Going out to find and recover Catholics not living according to their baptism is one of the great challenges of pastoral work, along with the evangelization of those who do not know Christ, said the bishop of Cúcuta, Colombia, José Libardo Garcés.
In a column published in the newspaper La Verdad (“The Truth”), the prelate recalled that Jesus has entrusted his disciples with taking the good news to the ends of the earth, a call that “must move us all to develop creativity to reach the different sectors of the parish.”
This involves covering the three areas of parish pastoral care that, as Pope Francis explains in Evangelii Gaudium, consist of “igniting the hearts of the faithful who regularly frequent the community,” going to “baptized persons who aren’t living the demands of baptism, who don’t have a warm relationship with the Church, and no longer experience the consolation of faith,” and evangelizing “those who do not know Jesus Christ or have always rejected him.”
Garcés pointed out that although in the diocese they have worked hard on the first aspect, “we need to go out and look for those who are part of those who aren’t living the demands of baptism, which is a large group.”
“And much more neglected are those in the third area, those who don’t know Jesus Christ or openly reject him,” he said, according to a Catholic News Agency report.
The Colombian bishop explained that in order to cover these latter two groups of people “we must call upon those we have in the first area of pastoral care so that they commit themselves to the joyful announcement of the message of Jesus Christ in all environments.”
In his text, Garcés noted that “catholic” means “universal” and that universality “has to be in the mind of the evangelizer, to reach everywhere with the power of the Gospel.”
He also encouraged his flock to not be afraid of going into certain sectors of society and not to be discouraged if they are rejected at first, because it is Christ who leads the mission. “He himself has told us in the Gospel: “Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age,” Garcés recalled.
“This means having fervor for evangelization, which is strongly felt in the missionary when he is in God’s grace. A priest, a missionary in God’s grace, is capable of leaving his usual comfort zone and giving his life for Jesus Christ.”
Make use of the means of grace
However, he clarified, “it is not possible to be a fervent missionary while being in a permanent state of sin. We are all sinners, but what is expected of a priest, of a missionary, is that he doesn’t remain in a state of sin for a long time,” and for this he has the sacrament of confession, he said, with which he will receive forgiveness and be able to continue announcing God’s mercy everywhere.
The bishop of Cúcuta concluded by again quoting Pope Francis, who points out in his apostolic exhortation that “missionary activity still represents the greatest challenge for the Church today and the missionary cause must be the first.”
“May the Blessed Virgin Mary, star of evangelization, and the glorious patriarch St. Joseph, faithful guardian of the faith, obtain from Our Lord Jesus Christ the pastoral fervor to always be in missionary outreach,” the prelate prayed in conclusion.
