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FirstProclamation_SYM_ENG_FINAL

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FLASH

Salesian Youth Ministry Animation

Number 5. December 2023

First proclamation

and salesian youth ministry

Fr. Miguel Ángel García Morcuende

Youth Ministry General Councilor

YOUTH MINISTRY SECTOR

Salesiani di don Bosco SEDE CENTRALE SALESIANA

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First proclamation

and salesian youth ministry

Fr. Miguel Ángel García Morcuende

Youth Ministry General Councilor

1 Some endeavours seem to

remain fruitless

For years, we have been experiencing an

increasingly rapid social transformation of

great significance. Many structural aspects

of some societies are undergoing a real rev-

olution. Socialisation models, roles, the hier-

archy of prevailing values, formulas for inter-

action, expectations of young people, family

structures, etc. - all of this is in a process of

evolution. At the epicentre of these changes,

which they sometimes suffer and more often

represent, are adolescents/young people.

In everything that concerns the life of

faith, we experience many mixed feelings.

Some of our educational-pastoral efforts

do not seem to bear fruit and young peo-

ple do not always respond to pastoral

initiatives. It is true that the basic Christian

experience - the ways of love and salvation

laid out by God - remains the same, but the

landscape in which it is expressed has

changed radically.

Our adult gazes are not unconcerned gaz-

es but gazes where uncertainty sometimes

prevails: “What else can we do? The view from

difficulty of ‘not reaching everyone’ can eas-

ily shift to viewing adolescents/young peo-

ple as problematic subjects. On some occa-

sions, this view can be irritating as we are con-

fronted with targets who do not respond to

our proposals.

The key point is to rethink our Salesian

Youth Ministry (SYM) in order to recover the

original meaning, starting point and goal

of the new journeys of faith. To this end,

words beginning with prefixes such as “re”,

“con”, “in” or “inter” are a sign of vitality, move-

ment and adaptation. Words such as recon-

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Fr. Miguel Ángel García Morcuende • First proclamation and salesian youth ministry

version, reorganisation, redimensioning or

revitalisation are entering into the pastoral

reflections of Religious Institutes and Societ-

ies of Apostolic Life, as well as among lay Move-

ments and Associations.

2 The Questions

we carry within us

[a] Based on this reading, we ask ourselves:

how can we plan and carry out education-

al-pastoral processes and initiatives to pro-

pose the core message of the Gospel to

young people who do not know Jesus Christ,

to those who know him but have distanced

themselves from him, and to those who

believe that they already know him suffi-

ciently and live a routine faith?

These are the questions that we all ask our-

selves, even when we think of the adolescents

and young people in our Salesian house: How

can we arouse an interest in Jesus Christ in

those who frequent our formal and informal

educational institutions? How can we accom-

pany so many hundreds of them so that they

can take a step towards a first adherence to

him? How can we awaken a “first act of faith”,

a “first conversion”, on which the Christian

being can grow? We are talking about the first

proclamation.

But in what sense is this proclamation

the first?1 In a qualitative sense, “it is the

main proclamation, the one that must

always be heard again in different ways

and that must always be proclaimed

1 The expression “first proclamation” is quite recent. It came

into decisive use only in 1979 with Catechesi Tradendae (nn.

18-20). From the 1960s onwards and throughout the 1970s

and 1980s the expression most commonly used was evan-

gelization, which replaced the earlier missionary preach-

ing or pre-evangelization. It is also called pre-catechesis,

pre-catechumenate, kerygmatic catechesis, kerygma or

kerygmatic proclamation, or even first evangelization.

again in one way or another” (Evangelii

Gaudium 164).

It is necessary to remember that our hous-

es are full of unconverted young people

(including the “baptised and not evangelised”)

who are nevertheless blessed by the good-

ness of the presence of God who desires the

salvation of all of them. For the Salesian, the

young person is always a sign of hope, not

primarily because they have their whole life

ahead of them biologically, but because every-

one should have the opportunity to explore

faith wherever they are. We are convinced that

the living encounter with the Lord is not only the

“beginning”, but is the “centre” and the “heart”

of our SYM.

[b] Perhaps we should reconsider the pres-

ence of the first proclamation as an essen-

tial element of evangelisation, and it would

force us to review its mutual relationship

with the other elements that make up the

overall process of evangelisation of young

people. This would help us to realise the spec-

ificity of each of them and the interaction

between them all.

