Pope Francis and The Joy of the Gospel: Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium

Pope Francis

and His

Apostolic

Exhortation

The Joy

of the Gospel

Evangelii Gaudium

Vatican, 24 November 2013

Pope Francis

and his

Apostolic

Exhortation

Evangelii

Gaudium

The Joy

of the Gospel

leading the Church as pilgrim (L. Gentium, Vat. II), in a prophetic

way, always open to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

[There] are two elements which

are essential for Christian life:

Pope Francis to Ecclesial Movements and New Communities22 November 2014

conversionand mission.

1- CONVERSION

A heart which is converted lives radically the most simple virtues.

Always with his people

He reconciles, forgives all…

I am a sinner, but I trust in the infinite mercy and patience of our Lord Jesus Christ, and I accept in a spirit of penance.

Pope Francis, 13 March 2013

Evangelii Gaudium # 24

An evangelizing community gets involved by word and deed in people’s daily lives; it bridges distances, it is willing to abase itself if necessary, and it embraces human life, touching the suffering flesh of Christ in others. Evangelizers thus take on the “smell of the sheep” and the sheep are willing to hear their voice.

means evangelizers fearlessly open to the working of the Holy Spirit.


Spirit-filled evangelizers

2- MISSION

Jesus is asking us to build up his Church, but not as a little chapel which holds only a small group of persons.

He asks us to make his living Church so large that it can hold all of humanity, that it can be a home for

everyone!

Vigil with Young People - Rio de Janeiro, 27 July 2013

A Church to embrace everyone

In first place, we can mention the area of ordinary pastoral ministry, which is “animated by the fire of the Spirit, so as to inflame the hearts of the faithful who regularly take part in community worship …

A second area is that of “the baptized whose lives do not reflect the demands of Baptism”, who lack a meaningful relationship to the Church and no longer experience the consolation born of faith. The Church, in her maternal concern, tries to help them experience a conversion which will restore the joy of faith to their hearts and inspire a commitment to the Gospel.

Lastly, we cannot forget that evangelization is first and foremost about preaching the Gospel to those who do not know Jesus Christ or who have always rejected him. Many of them are quietly seeking God, led by a yearning to see his face, even in countries of ancient Christian tradition. All of them have a right to receive the Gospel. Christians have the duty to proclaim the Gospel without excluding anyone. Instead of seeming to impose new obligations, they should appear as people who wish to share their joy, who point to a horizon of beauty and who invite others to a delicious banquet. It is not by proselytizing that the Church grows, but “by attraction”.


Pope Francis, to priests and bishops in several occasions

Evangelii Gaudium chapter 4


Today in many places we hear a call for greater security. But until exclusion and inequality in society and between peoples are reversed, it will be impossible to eliminate violence.

The social dimensions of evangelization

The poor and the poorer peoples are accused of violence, yet without equal opportunities the different forms of aggression and conflict will find a fertile terrain for growth and eventually explode.

Just as the commandment “Thou shalt not kill” sets a clear limit in order to safeguard the value of human life, today we also have to say “thou shalt not” to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills.


The promise was that when the glass was full, it would overflow, benefitting the poor.

But what happens instead, is that when the glass is full, it magically gets bigger.

Nothing ever comes out for the poor.

Pope Francis, La Stampa, Vatican, 14 December 2014

Audience with the media representatives, 16 March 2013

Oh, how I

would like a

Church

that is poor

and for the

poor!


If the whole Church takes up this missionary impulse, she has to go forth to everyone without exception. But to whom should she go first? When we read the Gospel we find a clear indication: not so much our friends and wealthy neighbors, but above all the poor and the sick, those who are usually despised and overlooked, “those who cannot repay you” (Lk 14:14).

There can be no room for doubt or for explanations which weaken so clear a message. Today and always, “the poor are the privileged recipients of the Gospel”, and the fact that it is freely preached to them is a sign of the kingdom that Jesus came to establish. We have to state, without mincing words, that there is an inseparable bond between our faith and the poor. May we never abandon them.

