The Church in the Western world today faces new challenges. In a consumer society the Christian voice is just one among many vying for attention and competing for a hearing.
The question of what is 'important' is now much more likely to mean what is relevant, what is immediately meaningful, what is attractive. The more obscure questions relating to what is true, what is permanent and what is ultimately life-giving tend not to appeal to the post-modern mentality.
Into this confused and confusing world the Christian community is called to give witness to the power of the gospel. In the first instance this is a call to a witness of life which expresses joy. The Gospel establishes us in an identity and purpose which liberates us to go far beyond the confines of human approval and achievement. This witness is of its essence counter-cultural, as we are called to move from what is purely personal and to move into community awareness.
This journey of conversion is only possible as a response to a personal call of love. And this is what gives the Christian faith a unique character in that it is more than a tradition, a philosophy or an ethic. It is a relationship. Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, calls us into an experience of intimate love, creating within us the desire to follow him in the ways of self-giving and service.
It is this call of Christ that we in Sion Community desire to experience more deeply by our sharing together in life and mission. In this way, we become a prophetic sign within the Church as we seek to develop ways of being community that can embrace different states of life. From this community experience we find the strength to proclaim a faith that we recognise to be much more than just another belief system but a unique source of hope for the world.
Our charism is evangelisation. This is the mission of the whole Church but Sion Community embraces this charism in a particular way through the proclamation of the Gospel. We continue the mission of Jesus and the twelve apostles by proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom to all, calling all to a renewed relationship with God through Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.
We find in the message and mission of Jesus our own calling…
"Jesus answered 'I must proclaim the good news of
the
kingdom of God to the other towns too, because that is
what I was sent to do." (Luke 4:43)
"The time has come and the kingdom of God is close
at hand,
repent and believe the good news." (Mark 1:15)
The first words of Jesus in St Mark's gospel are a proclamation of the kingdom of God and how the kingdom comes about. Evangelism is the proclamation of the person of Jesus Christ and the kingdom he wishes to establish now on earth.
Evangelism is a way of life that involves attitude and action. The attitude is one of surrender, giving every aspect of our lives in response to God's call. The action is that of proclaiming the Good News by any appropriate means, never losing an opportunity to share about Jesus. The words of Jesus to His disciples are relevant to us today.
"As the Father sent me, so am I sending you." (John 20:21)
"Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptise them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you, and look, I am with you always; yes, to the end of time." (Matthew 28 : 19)
The Church, in her turn, has laid this mandate to evangelise before us through her teaching office. "For the Church, evangelising means bringing the Good News into all the strata of humanity and, through its influence, transforming humanity from within and making it new". (Evangelii Nuntiandi 18)
"Evangelisation will also contain...A clear proclamation that, in Jesus Christ, the Son of God made man, who died and rose from the dead, salvation is offered to all...as a gift of God's grace and mercy...a salvation which, indeed, has its beginning in this life but which is fulfilled in eternity."
"The Church is effectively and concretely at the service of the kingdom. This is seen especially in her preaching which is a call to conversion. Preaching constitutes the Church's first and fundamental way of serving the coming of the kingdom in individuals and in human society."
"And so it is with the fear of the Lord in mind that we try to win people over." (2 Corinthians 5:ll)
Once a person has accepted the message of the Good News, it is impossible for it to be contained within. It cannot be kept bottled up in our hearts. To live as a Christian is to be overflowing with the hope of salvation which God has offered and a yearning to share that hope with others.
"Finally, the person who has been evangelised goes on to evangelise others. Here lies the test of truth, the touchstone of evangelisation; it is unthinkable that a person should accept the Word and give himself to the kingdom without becoming a person who bears witness to it and proclaims it in his turn." (Evangelii Nuntiandi 24).
In preaching the Gospel to the nations the evangelist will proclaim with confidence the mystery of Christ so that in him the evangelist will dare to speak as he ought (Ephesians 6:19, Acts 4:31), not being ashamed of the scandal of the Cross. Meek and humble, following in the footsteps of the master, the evangelist will show that his yoke is sweet and his burden light (Matthew 11:29).
"By
a truly evangelical life, with great patience...in kindness and unfeigned love
(cf. 2 Cor. 6:4ff) he will bear witness to his Lord, if necessary to the shedding
of his blood. He will ask God for strength and courage and in the midst of great
affliction and abject poverty he will know abundance of joy (cf. 2 Cor. 8:2).
Let him be convinced that obedience is the special virtue of a minister of Christ
who by his obedience redeemed the human race." (Ad Gentes 24).