There's no formula for the New Evangelization

Last Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI urged Christians to be steadfast in their faith and to actively participate in the New Evangelization. During morning Mass in Tuscany, he said:

Be ferment in society, be present as Christians, be active and coherent…The whole Church is sent out into the world to preach the Gospel and salvation.

Preaching the Gospel is our responsibility. The New Evangelization calls upon the whole Church to bring Christ to the world. It is a re-evangelization of sorts, in which Christians are first invited to re-discover their identity in Christ and then share this unique experience with the people around them. This is described in the lineamenta prepared for the October Synod for the New Evangelization:

…the Christian must never forego a sense of boldness in proclaiming the Gospel and seeking every positive way to provide avenues for dialogue, where people's deepest expectations and their thirst for God can be discussed.

This is a serious calling, and it can be intimidating. Thoughts of inadequacy creep into many hearts as people wonder who it is they can reach out to and how effective they can be with little knowledge of the faith.

Those who fear evangelizing need not fret, though, because the New Evangelization is actually quite simple. There is no formula for being an effective witness. All one needs is the constant, sanctifying inner transformation that flows from grace, the Sacraments, and time in prayer. The lineamenta describes this:  

The Gospel can only be transmitted on the basis of "being" with Jesus and living with Jesus the experience of the Father, in the Spirit; and, in a corresponding way, of "feeling" compelled to proclaim and share what is lived as a good and something positive and beautiful.

In “being” with Jesus, we will know how to share His light with the world. This approach to evangelization is confirmed by Blessed John Paul II in his apostolic letter, Novo Millennio Ineunte:

It is not therefore a matter of inventing a "new programme". The programme already exists: it is the plan found in the Gospel and in the living Tradition, it is the same as ever. Ultimately, it has its centre in Christ himself, who is to be known, loved and imitated, so that in him we may live the life of the Trinity, and with him transform history until its fulfilment in the heavenly Jerusalem.

Evangelization is found in Jesus Christ! And by living out our call to holiness, we will be unique witnesses to the faith. We will naturally live out the New Evangelization.
In Romans 12, St. Paul says:

Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect (2).

So renew your minds and your hearts! Give everything to God, so He can truly reveal how you are called to participate in the New Evangelization.