Preferential option for the poor

Hypocrisy is the language of corruption.Pope Francis at Santa Marta, 4 June 2013

The corrupt ones are the antichrist.Pope Francis at Santa Marta, 3 June 2013

Strong commitment with politics and social justice

I beg the Lord to grant us more politicians who are genuinely disturbed by the state of society, the people, the lives of the poor! It is vital that government leaders and financial leaders take heed and broaden their horizons, working to ensure that all citizens have dignified work, education and healthcare.


Why not turn to God and ask him to inspire their plans? I am firmly convinced that openness to the transcendent can bring about a new political and economic mindset which would help to break down the wall of separation between the economy and the common good of society.

The youth:

a great challenge

Youth ministry, as traditionally organized, has also suffered the impact of social changes. Young people often fail to find responses to their concerns, needs, problems and hurts in the usual structures.


As adults, we find it hard to listen patiently to them, to appreciate their concerns and demands, and to speak to them in a language they can understand.

For the same reason, our efforts in the field of education do not produce the results expected. The rise and growth of associations and movements mostly made up of young people can be seen as the work of the Holy Spirit, who blazes new trails to meet their expectations and their search for a deep spirituality and a more real sense of belonging.

… many young people are making common cause before the problems of our world and are taking up various forms of activism and volunteer work. Some take part in the life of the Church as members of service groups and various missionary initiatives in their own dioceses and in other places. How beautiful it is to see that young people are “street preachers”, joyfully bringing Jesus to every street, every town square and every corner of the earth!

… progress has been made in two areas:

- the awareness that the entire community is called to evangelize and educate the young,

- and the urgent need for the young to exercise greater leadership.


Throughout the world, let us be permanently in a state of mission. Evangelii Gaudium, # 25

An ecclesial renewal which cannot be deferred

I dream of a “missionary option”, that is, a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything, so that the Church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation.

Evangelli Gaudium # 27

… we “cannot passively and calmly wait in our church buildings anymore”; we need to move “from a pastoral ministry of mere conservation to a decidedly missionary pastoral ministry”.

Evangelii Gaudim # 15 . Quotes: Aparecida Document, 2007

Pope Francis, Cathedral Rio de Janeiro

to the youth, 25 July 2013

The renewal of structures demanded by pastoral conversion can only be understood in this light: as part of an effort to make [everything] more mission-oriented, to make ordinary pastoral activity on every level more inclusive and open, to inspire in pastoral workers a constant desire to go forth and in this way to elicit a positive response from all those whom Jesus summons to friendship with himself.

Evangelli Gaudium # 27

As John Paul II once said to the Bishops of Oceania: “All renewal in the Church must have mission as its goal if it is not to fall prey to a kind of ecclesial introversion”.

FLASH MOB - Piazza Garibaldi #missionegiovanipisa

La Missione Giovani è a Pisa!! Frati, suore e giovani ballano in piazza

Garibaldi a Pisa per gridare a tutti "Esci fuori!".

The Church must step outside herself.To go where? To the outskirts of existence, whatever they may be, but she must step out. Jesus tells us, “Go into all the world! Go! Preach! Bear witness to the Gospel!”

Pope Francis discusses faith in an open dialogue with Eugenio Scalfari, intellectual atheist, owner of the newspaper La Repubblica.

Pope Francis, 18 May 2013, Vigil of Pentecost with the Ecclesial Movements

But what happens if we step outside ourselves? The same as can happen to anyone who comes out of the house and onto the street: an accident. But I tell you, I far prefer a Church that has had a few accidents to a Church that has fallen sick from being closed. Go out, go out!


Another feature of a good homily is that it is positive. It is not so much concerned with pointing out what shouldn’t be done, but with suggesting what we can do better. In any case, if it does draw attention to something negative, it will also attempt to point to a positive and attractive value, lest it remain mired in complaints, laments, criticisms and reproaches. Positive preaching always offers hope, points to the future, does not leave us trapped in negativity.

