Response to Missionary Discipleship: New Evangelization

“Who is the New Evangelization?”

This question, posed by Bishop Guillermo Afable at the start of the DADITAMA Conference on New Evangelization (March 11-14, 2025) at Viewpoint Hotel in the Diocese of Digos, caught me off guard and prompted deep reflection. Bishop Guillermo Afable’s response was simple yet profound: “It is Jesus. He is the New Evangelization.”

I found myself questioning why it is called “New” when we proclaim the same Gospel and the same Jesus. The answer lies in the renewed effort to spread the Gospel with zeal and creativity, as Pope Francis encourages us to reach those distant from the Church through creative means, particularly using modern tools and technologies.

As a delegate from the Archdiocese of Davao, attending this conference was an enriching experience, especially as a seminarian and future minister of the Church. It challenged me to reflect on how I can contribute to the Church’s mission of evangelization. The conference emphasized that evangelization is not just a personal obligation but a communal mission. A key takeaway for me was the importance of authentic witness and personal conversion. Evangelizing requires us to live out the Gospel message in our daily actions, taking the message of Evangelii Gaudium seriously and renewing our commitment to Christ’s mission.

Bishop Guillermo Afable also shared the core principles of being a missionary disciple: “Repent, Come, and Go.” Repent calls for personal transformation, turning away from sin and aligning our lives with God’s will. Come invites us into a deeper relationship with Jesus through prayer, worship, and living out His teachings. Go challenges us to step outside our comfort zones and spread the Gospel, making evangelization a way of life.

These three actions—Repent, Come, and Go—deepen our commitment to Christ’s mission and renew our understanding of the New Evangelization, urging us to fulfill our mission of bringing others into the Kingdom of God. (Sem. Roldan Baliano)