1. The Advent Liturgy. Evangelization comes in two forms; one slightly different from the other but both are essentially identical. The first evangelization is often referred to as ‘classical’ evangelization. And the second is referred to as ‘new’ evangelization.
The first evangelization can be seen both in the Old and New Testament; when God used to send prophets to preach His words in the Old Testament. And this continued in the New Testament when God sent apostles to preach to the Jews. In this evangelization, God used men to preach His Words to other men.
This first evangelization was shown as a type during the early part of the Old Testament and this type was realized in the preaching of the apostles in the New Testament.
2. Eschatological evangelization.
Evangelization was shown to us as a type in the Old Testament and then taught to us as fulfilled in the New Testament. While this evangelization was fulfilled in the New Testament, what was fulfilled in the New Testament can be eschatologically realized today. What are we trying to say? That the way evangelization was done before. wherein men were sent to preach to other men. was the practice in the Old Testament. It is still the way it is done in the New Testament with the apostles’ preaching to other men. But even before the apostles who were men were preaching to men, during Christmas. the ‘new’ evangelization was already being presented as a type for the future ‘new’ evangelization. There is an overlapping here.
While the apostles were not yet chosen and were not yet evangelizing, the people were already learning the Word of God without human preachers. The Shepherds and the Magi learned and recognized the Word of God without need of a human evangelizer. This is the ‘new’ evangelization pre-figured during Christmas and taught by John Paul II and Benedict XVI
3. New evangelization.
The Shepherds came to know the Son of God without listening to any preacher-evangelist. The same thing with the Magi. While it may be said that the Shepherds learned from Angels and the Magi learned from the star……in both cases they did not learn from human teachers. We can probably say both of them learned directly from God. This is the singular trait of John Paul II and Benedict XVI’s ‘new’ evangelization. There is no need for humans because at this time in history no priests or bishop or cardinal know the truths. And God knew this time would come, so He made provisions for this.
4. How is God’s Words learned?
Here, souls learn directly from God. “God will teach you.” At this time in history, mankind had been divided into cockles and wheat. The cockles cannot be taught anymore, so no one teaches them. While the wheat are souls in different degree of advancement in the Faith. God allows those who have begun their journey of Faith to continue their journey.
Those who are caught at this time without Faith cannot be helped. Like when Christ, seeing the unfaithfulness of the Jews abandoned them and transferred to the Gentiles.
This is clear in the parable of the cockle and wheat. Christ did not order the apostles to preach to the cockles and the wheat. He ordered the apostles to bundle the cockle to be burned, while the wheat to be gathered and brought to the barn.
This is, also, clear in the parable of the unfaithful servants. Christ took away the vineyard away from the unfaithful servants and gave to others. One was abandoned, the other cared for.
This is clearer in the fishing trip of the apostles in Lake Tiberias. Christ ordered the apostles to lower the net, not anywhere, but only on the right side; i.e. to evangelize only on the right side where the 153 large and good fishes were. The apostles were told to evangelize only where there were good souls and not anywhere.
5. Preaching in the ‘new’ evangelization.
Preaching in the ‘new’ evangelization, as exemplified in the Shepherds and Magi, is done exclusively only on those with the proper disposition to Faith. And this was done by heavenly agents and not by humans.
St. Thomas of Aquinas described these proper disposition thus; firstly, that like both the shepherd and Magi they have left their homes, relatives and the world. Secondly, like the Shepherd, souls must watch for the good things that they already have, like watching over sheep. And they must be watchful to drive every evil things away from their hearts as they drive away wolves from their flocks. Like the Magi they must be concentrating only on heavenly topics.
The evangelizers of the present should be the children of the Woman who flew to the desert to stay in a place specially prepared for them by God. They occasionally leave the desert and go to the world to invite those with proper disposition to improve by going to the Catholic Church in the desert.
6. There is absolutely no school to prepare for the ‘new’ evangelization.
The school is contemplation; its teachers are contemplatives.The School of the ‘new’ evangelization is in the desert and the lone teacher is the Blessed Virgin Mary. Its first practioner is St. John the Baptist.
The school is contemplation; its teachers are contemplatives.The School of the ‘new’ evangelization is in the desert and the lone teacher is the Blessed Virgin Mary. Its first practioner is St. John the Baptist.