Evangelii Nuntiandi (1975), one of the first

documents of the magisterium to speak of

the need to promote the first proclamation,

expressed in number 24 a series of these ele-

ments of evangelisation which are always com-

plex. An updated re-reading speaks of:

–– Commitment in the service of humanity in

order to change mentalities, environments,

cultures and structures.

–– Witness by deeds (so necessary for the cred-

ibility of words) and witness with explicit

words, i.e., the first proclamation and all

kinds of oral interventions.

–– The itinerary of Christian initiation of chil-

dren, young people and adults in which the

following are integrated: personal prayer,

starting from the Word of God; the adapta-

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FLASH • December 2023 YOUTH MINISTRY SECTOR Salesiani di Don Bosco • Sede Centrale Salesiana

tion of the catechumenate and/or educa-

tional itineraries or catechesis; the experi-

ence of community through celebration and

prayer in its various forms; formation and

ministries and/or services; the concrete

demands of following Jesus Christ (change

of life in terms of attitudes, feelings and

habits).

–– The personalisation of the experience

through the opening of the young person’s

heart to Jesus Christ, i.e., initial faith and

conversion. An openness that cannot be

forced or assumed because it is an existen-

tial decision that sometimes begins with

simple curiosity, interest and goes as far as

the first adherence of faith.

–– The reception of the sacraments of initia-

tion (Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist)

and all those various pastoral initiatives

planned in the light of the spirituality of the

processes (Educational-Pastoral Project).

[c] From the outset, this list makes us real-

ise that there are specific elements that speak

to us of Christian initiation into the faith (wit-

ness and first proclamation); on the other

hand, there are specific elements that nour-

ish and permanently form the faith (cat-

echesis and itineraries of education in the faith,

celebration, etc.). The two elements, although

closely related, are not the same thing.

In other words, the SYM must pay atten-

tion to the complementarity and intimate

relationship between all these pastoral

actions. This articulated set of elements (i.e.,

organic pastoral care) cannot be disjointed if

evangelisation is to bear multiple fruits. In the

SYM, in fact, no area is completely autono-

mous, none can be understood in isolation,

but each has its own time. There is a difference

between planting and nurturing faith: two dis-

tinct moments that need different spaces and

methodologies.

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Fr. Miguel Ángel García Morcuende • First proclamation and salesian youth ministry

Is it possible to generate the initial faith in

Jesus Christ in an adolescent through a cat-

echesis on the theology of virtues, or through

the solemn Easter Vigil, without an initiation

into the Paschal Mystery of the Lord? Hardly.

What is not relevant as a pastoral proposal in

initiation may not help (as it is), it may even

be counterproductive at this point.

So, what would happen if we were to

think of a specific and determined edu-

cational-pastoral action, aimed precise-

ly at creating real possibilities for encoun-

tering Christ and fostering an operative

conversion? Such practical mediation is

what we are talking about when we speak

of the first proclamation.

[d] Salesian praxis is based on a particular-

ly important principle in evangelisation: the

principle of integrality. Since the processu-

al or gradual character of human and Chris-

tian maturity is governed by the principle of

growth-maturation of all the dimensions of

the person, in the same way, the implemen-

tation of each of the elements of evangelisa-

tion must have the same dynamic. It is a mis-

take to reduce youth ministry to only one of the

elements, promoting only one aspect, for

example: in a parish there is the conviction

that the catechesis offered is “evangelising”,

but in reality it is a memorization type of cat-

echesis without the celebrative aspect and

without any commitment other than living in

the parish premises. Or, when the itinerary of

initiation into the faith is reduced to a sacra-

mental itinerary (reception of Baptism, Con-

firmation and Eucharist).

On the other hand, the first proclamation,

although necessary, cannot take the place of

the entire SYM. There are other areas of inter-

est that refer to other dimensions of the Sale-

sian educational-pastoral action (aspects that

have to do with the formation of healthy, bal-

anced and caring people; formation in stable

attitudes and structures that enable them to

act as free and critical persons; the commu-

nity-associative experience as a concrete ‘ini-

tiation’ to community, civil and ecclesial com-

mitment; the accompaniment of each young

person in the concrete search for his or her

own vocation, etc.). The SYM helps to gradu-

ally shape the identity and personality that a

young person lives, from his first experience

of God to his insertion into an adult Christian

community.

