Concept Paper of the Second Philippine Conference on New Evangelization

PHILIPPINE CONFERENCE ON NEW EVANGELIZATION II
January 15-17, 2015
UST Quadricentennial Pavilion
Theme: “Blessed are you…”
(Matthew 5:1-12)

INTRODUCTION

“Behold, God makes all things new.” (Rev. 21:5) This was the vision that ignited the flame of the First Philippine Conference on New Evangelization (PCNE I). As a response to the XIII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops (2012) which focused on The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith, PCNE I set out to initiate a renewed experience of faith and a new fervor to proclaim the gospel in the local and Asian context. During the three days of the conference, the participants marvelled at the manifold ways by which Jesus could be encountered in the richness of the catholic faith from the scriptures to popular religiosity. They were treated to a feast of the abundance of God’s presence in the creative and imaginative prayer sessions, in the dialogue of life between the clergy and the laity, between Christians and other traditions, in the edifying liturgies, in the culture and devotions of ordinary people, in the young and in the poor. Their experiences of grace evoked by the pathways to the lived unity of the Church in its diverse components and gifts impelled a desire to respond concretely to the call to become a missionary church.

In his message for the conference, Pope Francis said, “Don’t get tired of bringing the mercy of the Father to the poor, the sick, the abandoned, the young people, and family. Let Jesus be known in the world of politics, business, arts, science, technology, and social media. Let the Holy Spirit renew the creation and bring forth justice and peace in the Philippines and in the great continent of Asia that is close to my heart.” The challenge of the Holy Father resonated with the desiderata and dreams of the participants for the church. They asked that we must take steps to foster a more active and leading role of the laity in the transformation of the church and the society. They called for the promotion of small Christian communities and other faith communities as means of evangelization and to focus on the family as both subject and object of evangelization. They felt the urgent need for a systematic and comprehensive evangelization program and creative involvement of the youth in the life of the church. They wanted to grow in their understanding and appreciation of other religious traditions and reach out with humility to those who have turned to them.

Most of all, they earnestly desired that we become evangelically poor: for the church to be more sensitive to the plight of the poor, live simple and austere lifestyles, and act in solidarity with the poor. Simplicity of lifestyle is what they expect from their pastors and leaders more than creating projects for the poor. They long for a deeper dialogue of life between the clergy and the poor, a lifestyle that witnesses to poverty in the manner of the poor Christ. This clamor to be a church of the poor sadly reminds us that not much has changed since the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP II) which firmly proposed it almost twenty-four years ago.

Nevertheless, the Second Philippine Conference on New Evangelization (PCNE II) aspires to respond to the challenges posed by PCNE I. Taking the cue once again from the voice of Pope Francis, PCNE II seeks to reflect on The Beatitudes of Matthew 5 and the radical revolution it demands. Pope Francis chose the same theme for the celebration of the World Youth Days beginning this year to 2016 in Krakow. In line with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ declaration of 2014 as the Year of the Laity and 2015 as the Year of the Poor, PCNE II seeks to deepen our appreciation of the beatitudes in relation to our struggles with inequality and poverty. The apostolic visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines this January with the theme of “mercy and compassion” all the more highlights the need to understand these cherished ideals of Jesus.

DAY ONE: The Portrait of Blessedness

Jesus proclaims eight times what blessedness, full happiness or perfect joy consists in. He begins his evangelizing ministry by announcing blessedness in God’s Kingdom. Blessedness is a fruit of God’s action that Jesus affirms and promises. People possessing some identified qualities and engaging in specified acts are declared blessed because they are assured of an action of God in and for them. Infinite joy would permeate these persons because God’s reign, providential action and benevolence would be theirs. Belonging to God’s reign is a good summary of God’s other actions that make us blessed: God will console, will satiate, will be merciful, will give land, will manifest God’s face, and will call them children. To be blessed is to see, hear, touch and experience God ruling one’s life.

No one exemplifies these to us than Jesus himself. He is the portrait of a truly happy and blessed person. Jesus could testify to blessedness because of His experience of the Father’s unbounded love that became His sustenance in the face of opposition, failure, forgiveness, betrayal and death. Christ’s words and works chronicle the surprising ways by which God blesses those who trust in Him. In his message to the youth for the Twenty-Ninth World Youth Day (2014), Pope Francis said, “Throughout his life, from his birth in the stable in Bethlehem until his death on the cross and his resurrection, Jesus embodied the Beatitudes. All the promises of God’s Kingdom were fulfilled in him.”

Key Question (Ponder in your heart): How have we experienced the joy that God gives, in contrast to that offered by the world?

DAY TWO: The Pathways to Blessedness

It is clear that blessedness is a grace, a gift and action of God. But not all human dispositions and actions orient us to receive the grace. Jesus also indicates the path that leads us to God’s blessedness. Poverty of spirit speaks of one’s need for and dependence on God, as against self-sufficiency. Mourning is crying with others, as against hardness of heart and egoism. Meekness allows others to grow and live, as against dominating them. Thirst for justice seeks right relationships with others, as against indifference and manipulation. Mercy makes one stop to help a needy neighbor and to forgive, as against blindness and pride. Peacemaking is taking steps for love to triumph, as against sowing seeds of hatred. Blessedness involves serious human tasks, responsibilities and conversion. Jesus does not constrict or restrict but liberates us into genuine joy. The path to blessedness is that of freedom to love and serve especially the least. True blessedness is the freedom promised to God’s children and those who allow God to reign in them.

Pope Francis says that the beatitudes are the path to true happiness, the path that God indicates as an answer to the desire of happiness inherent in man (Wednesday General Audience, August 6, 2014). The pattern and the signposts to blessedness have been clearly laid down by Jesus. They, however, require a human response and a communal commitment.

Key Question (Ponder in your heart): How have the paths to blessedness liberated me to love, to serve and form community?

DAY THREE: The Program of Blessedness
Our community’s identity and mission is to discover the reign of God in our helplessness and vulnerabilities. We are constantly called to think of pastoral, ministerial and missionary approaches that do not only respond to actual needs but would afford experiences of being blessed in God’s eyes. The church is not an ordinary social welfare organization. She is a mother who keeps the memory of God’s love alive in her children. Christians are not mere social activists. We are bearers of the hope and the fulfillment of the kingdom of God. We are proclaimers of the joy of the Gospel in our insatiable and desperate world.

The first words of the Holy Father in his apostolic exhortation serve as our inspiration, “The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ, joy is constantly born anew. In this Exhortation, I wish to encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization marked by this joy, while pointing out new paths for the Church’s journey in years to come.” (EG, 1) PCNE II is our local response to this new chapter of evangelization. And we are looking at the path of the beatitudes as the new paths for the new evangelizers in the third millennium and our fundamental pastoral missionary project as a church.

Key Question (Ponder in your heart): How can we restore the joy/blessedness of being evangelizers or messengers of the Gospel of God’s reign?

CONCLUSION

In light of the PCNE I experience, the Year of the Laity (2014) and the Year of the Poor (2015), and the Apostolic Visit of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, to the Philippines, the following objectives are offered for the Second Philippine Conference on New Evangelization (PCNE II): 

--- to help the participants understand the true meaning of blessedness as modelled by Jesus (Encounter with Jesus) 

--- to explore avenues and pathways that lead to a blessed life (Experience of Church) 

--- to offer opportunities for individual and communal living out of the beatitudes (Witnessing to Blessedness)

With Mary, the Mother and Star of New Evangelization, we entrust to the Lord the Second Philippine Conference on New Evangelization (PCNE II) as we continue to discover the paths that lead to the authentic and eternal happiness of the Kingdom of heaven.