Not that long ago, when you talked about the death of missionaries, it meant that they had met some sad end in a far-flung corner of the world. More recently, it means that no one much feels the need to “preach the Gospel to all nations” anymore – and that missionary work is essentially disappearing. Our modern Gospel is much simpler: We’re all basically good people already, aren’t we? So why can’t we respect and affirm one another’s lifestyles, and all just try and get along.
That seems to be the default setting now, even for many Christians. It’s difficult for us to conceive that actual adherence to the Church would add anything of value to our lives, more than what we already think, quite independent of any institution. Much flows from this stance. All the talk about sharing Christian joy and love, and promoting the New Evangelization is really empty if you don’t believe there’s a specific reason for joy or that the New Evangelization, like the Old, is a matter of real, life-and-death urgency – and eternal consequences.
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