3 Preconceptions, perhaps

dear to us, but which today are

proving ineffective

It would not be wrong to recall some resis-

tance to the first proclamation, the stage that

the Church proposes to awaken faith and first

conversion:

[a] On the one hand, some claim that pro-

posing adherence to the person of Jesus Christ

“is what we have done all our lives”. “Most of

us have given catechesis and spoken about

Jesus Christ as a matter of course”. Indeed, it

is a question of “teaching the truths of faith”,

without opening up a space of fraternity,

mutual welcome and hospitality to the young

people. In addition, the first proclamation can-

not be assimilated or reduced to systematic

catechesis. And when we think about it, we

can sometimes be subject to pastoral inertia

of repeating the same old things (because of

what worked before). In truth, when pastoral

complexity, for whatever reason, is not digest-

ible, the most normal reaction is to reduce, to

simplify.

[b] In the same way, it is said that only and

exclusively long and reflective pastoral pro-

cesses can articulate and develop a more

mature, critical and committed faith.

[c] Finally, others say that pastoral care must

above all seek to ensure that “no one is dis-

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FLASH • December 2023 YOUTH MINISTRY SECTOR Salesiani di Don Bosco • Sede Centrale Salesiana

turbed”. We live in a polychromatic setting and

our houses are open and inclusive. “We must

be careful not to impose our faith. Let’s soften

the pastoral proposal, let us propose some min-

imums”. In any case, “let those who have the

charism of the first proclamation do it”.

But can this first Christian vocation (that is,

the first proclamation) be sincerely discarded?

4 A pedagogy to restore the

affective bond with Jesus

If we want to deploy an evangelisation

that is effective, experiential and rooted in

the person of the young person, we must

understand that the first proclamation is

not only a stage in a journey of accompa-

niment, but the “founding value” (Jesus

Christ) that must be present in all the pro-

cesses of evangelisation: in the SYM as

its backbone, and our projects as its main

motivation.

If the imperative of being an evangeliser is

for all, the first proclamation as such is not a

charism of a few. To regard it as an optional

activity is, therefore, an attitude that runs

counter to the very nature of missionary and

evangelising action. The first proclamation is

the core element and, by definition, it can and

must be done by every baptised person; it is

incumbent on all of us.

But it is also a proactive, respectful and ques-

tioning option that must also permeate our

SYM. Therefore, what general conditions can

serve this purpose, i.e., conversion and an

act of faith or adherence to Jesus? In princi-

ple we advocate two of them:

4.1. If we want to reconnect with the young

people of today in an attractive and credible

way, we need a wide range of diversified

proposals to get in touch with those who par-

ticipate only fleetingly in church life (reduced

in many cases to mere attendance) and with

those non-believers who do not usually go to

Church. This opens up an immense field of

possibilities for educational-pastoral action.

The first proclamation as a pastoral action

has a specific pedagogy and needs a time

frame in which each phase involves the oth-

ers; separated they lose their vigour and only

together do they mutually support each oth-

er and sustain the evangelising mission. Each

one can be characterised with a verb from “per-

son to person”: to arouse, to witness and to

present.

I. The concept of evangelisation, which is

linked to humanisation, has been profusely

underlined by Evangelii Nuntiandi. In this line,

the FIRST TIME and STARTING POINT is to cre-

ate real possibilities of contact with those

authentically human experiences, the most

intimate of the person. The Christian pro-

posal must connect with the central questions

of young people’s lives and, being a point of

contact perceptible to them, it opens them

up to other possibilities. The first area of proc-

lamation is interpersonal, human relationships.

Without this, the subsequent time would have

no continuity.

In this sense, the first dialogue of the first

proclamation consists in connecting with the

questions, desires, limits and possibilities of

the young person. It is a question of starting

from their own research - or from anthropo-

logical demands that are particularly open or

ready for something more. This point of con-

tact is called by various names: in French,

‘pierres d’attente’ (the waiting stone), refer-

ring to the stones that in a building are left in

the open air on the side walls so that they can

be joined with the future building that will fol-

low; in English, ‘stepping stones’, referring to

the large stones placed in the torrent that allow

one to cross it without getting soaked; among

the theologians of the first centuries (patris-

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Fr. Miguel Ángel García Morcuende • First proclamation and salesian youth ministry

tic period), the ‘semina Verbi’, which would be

found in all cultures and among all peoples.

This area of human experience, well accom-

panied, develops the capacity to ask questions

about the inner universe; it stimulates self-mo-

tivation and the question about the meaning

of life; it opens up to ‘a beyond’ of oneself; it

allows one to distance oneself from things in

order to look at them in depth; it helps one to

live from the logic of gift and love for one’s

neighbour; it enables one to perceive the spir-

itual values present in culture in general. And

this transcendent openness will become

increasingly operative as soon as it begins to

sense God on the horizon.

