The first thing necessary in Evangelization is not a Bishop’s Synod. It is GRACE which comes with the beginning of Conversion. From then on it will be grace upon grace….until the soul receives the grace of final perseverance and Eternal Life. The Lineamenta and Instrumentum Laboris had omitted the first two steps in Pope Benedict’s ‘New Evangelization’…..because they said it is not needed. They would, then, have omitted the thing most needed in the whole process of Evangelization which is the initial grace. Without this first grace that comes at the beginning of Conversion the next graces will not follow.
Pope Benedict had noted why there is a need for ‘New Evangelization’…..because there was and still is an error in the ‘Structure and method of teaching’ the Catholic Faith AND there is an error in the ‘Contents’ in what was taught. These errors probably occurred in seminaries and the consequence would stagger our imagination. Pope Benedict had already noticed the consequence in Tubingen when he saw that the seminarians did not believe in God. They were in fact communists. This was one of the best theological school. With this error in seminaries there would be no Faith in all seminaries after two generations.
But the gates of hell can never prevail over the Church. Where would true Catholics come from? The Holy Father knows. The answer is found in the last Chapter of the last Gospel according to John which we shall discuss later.
Now, let us look at the importance of ‘Conversion,’ the first step in Pope Benedict’s ‘New Evangelization’ while addressing priests and deacons last March, he described as the most important step in the ‘New Evangelization.’
On the part of the Evangelized, grace is the most important first step. On the part of the ‘Evangelizer’ contemplation is the most important characteristic. Let us look first at the ones being Evangelized. The 27th Sunday in Ordinary time and the previous Sunday Gospels spoke about ‘being children’, learning from children and welcoming children. These Gospels are describing ‘Conversion.’ Conversion is to become like little children again ‘because the kingdom of God belongs to such as this.’ Pope Benedict’s second step is ‘The kingdom of God.’ Christ said : the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these i.e. to those who are like children. Christ did not tell us to become little children which Nicodemus in fact mistook saying; Do we have to return to our mother’s womb. Christ said; ‘to be LIKE little children.’
Conversion is to be LIKE little children. If we become LIKE little children then it is to such as this that the Kingdom of God belong. So it is clear that the GRACE that helps us begin our Conversion is given to us by God at the beginning of ‘Conversion.’ Exactly when?
Why did Christ tell us to be LIKE children? Let us study the natural psychology of a child. When a child is born, his intellect suddenly exposed to the outside world becomes conscious of two things. First, he becomes conscious of himself. And secondly with his intellect he reasons out that there must have been Someone who created him. That is a natural intellectual process of cause and effect. The child does not think his parents created him. He has no way of finding that out. So he is suddenly conscious of MYSELF before GOD my creator. He further uses his intellect to reason out that his Creator is much superior to himself having the great enormous power and wisdom to be able to create a masterpiece called MYSELF. Seeing MYSELF inferior to GOD he reasons that he must be subject to this obviously superior Being. And consequently he must do what pleases this superior Being simply because it is obvious that He knows better than ME.
As long as the MIND of this child is in this MYSELF and GOD situation and is conscious that he must submit himself and please this SUPERIOR BEING he has the proper disposition to receive the beginnings of Faith but not yet. Remember he is still a child and does not need a lengthy conversion. There is no grace yet. The child has to do one more thing before he receives the grace he will need to propel him up to the perfection of FAITH, HOPE AND CHARITY.
Let us go back briefly using the description of conversion according to St. Augustine and John Newman whom the Pope is quoting. So the child’s mind is focused on MYSELF in the presence of GOD, THE SUPERIOR BEING. He knows God is superior and, therefore he must be subject to Him. He knows he must do all things to please Him. He never removes his mind’s focus on these two things; MYSELF AND GOD. Here, he is still in the natural level.
When will he receive the Grace from God so necessary to begin his conversion and on which the next graces leading to perfection will depend on? When his mind assents to these truths which is confronting him….and when his free will consents to these truths confronting him. When he does these things, God gives him the grace which includes the beginnings of supernatural Faith. He is now in the supernatural level.
This response rarely takes place. It happened to St. Therese of Lisieux. It did not happen to St. Augustine and Blessed John Newman. We shall show the difference between these three in another article.
Because the ‘Lineamenta’ stated that Conversion is not necessary and the Instrumentum Laboris based everything on that omission….unless this is modified or corrected during the Synod, The Bishops and priest all over the world will omit the most important step in Evangelization,’Conversion’ where the initial grace necessary to sustain all the process is attained. It is difficult to imagine any greater disaster that can ever occur in this world.