The Popes, Marian Devotion, And The New Evangelization

By DONAL ANTHONY FOLEY

Part 1

This is the first in a series of articles which looks at Marian aspects of the New Evangelization, in the light of the teaching of those recent Popes who have emphasized this evangelization as being crucial to the Church’s role in the modern world. Of course, the Church has been involved in evangelization for the past 2,000 years, ever since Christ, at His Ascension, gave His commandment to the apostles to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19).
But the principle of a New Evangelization has assumed a greater urgency since the Second Vatican Council, given that society as a whole has undergone such tremendous changes in recent years, not all of them positive, while the Church has struggled to make the message of Christ known in an increasingly hostile atmosphere.
The word “evangelization” comes from the Greek, and pertains to announcing a message, in this case the good news, or “Gospel” of Jesus Christ, whether to people who have not heard of it before, or to those who need to be re-evangelized.
In reality, evangelization is something every baptized Catholic ought to be doing, that is, reaching out to others in the name of Jesus, and proclaiming, by their lives as much as by words, His saving message. So evangelization includes both befriending people and caring for their needs, and also sharing the Gospel with them with a view to their conversion.
As regards the New Evangelization, this is the whole program enacted by the Church, in various ways, from the latter part of the 20th century onward, the great movement to mobilize Catholics for the evangelization of the world in the third millennium in which we are now living.
But “evangelization” is not just a question of missionary activity, but also encompasses re-evangelizing those cultures where Christian influence has diminished, and also looking at the way that Catholic thought and practice can act as a “leaven” in improving society in a moral and cultural sense, as indicated in the parable of the leaven (Matt. 13:33).
In September 2010, Pope Benedict XVI issued a motu proprio apostolic letter, Ubicumque et Semper, establishing the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization. In this, he stated that “the mission of evangelization, a continuation of the work desired by the Lord Jesus, is necessary for the Church: It cannot be overlooked; it is an expression of her very nature.”
He also noted that the New Evangelization requires a “constant interior renewal, a continuous passing, so to speak, from evangelized to evangelizing,” that is, that the Church needs to be renewed in an interior sense, before it can successfully go out to the world.
How, though, do we relate this New Evangelization to the Blessed Virgin? We can answer that question by saying that devotion to our Lady had a very important role during the first evangelization of the cultures of antiquity, and this continued and deepened during the medieval period, when devotion to her was very widespread. Likewise, after the Reformation, she was very important in the process of reestablishing Christianity as a force in society following the breakup of Christendom.
In the more modern era, too, through her approved apparitions, she has been of great importance in strengthening the Church in a practical sense, and thus it can be argued that her role must also be promoted and understood in the New Evangelization if it is to be truly fruitful. The same can be said of sacramentals such as the Miraculous Medal, the brown scapular, and the rosary, all of which have had a tremendous impact on Catholic life over the centuries.
The various Marian apparitions which took place during the 19th century, and particularly in France, did a great deal to revive Catholicism in Europe after the negative influence of the various revolutionary outbursts which had taken place, in addition to the ongoing secularizing effects of the Reformation and Enlightenment. In sum, all this devotion to our Lady was an important means of building up the faith, which is essentially what evangelization is all about.
In the late 19th century, Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903), wrote numerous encyclicals on the rosary, and urged Christians to pray it, saying: “Our need of divine help is as great today as when the great Dominic introduced the use of the rosary of Mary as a balm for the wounds of his contemporaries.”
Pope Leo was keen to promote Marian devotion because he realized that it was a bulwark against the increasingly secularizing trends in society, as the effects of the Industrial Revolution gathered pace. In regard to devotion to Mary generally, he said, “So great is her favor before God that whosoever in his need will not have recourse to her is trying to fly without wings,” while his Successor, Pope St. Pius X said, “True devotion to Christ demands true devotion to Mary.”

The Immaculate Heart

The apparitions at Fatima, in Portugal, which took place between May and October 1917, should be regarded as the most important series of Marian apparitions of the 20th century, if not the most important events in their own right, particularly because of the tremendous “Miracle of the Sun” which was seen by a crowd of at least 70,000.
Fatima is important, too, because of its connection with the papacy, and because a period of peace was promised to the world by the Blessed Virgin, provided people heeded her words.
Fatima occurred just as the Russian Revolution was unfolding in 1917, during World War I. This revolution represented another stage in the progressive denial and rejection of God which began in earnest with the Reformation and was continued by the Enlightenment and the French Revolution.
In answer to the threat represented by these successive revolutions, the Blessed Virgin has appeared and asked for repentance, conversion to God, and a turning away from sin, to prevent further disasters afflicting mankind.
The essence of the Fatima message is contained in our Lady’s words to Jacinta and Francisco Marto, and Lucia dos Santos, during the June 13, 1917 apparition at the Cova da Iria at Fatima, that is, that Jesus wanted to use the children to make her known and loved, and that He wished to establish devotion to her Immaculate Heart throughout the world.
Fulfilling our Lady’s requests at Fatima, then, is essentially about our becoming devoted to her Immaculate Heart, to seeing her as, under God, our all-powerful spiritual Mother, who came down from Heaven precisely to lead her children back to God. That is the most crucial element, although her other requests, such as praying the rosary, the Five First Saturdays devotion of reparation, and the wearing of the brown scapular — are also important.
During the July 13 apparition, our Lady promised that in October, she would “perform a miracle for all to see and believe.” She also showed the children a vision of Hell, the first part of the Fatima secret, before saying that to save them God wished to establish in the world devotion to her Immaculate Heart.
She spoke, too, of persecutions, and of Russia spreading its errors throughout the world — Communism initially, and then the ensuing Godless materialism and secularism that the world is currently experiencing. Finally, though, she said, “In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me and she will be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world.”

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(Donal Anthony Foley is the author of a number of books on Marian apparitions, and maintains a related website at www.theotokos.org.uk.)