Yes, the Church is alive!

Cheridan Sanders

August 1, 2012
In honour of the Year of Faith and the upcoming Synod on the New Evangelization, Salt and Light is producing a series that explores how we evangelize in the postmodern world. We're pulling out all the stops and asking everyone; from people-in-the-pews to Cardinals and bishops: what is this New Evangelization all about? What opportunities does it provide? What are the challenges? Answering these questions is what this series is all about. We'll also feature where the new evangelization is taking place and who is leading the charge.
And in the spirit of evangelizing we thought we'd share what's been inspiring us! Below is an excerpt from Pope Benedict's inaugural homily given at St. Peter's Square in 2005. In fact, we loved it so much we named our new series The Church Alive.
...Yes, the Church is alive - this is the wonderful experience of these days. During those sad days of the Pope's illness and death [John Paul II], it became wonderfully evident to us that the Church is alive. And the Church is young. She holds within herself the future of the world and therefore shows each of us the way towards the future. The Church is alive - she is alive because Christ is alive, because he is truly risen...
Pope Benedict XVI
Homily at Mass for the Inauguration of the Pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI
St. Peter's Square
Sunday, 24 April 2005.
Photo credit: CNS