The World

THE MODERN WORLD IN CONTINUAL DEVELOPMENT

2 "Today, the human race is passing through a new stage of its history. Profound and rapid changes are spreading by degrees around the world... . Hence we can already speak of a true social and cultural transformation, one which has repercussions on man’s religious Life as well" (GS, 4).

As examples, two repercussions on the life of faith which more directly affect catechesis can be cited:

a) In times past, the cultural tradition favored the transmission of the faith to a greater extent than it does today; in our times, however, the cultural tradition has undergone considerable change, with the result that less and less can one depend on continued transmission by means of it. Because of this, some renewal in evangelisation is needed for transmitting the same faith to new generations.

b) Ill should be noted that the Christian faith requires explanations and new forms of expression so that it may take root in ail successive cultures. Though the aspirations and basic needs peculiar to human nature and the human condition remain essentially the same, nevertheless, men of our era are posing new questions about the meaning and importance of life.

Believers of our lime are certainly not in ail respects like believers of the past. This is why it becomes necessary to affirm the permanence of the faith and to present the message of salvation in renewed ways.

Today one must also keep in mind the very great diffusion of the instruments of social communication, the influence of which extends beyond national boundaries and makes individual persons citizens as ill were of human society as a whole (cf. 1M, 22).

Such instruments exert very great influence on the lives of Christians, whether because of the things they teach or because of the style of thinking and mode of behaviour they introduce among these same Christians. It s necessary to take account of this fact and to give it all due attention.