by Joseph Yun Li-sun

The bishops write a letter to their dioceses for Baptism of Our Lord: "The Church must return to evangelizing itself, to be able to evangelize the world again". An invitation to pastoral care of young people and rural communities, where "the ills of our time have not yet arrived."

Seoul (AsiaNews) - The Church "must return to evangelize itself, so that it can then evangelize the world again. This is why every believer must confirm their faith and their commitment to witness to the Gospel." This is the focus of the pastoral letters sent to by the bishops of South Korea to their dioceses: the text will be read in parishes on Sunday 13 January, feast of the Baptism of Our Lord.

The bishops remind the faithful that the Year of Faith is underway which compels believers to "renew in an active way the promises made during Baptism and confirmed by Confirmation. We need to rediscover the ardor, methods and expression to revive the evangelization of the country. We should not forget that the past year marked the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council, as well as of the 20th anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Church. "

The small Christian communities, the bishops write, "must be reinvigorated. A social evangelization is needed that is based on the pastoral care of the family and young people, but is always based on the Social Doctrine of the Church. In this sense, small communities can become an outpost of faith". The reference is to the small less populated rural centers "but also less affected by the ills of our time."

The Archbishop of Seoul, Msgr. Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, in his letter launches five "mottos" focusing on the Year of Faith: "Faith - says the prelate - starts with the Word, grows with prayer, is confirmed by the teachings of the Church, united in celebration of Mass, brings with it the fruits of love".

The Bishop of Daejeon, Msgr. Lazzaro You Heung-sik, also concludes his text with an invitation to all the faithful: "Let's start again with young people. Young people are the new point of view on faith and society and therefore must be protected, but at the same time they must become the protagonists not only of their lives, but also of pastoral care. "

 

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