“The Church will have to initiate everyone—priests, religious and laity—into this ‘art of accompaniment’ which teaches us to remove our sandals before the sacred ground of the other” (cf. Ex 3:5).

The Good News of Accompaniment

The parish must provide experienced missionary disciples who can accompany those who are returning to the Church and guide them throughout their journey. In accompanying others, the disciple possesses a love for others and the Church by being welcoming and hospitable. The disciple must be willing to walk with others, share the Good News, and help others grow in their faith and live in solidarity with others.

All Christians are invited to a “renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ” (Evangelii Gaudium, no. 9).

Christ calls all people to himself in his Body, the Church, through the workings of the Holy Spirit, so that we can enter into a personal relationship with God the Father. “In virtue of their baptism, all the members of the People of God have become missionary disciples” (Evangelii Gaudium, no. 120).

Reflective reading, lectio divina, and the study of Scripture will aid in deepening the encounter with Christ. The Sunday homily breaks open the Word of God by stirring the hearts of people, deepening our knowledge of the faith, renewing our participation in the Church and her sacraments, and strengthening us for the
daily challenges of life. By participating in Mass, learning common prayers, and practicing personal and public devotions, Christians appropriate the teachings of the faith into their own lives and are sent forth to witness Christ.

Discipleship involves helping people enter into a personal encounter with Christ through prayer, Scripture, the sacraments, works of mercy, and faith formation.

Kerygma   (noun) ke·ryg·ma \kə->rig-mə\

Definition:

The word kerygma is related to the Greek verb κηρύσσω (kērússō) (pronounced "kay-roos'-so") meaning to cry or proclaim as a herald. It means proclamation, announcement or preaching.

The kerygma is the message of the Gospel; the apostolic proclamation of salvation through Jesus Christ.  It is the core and heart of our faith.

If you were to sum up the core message of the Gospel in just a few sentences, what would you say that it is?

As you can see, the kerygma is not complicated.  It is not (yet) concerned with the details of morality or magisterium.  It is a telling of the story of our salvation in its simplest and most important form.  It is not just for Catholics.  It is so fundamental, that this core Gospel message crosses all Christian denomination boundaries and barriers.

There are many different ways to express and proclaim the kerygma.  You can find it throughout the New Testament, the documents of the Church, and the writings of the early Church Fathers.  

What Is the Kerygma?

Ultimately, however you express it, the kerygma is about the person of Jesus Christ and someone making a choice to give their lives to Him - to become his disciple.  

Proclaiming The Kerygma is Essential to the Mission of Evangelization.  

To proclaim Jesus Christ is the Church's mission.

[Silent] witness, no matter how excellent, will ultimately prove ineffective unless its meaning is clarified and corroborated…the good news proclaimed by a witness of life sooner or later has to be proclaimed by the word of life. (Pope Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi, 22)

Evangelization will also always contain - as the foundation, center, and at the same time, summit of its dynamism - a clear proclamation that, in Jesus Christ, the Son of God made man, who died and rose from the dead, salvation is offered to all men, as a gift of God's grace and mercy. (Pope Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi, 27)

On the lips of the catechist the first proclamation must ring out over and over: “Jesus Christ loves you; he gave his life to save you; and now he is living at your side every day to enlighten, strengthen and free you.” (Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, 164)

How Do We Proclaim This Message?  

There are a number of resources and tools that we can recommend to help you proclaim the kerygma most effectively to the people you have been called to evangelize. Ultimately however, the most powerful proclamation of the kerygma is the one that comes from out of your personal encounter with the life-changing power of the person of Jesus.  The most effective proclamation tool you have at your fingertips is your answer to this question:

What difference has Jesus made in your life?

Internalizing and living this core apostolic proclamation in your own life must come before any of the resources below can be used with any expectation of fruitfulness.  

When we see the movements of the kergyma in our own life stories, we can be nimble enough to share this proclamation in the manner, method, and expression most appropriate to the needs and journey of the person or people in front of us.  

Kerygma Resources for Adults  

The list below is not exhaustive!  There are a number of different tools available to help us encounter, absorb, and proclaim Jesus - but these are a few we have found to be particularly helpful.  (See also: Proclaiming the Kerygma to Children & Youth)