This starting point can be accompanied

thanks to several concrete proposals of

our SYM: environmental accompaniment;

the powerful solidarity dynamic of the pas-

toral ministry that takes our young people

out of their comfort zones; the work around

charismatic/Salesian values such as famil-

iarity, trust, realism or optimism; the con-

tinuous offer of training, proposals, initia-

tives and deep, genuine, lasting life expe-

riences (e.g. the Salesian Good Morning/

Good Afternoon). It has more to do with

short-term communicative actions such as

dialogue, opportune encounters, the Sale-

sian courtyard, the testimony that emerg-

es in a conversation, etc.

We are talking about a Gospel under con-

struction, which must embrace the flesh of

history and that of our young people. And

therefore, it seeks to rediscover the everyday

(the value of the small and the culture of

“detail”), presence in the midst of young peo-

ple and closeness and personal attention (“con-

versation rather than lecturing”). It is an affec-

tive and effective accompaniment. For this

reason, we must have a deep understanding

of the mysteries of young people’s lives!

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FLASH • December 2023 YOUTH MINISTRY SECTOR Salesiani di Don Bosco • Sede Centrale Salesiana

II. After the rooting in the human person

comes a SECOND TIME: witnessing to one’s

own Christian experience. It is a matter of

letting the young person hear and see, if he

wants to, the direct account in case it arous-

es interest in him. Speaking from one’s own

experience: “I want to share with you what

has been given to me, what gives me mean-

ing and makes me happy”. It is not “telling my

life” but what the presence of Jesus teaches

me, what he has brought into my life.

It is the logic of someone introducing a friend

to a friend. We do not come to bring some-

thing foreign that sounds strange but is part

of the story of the people who tell it. We are

talking about what is at the centre of the per-

son, what is most personal, intimate and

authentic, the most personal of each person,

and at the same time the most valuable. It

responds, in short, to the auditory character

of the origin of the transmission of faith, which

was the pioneering practice of the Church: we

are talking about something that is proclaimed,

that is preached. Faith comes, in Paul’s clas-

sic expression, from “hearing the proclama-

tion” (Rom 10:17). One does not evangelise

by giving a witness of love without words, with-

out a concrete proposal and invitation.

This second step begins with open Chris-

tian SYM actions, sometimes not linked

to long processes. They begin and end at

defined times, but the key is the invitation

through witness: Easter celebrations with

young people; meetings, campaigns and

round tables for reflection, living together

and prayer; the Taizé experience; solidari-

ty actions, especially in the poorest and

neediest sectors; training groups and tuto-

rials in schools. In other words, it is the put-

ting into practice of the mystagogical prin-

ciple. An experience is lived and the expe-

rience becomes the basis for a reflection,

an apprenticeship, or even a new change

of direction in life.

We need to share our own life experiences,

loosen up the language, talk to young people

about our faith and what it means for us. We

are not only urged to “speak” about Christ and

speak well but to make him present in our

lives. I think we have lost the habit and have

forgotten to speak in a natural way about what

is essential in our lives. We have instilled fears

that paralyse us. And if we do not know how

to talk about faith among ourselves, as believ-

ers, any discourse to non-believers will sound

artificial. In this sense, the question that marks

our capacity or incapacity to evangelise is: Have

I spoken to any young person about my rela-

tionship with Christ or with God lately?

In other words, proclamation is wrapped

up in witness and word. Admittedly, we pre-

fer to rest on speeches and proposals that are

too factual, doctrinally, morally or spiritually,

developing a “linear teaching” of a catechet-

ical type. In reality, in the real practice of the

first proclamation, the truly reliable witness can

only count on his or her living convictions (not

only intellectual certainties), the transmission

of a life lived with meaning, and, yes, the pow-

er of the Word. Thus, proclamation today must

also be a provocation for the apostle: “Who-

ever wishes to preach must first be ready to

be moved by the Word and to make it flesh in

his life” (Evangelii Gaudium 150).

“The first objective is not so much to

make others believe ‘like us’, but to make

them believe that we really believe in some-

thing, in Someone who makes possible our

joy in living and the pleasure of coming into

contact with those who are looking for this

joy and pleasure” (Pareydt, Luc, Witnesses

for our time. Attractive Christians). For the

evangelizer, the encounter with Jesus is

not only the explanation for the first deci-

sion, but also the reason for faithfulness.

