MD501 – Online Evangelism
ONLINE YOUTH MINISTRY
OBJECTIVE
The online world is a powerful platform – how can we bring Jesus to this racing world of billions?
Almighty and eternal God, who created us in Thy image and bade us to seek after all that is good, true and beautiful, especially in the divine person of Thy only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, grant we beseech Thee, that, through the intercession of Blessed Carlo Acutis, during our journeys through the internet we will direct our hands and eyes only to that which is pleasing to Thee and treat with charity and patience all those souls whom we encounter. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE EVANGELISM
“For, “every one who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”
But how are men to call upon him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? And how can men preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news!”
Romans 10:13-15 RSVCE
The Church, and every Christian within it, exists to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. It is fundamentally important to our understanding of evangelisation that it reminds us that the Church does not exist for itself. Before Jesus ascended to Heaven, He said to the apostles, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation.” (Mark 16:15) It is a calling that has not changed over the years, as Pope Paul VI affirmed in his letter on ‘Evangelization in the Modern World’;
“We wish to confirm once more that the task of evangelizing all people constitutes the essential mission of the Church. It is a task and mission which the vast and profound changes of present day society make all the more urgent. Evangelizing is in fact the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity. She exists in order to evangelize.”
Evangelization in the Modern World, 35, 36
There are approximately 7 billion people in the world. Four billion of the population are Internet users and 3 billion of them are on social media. How are we going to evangelise to these people? The answer is online evangelism.
“The internet, in particular, offers immense possibilities for encounter and solidarity.
This is something truly good, a gift from God.”
Pope Francis
The essence of our mission in evangelization is:
“the proclamation of Christ by word and the testimony of life…
it is accomplished in the ordinary circumstances of the world.”
CCC 905
Here we are living in this generation and called to translate our mission into the online world where we are interconnected globally within seconds. The power of internet can build a bridge to those who wants to experience the love and mercy of God, and we can be the face of Christ they see/encounter no matter where they are in this world.
WATCH
Put aside any distractions, such as music or your phone, and give your full attention to the short tutorial.
Continue the rest of the lesson in your OneNote.
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