Why a process for renewal?

According to the dictionary, the word “renew” means various things. It means to take up again, to reaffirm, to restore and to replenish. All of these sentiments, and more, are what our process for diocesan renewal is all about. We want to return to the heart of our faith and to take up again Jesus’ invitation to “come and see” who he is. We want to reaffirm our discipleship, to restore and replenish our practice and understanding of Christian life and spirituality. At the beginning of the new Millennium, Pope John Paul encouraged the whole Church to put out into the deep and to start afresh from Christ. Our process for renewal is a way of beginning to do this within the different communities that make up our diocesan family.

There’s probably never been an easy time to be a Christian. Certainly today there are many challenges to our faith. A process for renewal is about rediscovering and deepening our relationship with the Lord so that, as individuals and as a Church, we can reaffirm our witness to his presence in the world and our working together to build God’s Kingdom. Evangelisation is a frightening word for some people. At its most basic, it means seeking Christ in everything and proclaiming Christ through everything. There are all kinds of ways of doing this and, hopefully, our renewal process will help us take up again Jesus’ command to share the Good News of the Gospel.

Almost thirty years ago Pope Paul VI reminded every Catholic of the need to be evangelised in order to evangelise. In other words, renewing our own faith is the foundation for sharing that faith with those around us. This doesn’t mean that we have to wait until we’ve become “perfect evangelists” before we can begin to share our faith. If it did, we’d wait forever! No, it means constantly refreshing our faith and prayer so that what we do share comes from a living relationship with Christ.