"Evangelization must be directed towards the Church itself..."

Many young Catholics like to use the term "New Evangelization" as part of their ever increasing use of modern media to proclaim the Gospel: Facebook, Twitter, blogging (much like this young Catholic), etc. In a more broad sense, they mean for the term "new evangelization" to be the use of any modern technology in spreading the good news. Pioneered by Blessed Pope John Paul II, the "new evangelization" of the Church has come to mean how the Church interprets its missionary work and how to go about missionary work in this day and age. But unlike many Protestant denominations, the Church is not focused on proselytizing, just simply spreading and sharing. But before the Church can go about "evangelizing" other people, she must first "re-evangelize" her people. This was an issue that JPII addressed in his 1990 encyclical, Redemptoris missio. Here is a small excerpt:

... it is painfully clear that many Catholics (and other Christians)
have not been effectively incorporated into life in Christ.
Baptized as infants many have never made a personal commitment
to the Lord Jesus Christ and the Gospel.
As adolescents and adults many drift away from the Church.
Evangelization must be directed to the Church itself.

In my humble opinion, this is where the young Church needs to step in, where young Catholics can most adhere to the "new evangelization". It has been my observation that there are many Catholics, faithful Catholics, both young and old, that lack a degree of spirituality or even a level of catechism, and it is an issue that must first be addressed before evangelization can truly occur. There are many from my generation, my friends and myself included, that have passed their parents in terms of catechism and understanding the faith. I have seen time and time again, young adults being the ones to urge their family into Mass, to initiate prayer, or to simply teach. And even more so, I have seen young adults find great comfort in the type of Catholicism that their parents probably shied away from. There is a growing trend in the young Church that relies on an orthodoxy that older generations lack. I recently read a book called The New Faithful: Why Young Adults are Embracing Christian Orthodoxy by Colleen Carroll that explores this phenomenon. More and more young people are going to daily Mass, go to Confession on a regular basis, drawn towards catechism of younger children, and participating in ancient traditions of the Church. Therefore, I believe that its up to us then, the young faithful laity to spearhead this "re-evangelization" of our faith. We are the revolution that JPII called for, so too must we take charge in the "new evangelization" that he sought. We've heard it time and time again, my friends, we are the future of the Church. We must, we need, to take part in that future, today.

With the intercession of Blessed Pope John Paul II, may the Almighty bless you and me with the strength to answer this call, to constantly re-evangelize ourselves, and Holy Mother Church.

Dominus vobiscum.