Walker Percy on the Need for a New Evangelization

First articulated by Saint John Paul II, the new evangelization may be described as a call upon the faithful to witness so that others reawaken and discover the vital friendship of Our Lord. It charges all who are His disciples to proclaim, celebrate and serve in imitation of Christ — and thereby transform the culture.

Not long before his death, Catholic novelist Walker Percy spoke to the graduating class of a seminary in Louisiana. His words to the newly ordained priests about to begin their ministry speak to the great need for just such a new evangelization:

Never has there been such loneliness in the midst of crowds, never such hunger in the face of satiation. Never has there been a more fertile ground for the seed and the harvest the Lord spoke of. All that is needed is a bearer of the Good News who speaks it with such authority that it can penetrate the most exhausted hearings, revive the most jaded language ... You and the Church you serve may only be a remnant, but it will be a saving remnant.

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Prayer for the New Evangelization

Heavenly Father, Pour forth your Holy Spirit to inspire me with these words from Holy Scripture. Stir in my soul the desire to renew my faith and deepen my relationship with your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ so that I might truly believe in and live the Good News. Open my heart to hear the Gospel and grant me the confidence to proclaim the Good News to others. In His holy name I pray. Amen.