III. The THIRD STEP is to present Christ who

is living and present. It is not a question of

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Fr. Miguel Ángel García Morcuende • First proclamation and salesian youth ministry

transmitting a memory, nor news about some-

one who we are told existed in illo tempore

and appeared to certain people, but Jesus,

Lord and Saviour. His presence cannot end up

being just a three-dimensional hologram, but

a real presence. It asks questions and sets

things in motion: “And what do you say about

him?” (Jn 9:17). “But who do you say that I

am?” (Mk 8,29).

In this third step, it is a matter of accompa-

nying the young person to recognise that the

humanity of Christ is similar to his humanity,

but with the difference that it is the bearer of

a new life - divine life - and inviting him to

enter into communion with Him so that it may

reach him, fulfil him and make him a sharer

in the life of God. Thanks to Him, his most rad-

ical desire for the absolute, in a word, the most

authentic happiness, is realised.

In the Gospel accounts, there is a reference

to the characters who approach Jesus and

obtain from him a physical healing and the

forgiveness of their sins: the blind man of Jer-

icho, the leader of the synagogue in Caper-

naum, the Roman centurion, the hemorrhoid,

the people with leprosy? None of them had

a clear awareness of the divine identity of

Jesus, let alone of the Trinitarian God, and yet

they feel the concern to be asked by Someone,

Jesus, and they open themselves to him.

Even today, some of our young people who

do not have a clear identity of Jesus open

themselves to Him and listen to Him with

attention, attentiveness and sincere interest.

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Therefore, for a first adherence to Jesus, a

well-articulated theological proposal is not

necessary.

In the practice of the SYM, this proclama-

tion is played out above all in the presence

of an Educational-Pastoral Community

that offers real spaces for personal accom-

paniment, for approaching and living the

faith (Spiritual Retreats for young people,

vocation meetings, “CampoBoscos”, World

Youth Day, Schools of Prayer, Missionary Vol-

unteers). An EPC that allows itself to be chal-

lenged by the Gospel and that welcomes

young people who have been initiated in

order to strengthen and sustain them in their

faith, a community in which they can cele-

brate, proclaim, live and share their faith.

4.2. If the first proclamation is not a broad

and detailed presentation of the contents of

the Christian faith, but, as it appears in the

New Testament writings, has a narrative char-

acter in order to speak to the depths of the

young person, attention must be paid to the

language we use in the anthropological and

cultural sense. A narrative, poetic and even

metaphorical language generates an encoun-

ter with the inner movements of human desire,

creating space for the imagination. Therefore,

even if evangelisation is not a question of com-

munication strategies, but of spirituality, even

those are important.

For this reason, we must now move beyond

argumentative and discursive methodologies.

This transformation from experience, narration,

questioning, news... stimulates the imagination

of young listeners. And this proposal is not new

because the very language of faith has always

been symbolic: the light, the white tunic, the

Easter candle, the liturgical colours, etc.

The degree of personal involvement offered

by a narrative approach is greater because it

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Fr. Miguel Ángel García Morcuende • First proclamation and salesian youth ministry

does not seek to convince the listener but to

involve them; it also offers easier access to

abstract and complex concepts; it contains

emotions and therefore favours the memo-

risation of the story on a cognitive level; it cre-

ates a new world in the mind of the listener,

a story can generate other stories. In short, it

is a question of moving from the pastoral care

of ideas to the pastoral care of storytelling.

5 Educating the faith response:

progress and setbacks

Adherence to Christ is always a personal

decision, never “automatic” or “inherited” or

received, as we may have been accustomed

to. Today, a basic living faith cannot be tak-

en for granted, no firm Christian conviction

can be presupposed in the recipient. Mental

habits, linguistic usages, practices of piety, a

respectable number of concepts and expres-

sions of faith have changed.

Often, we meet young people who do not

understand the importance of faith in their per-

sonal journey toward adulthood. It is a chal-

lenge, but also an opportunity for us to move

away from a “compulsory” Christianity. It

opens up the possibility of a proclamation

under the sign of grace, of surprise, of the

free discovery of the treasure of faith and the

pearl of the Gospel.

