Everything
that we do is about evangelization.
What is evangelization? It is
the proclamation of the good news
of Jesus to the world. Therefore,
as CFC-FFL, our call and our thrust
is evangelization. The word “evangelization”
sums up who we are and what we
are called to do. CFC-FFL is an
evangelistic community, and all
CFC-FFL members are to become
evangelizers.
How
does this happen? First we evangelize
by the witness of our lives, both
personal and community. This is
walking the talk. Second, we evangelize
by the witness of our mouths,
through our programs and ministries.
This is talking the walk.
Evangelization
is not necessarily recruitment
We
seek to evangelize, not to recruit.
We seek to save souls, not to
chalk up numbers. But since evangelization
is a continuing process, which
does not stop even after someone
has accepted Jesus as Savior and
Lord, then we desire to bring
in those we are evangelizing into
a support environment that can
help move them on to holiness
of life and to service to Christ.
These environments are the parishes,
religious groups, ecclesial communities,
and of course CFC-FFL. For us,
since CFC-FFL, together with our
involvement in our parishes, can
provide the means by which we
can become a holy people of God,
it is natural for us to seek to
bring people into CFC-FFL. As
such, evangelizing them can continue
in a deliberate and structured
manner. This is where the aspect
of “recruitment” comes
in.
Evangelization
comes in many different forms
There
are the formal programs such as
the Life in the Spirit seminars
and the CFC-FFL Christian Life
Seminar (CLS). But since evangelization
is proclaiming the good news of
Jesus, then evangelization is
also the many other works that
people do in the name of Christ.
For us, these are works such as
building communities among the
poor, our pro-life advocacy, and
our service in our parishes. Ultimately,
however, we look to the CLS as
our primary means of starting
the work of evangelization, because
the CLS is the entry point to
the fullness of community life
and support.
Evangelization
and our Core Values
In
doing whatever we are doing, being
centered on Christ and consequently
speaking about Christ is a must.
This is what makes a work evangelization.
Otherwise, it would just be a
good work, if we simply did good
but did not witness to the Person
who causes us to do good works.
If our good work does not ultimately
introduce a person to Christ,
then it is still laudable good
work (which Christians should
do), but it is not evangelization.
Every
CFC-FFL member is to be an evangelizer,
in the ordinary day-to-day circumstances
of his life (with relatives, friends,
neighbors, co-workers, co-students).
Every CFC-FFL member should be
open to doing mission, which is
to evangelize outside of one’s
parish, province or country.
Evangelization
starts with one’s self,
then radiates to the other members
of the family. In turn, the family
and the home become the base for
evangelistic work that we do in
the larger society.
Evangelization
is nurtured in community, where
the tools to growing in the Christian
life are offered, where the call
to holiness is seriously looked
to, where the opportunity to serve
others is provided, where brethren
support each other to enter more
deeply into the life of Christ.
Community also brings together
the varied spiritual gifts of
members, together with human resources,
to be able to do a more massive
and effective work of evangelization
in the larger society and in the
world.
The
very mission of Jesus is to bring
good news to the poor (Lk 4:18).
This has both spiritual and social
dimensions. Our evangelization
then takes us into the realm of
work with the poor, of having
a preferential option for the
poor, of building the Church of
the Poor.
Evangelizers
follow in the footsteps of the
Savior and Master, who is the
One who sends us forth to the
ends of the earth. We are the
slaves of Jesus. Many of us will
be called to leadership, and many
will be used in the power of the
Holy Spirit. But there is only
one Master, and our work of evangelization
necessitates servant leadership.
This is according to the teaching
of Jesus, where the leader is
the servant, where the greatest
is the least of all.
Finally,
our evangelization brings us to
serving the Church, through our
parishes and dioceses. We are
an integral part of the Roman
Catholic Church. We do the very
mission of Jesus, and the Church
is the body of Christ on earth.
We live out our call as a lay
ecclesial community that is integrated
in the life and mission of the
Church. We make ourselves available
for service in the parishes, especially
in the areas of family and life.
(November
4, 2008)