Incarnational Evangelization

Divine Deconstruction: Ratzinger’s Incarnational Framework for Sacramental Evangelization

In his masterful exposition of the Catholic faith, Introduction to Christianity, Pope Benedict XVI (referred to as Ratzinger from here on out) deconstructs complex theology in order to convincingly articulate timeless truths anew. This observation is not meant as poetic hyperbole: rather, it is a meditation on the profound and multilayered value Ratzinger brings to evangelization in a post-modern, post-truth age. Driven to tackle the contemporary crisis of his time — which was characterized by a surge of doubt surrounded by a sea of skepticism (Intro to Christianity, 44) — he deftly reintroduces the Christian faith in a way that makes it appear both fresh and unchanging. By refocusing Christianity on the person of Christ, he offers novel theological and pedagogical insights. For we are not only followers of the Way but believers in the living Word, who was revealed in the flesh as Our Lord Jesus Christ. Our entry into the Church forges a covenantal relationship between us and Christ through the Holy Sacraments. Only with due consideration of this relational and sacramental foundation does the ever-new yet never-changing evangelistic paradox come into focus. To find a way forward, we must first go back.

Ratzinger was not writing to us or about our particular situation per se, but his work still offers a number of overlapping applications from which to learn. For the purposes of this reflection, the takeaways divide into two categories. First, Introduction to Christianity emphasizes the importance of knowing the Catholic faith not only in aggregate but also as pieces of a whole, never meant to be separated and yet distinct. More than that, it shows that these pieces are worth investigating independently — or, perhaps it would be more accurate to say, interdependently. Like the Body of Christ, integration of the members is essential. As the Apostle explains, “just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:12). Harmony in integrity! For maximum impact, our approach to modern evangelization must both mirror and point back to Jesus. Ratzinger’s Introduction to Christianity continually reminds us of that fact by underscoring the person of Christ as the divine foundation upon which our faith rests.

The second takeaway further highlights the importance of actively embodying the example of Jesus Christ in our theological as well as evangelistic pursuits. The Gospel depends on Christ, who is the Word made flesh, so any conversation about effective evangelization (based on the Latin word, evangelizare, and related to the Greek word, εὐαγγελίζω, which both signify the proclamation or sharing of good news) necessarily requires a reflection on that initial evangelistic act — that is to say, on the Blessed Incarnation. So, what can the Incarnation teach us about sharing the Gospel today? All evangelization must be properly grounded in the Incarnation to live up to its full potential. This incarnational grounding is especially but not exclusively needed in the disembodied digital world we now “live” in, one that seeks to supplant the incarnational with the artificial. While it may be true that we believers are “drifting over the abyss,” the cross to which we cling is fastened to Christ, who is a sure foundation indeed (Intro to Christianity, 44). We must not lose sight of that when we’re feeling alone and hope seems lost. There is nothing firmer to fasten ourselves to than Christ. In him we hope.

In order to apply these takeaways to our modern context, let us turn our attention away from the incarnational and cruciform to the sacramental. When we partake of the Sacraments, we both recall and participate in the intersection of the human and divine that the Incarnation represents. This gives us a glimpse of how sacramentality contributes to evangelization. The Christian life is both sacramental and fueled by the Sacraments. Perfect harmony, that ever-elusive goal toward which we strive, can be achieved only by incarnating the sacramental in our own lives — by merging the divine and the human. For this is how we achieve theosis: this is what St. Athanasius was alluding to when he said “The Son of God became man so that we might become God” (On the Incarnation). We should convert our entire selves into sacraments, becoming conduits of grace by reflecting the Gospel not only in what we say but how and why we say it. To succeed at this, if such a gift from God can be described in terms of success, we must embody the Gospel in our actions, becoming an “expression of the radical nature of the love that gives itself completely” (Intro to Christianity, 282). The Way of the Cross requires sacrifice. Jesus’ death preceded his resurrection, thus “trampling down death by death” (Paschal Troparion). So too must we die to self in order to become the “efficacious signs of grace” we were meant to be (CCC, 1131). Just as God sanctifies the mundane in the Holy Sacraments, so too does he delight in using us as instrumental causes. This beautiful reality is most profoundly on display in the Blessed Theotokos. Our reflections on Ratzinger and related concepts of incarnational and sacramental evangelization are themselves reflections of the divine economy, of God’s desire to incorporate us into his plan for salvation. As we saw earlier, we are truly “one body,” which we must remember as we seek to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19a).

Ratzinger’s deconstruction of Christianity shows us the way forward when approaching difficult conversations with our secular contemporaries by articulating the underlying theological and evangelistic principles at play and by showing how they interconnect. Even though we have to adapt our approach to address the unique challenges and dangers of the digital landscape, Ratzinger’s framework supports our endeavor. It shows us that, if we wish to present the faith to a modern audience, we should disassemble it into its core pieces. That puts us in a position to identify which pieces to “re-present” and which dots to reconnect in order to persuasively evangelize. Make no mistake: we must tread carefully in this pursuit. Great danger lies in deconstruction and reconstruction if we lose sight of the beating heart of Christianity, the person of Jesus Christ. Keeping our eyes fixed on him is the only way through: that truth is timeless. Ratzinger’s approach further guides our evangelistic pursuits by outlining these Christocentric guardrails. Our deconstruction must never neglect the divine order of operations lest it risk collapse. 

In our reflection on Ratzinger’s model for presenting Christianity in the modern age, we have seen how the incarnational and sacramental realities that bind the Catholic faith together should not only ground our theology but motivate our evangelistic approach. Following in the footsteps of Christ, the “one in whom person and work are identical,” we begin to see a path forward emerge (Intro to Christianity, 210). Remember that Jesus is “the way” (John 14:6, emphasis added). This Christocentric ideal takes on color especially when applied to the theology of communication, which necessarily informs all evangelization. The two are inseparable sides of the same coin. In view of that, we see how any particular strategies for evangelization must run parallel to a life in which “person and work are identical.” Communication is the heart of Christianity: it’s rooted in the Trinity, revealed in the Word, embodied in the Incarnation, and lived out through the Great Commission. In the digital age, evangelization must be based on incarnational and sacramental communication. Ratzinger’s Introduction to Christianity shows us how to get started.