This is why we speak of the first proclama-

tion as a new name for the kerygma proclaimed

by Peter and Paul, as recorded in the texts of

the New Testament. But it is not just an explic-

it oral proclamation of this kerygma, a few

words or exact formulas, but a dynamic, grow-

ing ministry, under the action and guidance

of the Spirit; an accompaniment to the free-

dom and responsibility of the person. There-

fore, each moment or step advances in a

spiral, with twists and turns, and not in a

straight line. The Christian life has a compo-

nent of adventure that must be released in

the heart of the believing life.

An adventure based on the imposition of

Christ’s call, which is realised according to the

intuitions, hopes and talents of each young

person, and which is crossed by many medi-

ations and much patience because it must live

continually in a desert that tastes like a prom-

ised land. The experiences deepen more: they

include progress and setbacks in a spirit of

continual conversion: “The Christian is not

born, he is made”. This formula of Tertullian’s

finds its full relevance today.

A proclamation must not be under pres-

sure to present “results” (figures, numbers,

multitudes of people), nor must it be marked

by the need for an immediate yes or no. On

the contrary, it must be characterised by sen-

sitivity to each individual’s time, to possible

paths that do not coincide with one’s own,

and even to mistakes. The time it may take is

not determinable, it cannot be circumscribed

or rigorously standardised, because we are

dealing with people, each with a particular his-

tory and a particular nature.

6 The threshold to Christian

experience and the vocational

response

[a] The three times indicated above are interre-

lated. When the Young person makes progress

in the positive reception of the first proclama-

tion, we are at the threshold to the Christian

experience. Subsequently, a more catecheti-

cal-initiatory action opens up, in which young

people can decide in favour of the Gospel

and complete or restructure their initiation.

Therefore, it is not possible to ‘grow up’ with-

out first being ‘born’; still les is it possible to

become an adult and mature without having

gone through the previous stages.

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2.2 Page 12

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FLASH • December 2023 YOUTH MINISTRY SECTOR Salesiani di Don Bosco • Sede Centrale Salesiana

The initial faith is not the whole faith, and

that is true. Therefore, the first proclamation

is “an initial stage and certainly incomplete”

(Evangelii Nuntiandi 51) but clearly a personal

invitation to make an act of approach, trust

and existential commitment to Jesus Christ.

The first proclamation is an act of trust in the

person of Jesus Christ, an essential step

towards finding one’s vocation.

The acceptance of Jesus into the heart of

the young person is the embryo of a change

of life that will lead to practical faith: the jour-

ney of education to faith is based on this expe-

rience of living reception of the first procla-

mation, the sacraments presuppose and nour-

ish it, the witness and the commitment to the

Kingdom are its consequence and outward

manifestation. The project of life is his voca-

tion.

If we want to avoid an ephemeral catechesis

that does not take root in those who receive

it (catechumens), we must ensure that initia-

tion has a place to take root. A “proclama-

tion” that precedes “Christian initiation” so

as not to leave the latter without a soil on

which to take root and from which to devel-

op permanently to bear fruit. Christian ini-

tiation is, therefore, the field of action and

consequence of the first proclamation. In oth-

er words, the whole edifice of Christian life

rests on the ‘come and see’ (first proclama-

tion): ‘look and stay’ (Christian community).

[b] In the understanding and practice of this

first proclamation, then, it is in a certain sense

a question of renewing SYM. At its root, our

Salesian Youth Ministry is a practice of trust

in one person: Jesus Christ, who has been

accepted as the Saviour of humanity and my

life. Everything else – which is absolutely nec-

essary and constitutive of evangelisation - will

be a consequence that will be sustained, always

from the point of view of the person of the

young person, in his or her relationship of

friendship with Jesus Christ.

The salvation offered by God the Father

through his Son Jesus Christ is the re-estab-

lishment of our affective and existential

bond with him. Jesus Christ offers us his per-

sonal love. Every possible pattern of the first

proclamation is a proposal of love, an offer of

the initial restoration of God’s affective bond

with every human being. The acceptance of

this bond can only be a free and personal

response of each person.

Neither our witness in deeds – which is nec-

essary but not sufficient - can kindle Christian

faith, because it needs the word that points

to Jesus Christ; nor can the power of the sac-

raments alone kindle faith unless everyone

who participates in the liturgy has opened his

heart, his intimacy, freely, consciously and

permanently to Jesus Christ.

•••

Conclusion: Interrupting

time to ignite the new

In conclusion and paraphrasing the words

of the first man to set foot on the moon,

we could also say: the first proclamation is a

small step for the witness who proposes it to

a friend in his daily environment, but it is an

immense step with incalculable consequences

for a SYM which gives all of itself, with all its

energies, at the service of all young people.

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