MY PARISH, YOUR PARISH
Living the Gospel in the Local Church
7 Habits of the
New Evangelizer
Part 2: Ways to engage the parish with
the New Evangelization.
Fr. Charles Canoy
A
t a local chapter of Legatus, an organization of Catholic business leaders,
I recently spoke on the New Evangelization. After giving the basics,
I then recommended cultivating the “7 Habits of New Evangelizers” in their lives.
Here is a very brief synopsis of what I shared.
The New Evangelizer . . .
1. Pursues Holiness. People are attracted
to saints, and each of us is called to be
one. Pope Paul VI said, “Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to
teachers, and if he does listen to teachers,
it is because they are witnesses.”
2. Gives Reasons for Hope. St. Peter said
to be “always prepared to make a defense
to anyone who asks you for a reason for the
hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness
and respect” (1 Pt 3:15). We have so many
“chance” meetings in our life. Do you have
a three-minute testimony of how the Lord
has changed your life’s destiny and how you
draw strength and wisdom from a living relationship with him?
3. Prays Daily. It is difficult to give authentic
testimony about someone you do not know
very well. Just as a married person would
check in daily with his or her spouse, so
should we check in with our beloved
Lord. Our regular communion with God
in prayer should include taking advantage
of the sacraments by which God shares his
very life with us. As the saying goes, you
cannot give what you do not have.
4. Values Small-group Friendships. The
Lord is clear: “If they persecuted me, they
will also persecute you” (Jn 15:20). Because
we are inherently relational, just as God is
within himself, it is more difficult to be bold
for the Lord if we think we will not have any
friends as a result. Having strong friends in
Christ gives us the support network we need
to urge us on in our God-given mission and
vocation in the world.
5. Exhibits Holy Indifference. Holy indifference is a joyful detachment from the things
of this world. If we are beholden to the things
of this world and susceptible to worldly
temptations, our hearts will feel divided, and
something will give. If our hearts, however,
are beholden only to the Lord, then we experience true freedom. We become masters
of our passions and possessions, rather than
those very things enslaving us.
6. Uses Charisms. God has given each of
us spiritual gifts by which we are to help
build up God’s kingdom and his people.
Do we use them? Remember the parable
of the talents and that God is interested in
fruitfulness. He wants our hearts first and
foremost, but then he calls us to be laborers in his vineyard.
7. Practices Spiritual Accompaniment.
Pope Francis mentions how every Christian
needs to be initiated into this “art of accompaniment.” In essence, it is accompanying
the people God has placed in our lives on
their spiritual journey, being a Christ-like
presence for them, getting a sense of where
they are spiritually, and helping them to
meet their deepest desires by inviting them
to opportunities through which they can
encounter Jesus for themselves. I highly recommend reading Pope Francis’s section on
spiritual accompaniment in his exhortation,
The Joy of the Gospel (nos. 169-173).
Fr. Charles Canoy is pastor of St. John the
Evangelist Parish in Jackson, Michigan.
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