Mission

CitizensJoinCatholicStandThe New Evangelization is the same evangelization as ever, except that it is the evangelization of our times. We are called to an ever-new communication of the revealed truths of an eternal God, the truths of faith and the truths of reason. Why take a stand? Why not live quietly with our faith? Well, certainly some are called to a life of prayer and solitude, but most are called to a life that requires daily interaction with people, some who are not believers and probably most who are not Catholic. In his 1975 encyclical, Evangelii Nuntiandi, Pope Paul VI lays the charge before us, echoing the words of St. Paul the convert:

And He has commanded us to transmit this revelation to others with His own authority. It would be useful if every Christian and every evangelizer were to pray about the following thought: men can gain salvation also in other ways, by God’s mercy, even though we do not preach the Gospel to them; but as for us, can we gain salvation if through negligence or fear or shame – what St. Paul called “blushing for the Gospel” – or as a result of false ideas, we fail to preach it? For that would be to betray the call of God, who wishes the seed to bear fruit through the voice of the ministers of the Gospel; and it will depend on us whether this grows into trees and produces its full fruit.

Can we gain salvation if we neglect to preach the Gospel because of fear or shame? That would be to betray the call of God.

Here at Catholic Stand, we know that is not always easy. We recognize that we live in a time when most nations are not nations that turn to God. We recognize that many of us may experience persecution in some form right now for living the truths the Church teaches. We are here to offer our stories, our encouragement, when we can, our instruction, our love, and our communion. If you desire to live the truths the Church teaches boldly, but are unsure sometimes what to do or say, we hope this website provides what you need; and if it doesn’t, let us know in the comment spaces. We are Catholic citizens just like you, of all ages, various professions, and different places in the world, all in this together, people of prayer, hope, faith, and destiny.

One final disclaimer: We seek to further the spirit of charitable discussion. In matters of Church teaching, we tolerate no dissent; but in matters which various opinions may legitimately be held, we tolerate discussion of ideas insofar as they are taken to be intellectual explorations, and not Gospel truths. Not all of our writers agree, for instance, on how to implement Catholic Social Teaching or how to determine the right way to use Natural Family Planning, not all agree on how to protect the Liturgy or how to catechize the Faithful. We are united as obedient Catholics, but please do not attribute the opinions of any one writer to the entire group as a whole. Discussion of these matters aids in the development of clarity and insight, but as said in the previous paragraph, we are Catholic citizens just like you striving for a life of conversion. If you disagree with something in an article, we welcome your thoughts.

Let us therefore preserve our fervor of spirit. Let us preserve the delightful and comforting joy of evangelizing, even when it is in tears that we must sow. May it mean for us – as it did for John the Baptist, for Peter and Paul, for the other apostles and for a multitude of splendid evangelizers all through the Church’s history – an interior enthusiasm that nobody and nothing can quench.

May it be the great joy of our consecrated lives. And may the world of our time, which is searching, sometimes with anguish, sometimes with hope, be enabled to receive the Good News not from evangelizers who are dejected, discouraged, impatient or anxious, but from ministers of the Gospel whose lives glow with fervor, who have first received the joy of Christ, and who are willing to risk their lives so that the kingdom may be proclaimed and the Church established in the midst of the world. 

8 thoughts on “Mission”

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