Positive preaching


Pastoral ministry in a missionary style is not obsessed with the disjointed transmission of a multitude of doctrines to be insistently imposed. When we adopt a pastoral goal and a missionary style which would actually reach everyone without exception or exclusion, the message has to concentrate on the essentials,

A pastoral ministry in a missionary style means concentrate on the essentials.

-on what is most beautiful, -most grand,

-most appealing -and at the same time most necessary.

The message is simplified, while losing none of its depth and truth, and thus becomes all the more forceful and convincing.

God's mercy can make even the driest land become a garden, can restore life out of dry bones. Let us be renewed by God's mercy!

He preaches more about God’s

mercy than about sin.

Easter Urbi et Orbi message on 31 March 2013


There is no proportion

when we speak more about law than about grace,

more about the Church than about Christ,

more about the Pope than about God’s word.

Sense of proportion

In her ongoing discernment, the Church can also come to see that certain customs not directly connected to the heart of the Gospel, even some which have deep historical roots, are no longer properly understood and appreciated. Some of these customs may be beautiful, but they no longer serve as means of communicating the Gospel. We should not be afraid to re-examine them.


Few precepts and inner freedom

At the same time, the Church has rules or precepts which may have been quite effective in their time, but no longer have the same usefulness for directing and shaping people’s lives. Saint Thomas Aquinas pointed out that

the precepts which Christ and the apostles gave to the people of God “are very few”. Citing Saint Augustine, he noted that the precepts subsequently enjoined by the Church should be insisted upon with moderation “so as not to burden the lives of the faithful” and make our religion a form of servitude, whereas “God’s mercy has willed that we should be free”.

This warning, issued many centuries ago, is most timely today. It ought to be one of the criteria to be taken into account in considering a reform of the Church and her preaching which would enable it to reach everyone.

Speaking the language of the people,to get to the heart of the world.

If someone is gay

and he searches for the Lord

and has good will…

Who am I

to judge?

He embraces everybody,risking manipulation

of his words… but always in control…

Pope Francis to journalists flying back from Rio to Rome, 29 July 2013

Proclaiming the Gospel of the Family

Proclaiming the Gospel of the Family is urgently needed in the work of evangelization. The Church has to carry this out with the tenderness of a mother and the clarity of a teacher (cf. Eph 4:15), in faithfulness to the mercy displayed in Christ’s kenosis. Truth became flesh in human weakness, not to condemn it but to save it (cf. Jn 3:16, 17).

Relatio Synodi of the III Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops Pastoral Challenges to the Family in the Context of Evangelization 18 October 2014 # 21, 29, 30

… the synod fathers emphasized that Catholic families, by reason of the grace of the Sacrament of Marriage, are called upon to be the active agents in every pastoral activity on behalf of the family.

Mutual self-giving in the Sacrament of Marriage is grounded in the grace of Baptism, which establishes the foundational covenant of every person with Christ in the Church. In accepting each other and with Christ’s grace, the engaged couple promises a total self-giving, faithfulness and openness to new life.

Christian marriage is a vocation that is undertaken with due preparation in a journey of faith with a proper process of discernment and is not to be considered only a cultural tradition or social or legal requirement. Therefore, formation is needed to accompany the person and couple in such a way that the life experience of the entire ecclesial community can be united with the teaching of the contents of the faith.

The synod fathers repeatedly called for a thorough renewal of the Church’s pastoral practice in light of the Gospel of the Family and for replacing its current emphasis on individuals. For this reason, the synod fathers repeatedly insisted on renewal in the training of priests, deacons, catechists and other pastoral workers with a greater involvement of families.

Relatio Synodi of the III Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops Pastoral Challenges to the Family in the Context of Evangelization 18 October 2014 # 36, 37

About the divorced and remarried

Pope Francis, Vatican Insider, La Stampa, 7 Deciember 2014Interviewer: Elisabetta Piqué

Seeking pastoral ways of integration

What can we do with them, what door can be opened? It was a pastoral concern: So will they get communion? It is not a solution if they go to communion. This alone is not a solution, the solution is integration. They are not excommunicated, that is true. But they cannot be godparents at baptism, they cannot read the readings in the mass, they cannot give communion, they cannot teach catechism, they cannot do some seven things. I have the list here. Stop! If I take account of this it seems they are excommunicated de-facto. So, then let’s open the doors a little bit more.

