::: ::::MISSION TODAY:::: :::

Our focus during this year 2012 will be particularly on new evangelization thanks to the coming synod on the theme. It was on 21 September 2010, that Pope Benedict XVI established the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization. He clarified that its principal task would be to “promote a renewed evangelization in the countries where the first proclamation of the faith has already resonated and where Churches with an ancient foundation exist but are experiencing the progressive secularization of society and a sort of eclipse of the sense of God.”

This is a modern development especially, not exclusively, in the so-called rich world. Such an eclipse of the sense of God appears to have come about along with remarkable economic prosperity and material and technological advancement. At the same time , how far this matter can be quantified remains open to discussion. I was pleasantly surprised on a recent visit to the United States and New Zealand, to find respectable numbers of people attending church. In one church, I was impressed to see for a week day Mass a good number of men folk. Church attendance is not everything, but it is certainly an indicator.

The eclipse of the sense of God is not limited to the western world. India is known as a religious country. There is no doubt it is. It is the birthplace of several religions of the world. Yet even here, one notices pockets where the traditional religious dimension of life is getting pushed to the back. Indian culture still remains markedly religious. Yet the secularist challenge, understood in the sense of an eclipse of the sense of God, is constantly looking for space. The fact of growing economic prosperity and affluence can further complicate matters.

However, it must be asserted that the new millennium has witnessed greater growth in the sense of God than in the eclipse of God in most parts of the world. The only striking exception to this phenomenon is Western Europe, the traditional heartland of Christianity. However, in this part of the world, it is not only the sense of God that is dimming, population itself is fast diminishing. With increasing numbers of non-Christian migrants, it is difficult to visualize what the future, not just the distant future, will look like.

The synod on new evangelization, due for October 2012, will no doubt reflect on this situation. Its recommendations as well as the post-synodal apostolic exhortation will have much to offer to strengthen the Church’s missionary presence especially in those places and social sectors where the eclipse of the sense of God is a worrying concern for every committed Christian, especially for pastoral workers and church leaders.
What is new need not be seen as opposed to the old. The good news is always new. It was so also when Paul, that greatest of all missionaries, brought it with remarkable success to the men and women of his day. In this present issue of Mission Today, Jose Varickasseril studies the reasons that contributed to Paul’s missionary success and invites us to reflect on their value and significance even today. In the other articles, our writers reflect on themes related to the varying contexts of our day. All contexts and situations offer fresh challenges to the disciples of Christ committed to making him and his good news available to the men and women of our age.