Ecclesial movements and new communities have extraordinary missionary energy. They have great evangelising potential, and that is something that the Church badly needs nowadays. At the first meeting held with movements and new communities in 1998, Blessed John Paul II said: “In our world, often dominated by a secularized culture which encourages and promotes models of life without God, the faith of many is sorely tested, and is frequently stifled and dies. Thus we see an urgent need for powerful proclamation and solid, in-depth Christian formation. There is so much need today for mature Christian personalities, conscious of their baptismal identity, of their vocation and mission in the Church and in the world! There is great need for living Christian communities! And here are the movements and the new ecclesial communities...”. We note that one of the priorities of evangelisation that the pope spoke of is “powerful proclamation”. This is undoubtedly an area in which ecclesial movements and new communities contribute wonderful benefits to the life of the Church. They become “faith laboratories” for millions of Christians, real schools of Christian life, holiness and mission.
The features of the missionary commitment of these ecclesial groups include their great ability to rekindle the apostolic energy and missionary courage of the laity. They know how to release people’s spiritual potential. They help people to overcome the barriers of timidity, of fear and of false inferiority complexes which a secular culture instills in many Christians. Their desire to “make disciples” for Jesus Christ prompts individuals, married couples and whole families to leave everything behind and to go out on mission. Ecclesial movements and new communities are mindful of personal testimony, and they concentrate particularly on the direct proclamation of the Christian event through their rediscovery of kerigma as a method of catechesis and preaching. In this way they go out to meet one of the pressing needs of the Church in our times which is adult catechesis, understood as true Christian initiation that teaches the great value and beauty of the sacrament of Baptism.
One of the greatest obstacles to the work of evangelisation has always been routine, because it can take away the freshness and persuasive energy of proclamation and Christian witness. Movements have made a break and have thought of new ways and methods of carrying out apostolate. They go out naturally and courageously towards the difficult frontiers of the modern areopagi of culture, the mass media, economics and politics. They are very caring with those who suffer, the poor and those on the margins. They do not wait for those far from the faith to return. They go out in search of them. They do not hesitate to go to the streets and town squares to proclaim Christ, or to enter supermarkets, banks, schools and universities and wherever people are to be found. Missionary zeal urges them to go “to the ends of the earth”. They spread throughout the world and show how the charisms that spur them on can nourish the Christian life of men and women of any country, culture or tradition. It is surprising to see the missionary creativity that the Holy Spirit is giving to the Church through these new charisms today. Movements and new communities have become schools of mission for so many of the lay faithful.