No one questioned indissolubility

of marriage at synod.

.

http://www.lanacion.com

Pope Francis, 10 December 2014, General Audience

Why can’t they be godparents? People say no because they ask “what witness will they give to their godchild?” But it could be the witness of a man and a woman who say, “Look, I made a mistake, I slipped up on this point, but I believe the Lord loves me, I wish to follow God, sin does not conquer me, but I carry on.” Can there be more Christian witness than this? What if these corrupt, political fraudsters that we have, come to be a godparent and are married well in the church. Would the Church accept such a man? And what witness would he give to his godchild? Witness of corruption?

The German Cardinal Walter Kasper said we should look for hypothesis, that is, he paved the way. And some people got frightened.The synod is a process. The doctrine of the Church on marriage was not addressed at all. I am not afraid of walking the synod road because that is the path that God expects us to walk. Indeed, the Pope is the ultimate guarantor.

Pope Francis, La Nación, 7 December 2014Interviewer: Elisabetta Piqué

The synod fathers also considered the possibility of giving the divorced and remarried access to the Sacramentsof Penance and the Eucharist. Various synod fathers insisted on maintaining the present discipline, because ofthe constitutive relationship between participation in the Eucharist and communion with the Church as well asher teaching on the indissoluble character of marriage.

Relatio Synodi of the III Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops Pastoral Challenges to the Family in the Context of Evangelization 18 October 2014 # 52, 52, 53

Divorced and remarried … What did the synod fathers say?

Some synod fathers maintained that divorced and remarriedpersons or those living together can have fruitful recourse to aspiritual communion. Others raised the question as to why, then,they cannot have access to sacramental Communion. As a result,the synod fathers requested that further theological study in thematter with a view to making clear the distinctive features of thetwo forms and their connection with the theology of marriage.

Others proposed a more individualized approach, permitting access in certain situations and with certain well-defined conditions, primarily in irreversible situations and those involving moral obligations towards children whowould have to endure unjust suffering. Access to the sacraments might take place if preceded by a penitentialpractice, determined by the diocesan bishop. The subject needs to be thoroughly examined, bearing in mind thedistinction between an objective sinful situation and extenuating circumstances, given that “imputability andresponsibility for an action can be diminished or even nullified by ignorance, inadvertence, duress, fear, habit,inordinate attachments, and other psychological or social factors” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1735).

Pope Francis to professors and students from the Gregorian Pontifical University, 10 April 2014

Theology is fruitful only if it is done with an open mind and on one’s knees.

Open to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit

A good theologian and philosopher is open, incomplete in thought, always open to the 'maius' of God and of the truth, always in development.

The theologian who is satisfied with his complete and conclusive thought is mediocre.

Guided by the Holy Spirit…

A Christian that is deaf to the

voice of the Holy Spirit is also

mute and cannot evangelize.

Pope Francis, Angelus, 11 January 2015

There is a Marian “style” to the Church’s work of evangelization. Whenever we look to Mary, we come to believe once again in the revolutionary nature of love and tenderness.

Evangelization with a Marian style

Evangelii Gaudium, excerpt from the last paragraph: # 288

Contemplating Mary, we realize that she who praised God for “bringing down the mighty from their thrones” and “sending the rich away empty” is also the one who brings a homely warmth to our pursuit of justice.

Evangelii Gaudium, excerpt from the prayer, last paragraph: # 288

Mary, Virgin and Mother,filled with Christ’s presence, obtain for us now a new ardour born of the resurrection,that we may bring to all the Gospel of lifewhich triumphs over death.

Give us a holy courage to seek new paths,that the gift of unfading beautymay reach every man and woman.

Mother of the living Gospel,wellspring of happiness for God’s little ones, pray for us.

Amen. Alleluia!

Power Point edition by Enrique Soros

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Latin American Center for

Evangelization

Pope Francis and The Joy of the Gospel: Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium

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