plan and respond to the world’s deepest yearnings.
Before making practical plans, we need to promote a spirituality of communion, making it the guiding principle of education wherever individuals and Christians are formed, wherever ministers of the altar, consecrated persons, and pastoral workers are trained, wherever families and communities are being built up.
Then he describes the 4 expressions or requirements of this spirituality. I have read them several times. I still find it quite difficult to understand, much more, to explain. So I will leave that to you as your homework.
the heart’s contemplation of the mystery of the Trinity dwelling in us,
an ability to think of our brothers and sisters in faith… “as those who are part of me”
the ability to see what is positive in others, to welcome it and prize it as a gift from God: but also as a “gift for me”,
to know how to “make room” for our brothers and sisters, bearing “each other’s burdens” (Gal 6:2)Let us have no illusions: unless we follow this spiritual path, external structures of communion will serve very little purpose. They would become mechanisms without a soul, “masks” of communion rather than its means of expression and growth.
The new commandment of Jesus, reciprocal love, is the focal point of this new spirituality of communion. It is characteristic of true followers of Christ; (Jn 13:34-35)
All Christians have the responsibility of building that masterpiece of love and unity that every parish, every movement, every part of the Church should be. All are called to become instruments of communion. In this common undertaking, each one’s contribution is irreplaceable. The key is to love — which means to serve concretely — every neighbor wherever they are, and to do so with joy so that our ecclesial communities may become real and true families.
As we come to the threshold of the beginning of another pastoral year in this our Era of New Evangelization – the year of Ecumenism, Interreligious dialogue and Indigenous Peoples’ Apostolate, I have no doubt that the spirituality of communion serves as the foundational principle and dynamism of our continued quest for a genuine human fraternity among divergent peoples and religions.
- From Popular devotion to Imitation and Mission
In the PCNE 1, Fr. Arevalo was asked to give a conference on Popular devotions. He emphasized that we do not underestimate the depth and length of popular piety as the ordinary faithful’s expression of personal relationship with God. In fact that we give it greater recognition and understanding and evangelize it, through the Gospel and the Sacraments to a greater fruitfulness in genuine conversion and reconciliation with God.The Cult of the saints is very much part of our Catholic culture. Popular devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary and other saints are all over the country and among overseas Filipino workers and migrants. Generally all BECs have a patron saint, including at times, the Sto. Nino, Nazareno, Sto Cristo etc. Most often their life’s cycle revolves around and climaxes on the patronal fiesta.
Foremost among our popular devotions is that of the BVM. Particularly, Our Lady of Fatima. The Fatima centennial last 2017 highlighted for us more than ever before, not only the devotional aspect ( rosary, scapular, litany etc), but also the call and mission that Our Lady revealed through the Children and to the entire Church. We recalled the story of Fatima, the ongoing story of Fatima, the forgotten story of Fatima, then the hidden story of Fatima. St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, all three underline the continuing relevance of the message of Fatima for our times i. e. Prayer, Penance, and Conversion. The universal call to holiness.
When, St. John Paul II approved the world Apostolate of Fatima in 2010 as a public international association of the faithful, recognized that the members of the World Apostolate of Fatima, spread throughout numerous countries of the world, commit themselves to become faithful witnesses of the Catholic faith in their own families, at work, in the parishes and communities, participating in this way in the “New Evangelisation”.
There are also the devotions to Our Lady of Piat, Manaog, Virgen de los Remedios, Mother of Perpetual Help, Penaprafrancia have very rich and decades, if not, centuries old regional significance. WE do well to harness this power of popular religiosity.
Pope Francis, in Gaudete et Exultate tells us that the saints being friends of God encourage and accompany us in our journey through faith and life. We are not alone, they protect us, sustain us and carry us on the way ultimately to our heavenly home.
CONCLUSION
NMI #29
It is not therefore a matter of inventing a “new programme”. The programme already exists: it is the plan found in the Gospel and in the living Tradition, it is the same as ever. Ultimately, it has its centre in Christ himself, who is to be known, loved and imitated, so that in him we may live the life of the Trinity, and with him transform history until its fulfilment in the heavenly Jerusalem. This is a programme which does not change with shifts of times and cultures, even though it takes account of time and culture for the sake of true dialogue and effective communication. This programme for all times is our programme for the Third Millennium.
“Put out into the deep” Duc in Altum
NMI #58.
Let us go forward in hope! A new millennium is opening (has opened) before the Church like a vast ocean upon which we shall venture, relying on the help of Christ. The Son of God, who became incarnate two thousand years ago out of love for humanity, is at work even today: we need discerning eyes to see this and, above all, a generous heart to become the instruments of his work.
On this journey we are accompanied by the Blessed Virgin Mary to whom, a few months ago, in the presence of a great number of Bishops assembled in Rome from all parts of the world, I entrusted the Third Millennium. During this year I have often invoked her as the “Star of the New Evangelization”. Now I point to Mary once again as the radiant dawn and sure guide for our steps. Once more, echoing the words of Jesus himself and giving voice to the filial affection of the whole Church, I say to her: “Woman, behold your children”(cf. Jn 19:26).
To conclude, may I invite everyone to stand and pray with me the Prayer to Mary Star of the New Evangelization by Pope Francis in Evangelii Gaudium.
No Comments