Synthesis of the Apostolic Exhortation “The Joy Of The Gospel”
Vatican
City, 26 November 2013 (VIS) - “The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts
and lives of all who encounter Jesus”; thus begins the Apostolic
Exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium”, by which Pope Francis develops the
theme of the proclamation of the Gospel in the contemporary world, drawn
from, among other sources, the contribution of the work of the Synod
held in the Vatican from 7 to 28 October 2012 on the theme “The new
evangelization for the transmission of the faith”. The text, which the
Holy Father consigned to a group of thirty-six faithful following the
closing Mass of the Year of Faith last Sunday is the first official
document of his pontificate, since the Encyclical “Lumen fidei” was
written in collaboration with his predecessor, Benedict XVI. “I wish to
encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of
evangelization marked by this joy, while pointing out new paths for the
Church’s journey in years to come”, he continues. It is a heartfelt
appeal to all baptized persons to bring Christ’s love to others,
“permanently in a state of mission”, conquering “the great danger in
today’s world”, that of an individualist “desolation and anguish”.
The
Pope invites the reader to “recover the original freshness of the
Gospel”, finding “new avenues” and “new paths of creativity”, without
enclosing Jesus in our “dull categories”. There is a need for a
“pastoral and missionary conversion, which cannot leave things as they
presently are” and a “renewal” of ecclesiastical structures to enable
them to become “more mission-oriented”. The Pontiff also considers “a
conversion of the papacy”, to help make this ministry “more faithful to
the meaning which Jesus Christ wished to give it and to the present
needs of evangelization”. The hope that the Episcopal Conferences might
contribute to “the concrete realization of the collegial spirit”, he
states, “has not been fully realized”. A “sound decentralization” is
necessary. In this renewal, the Church should not be afraid to
re-examine “certain customs not directly connected to the heart of the
Gospel, even some of which have deep historical roots”.
A
sign of God’s openness is “that our church doors should always be open”
so that those who seek God “will not find a closed door”; “nor should
the doors of the sacraments be closed for simply any reason”. The
Eucharist “is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and
nourishment for the weak”. These convictions have pastoral consequences
that we are called to consider with prudence and boldness”. He repeats
that he prefers “a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it
has been out on the streets, rather than a Church … concerned with
being at the centre and then ends by being caught up in a web of
obsessions and procedures. If something should rightly disturb us … it
is the fact that many of our brothers and sisters are living without …
the friendship of Jesus Christ”.
The
Pope indicates the “temptations which affect pastoral workers”:
“individualism, a crisis of identity and a cooling of fervour”. The
greatest threat of all is “the grey pragmatism of the daily life of the
Church, in which all appears to proceed normally, which in reality faith
is wearing down”. He warns against “defeatism”, urging Christians to be
signs of hope, bringing about a “revolution of tenderness”. It is
necessary to seek refuge from the “spirituality of well-being … detached
from responsibility for our brothers and sisters” and to vanquish the
“spiritual worldliness” that consists of “seeking not the Lord’s glory
but human glory and well-being”. The Pope speaks of the many who “feel
superior to others” because “they remain intransigently faithful to a
particular Catholic style from the past” whereby “instead of
evangelizing, one analyses and classifies others” and those who have “an
ostentatious preoccupation for the liturgy, for doctrine and for the
Church’s prestige, but without any concern that the Gospel have a real
impact” on the needs of the people. This is “a tremendous corruption
disguised as a good … God save us from a worldly Church with superficial
spiritual and pastoral trappings!”.
He
appeals to ecclesial communities not to fall prey to envy and jealousy:
“How many wars take place within the people of God and in our different
communities!”. “Whom are we going to evangelize if this is the way we
act?”. He highlights the need to promote the growth of the
responsibility of the laity, often kept “away from decision-making” by
“an excessive clericalism”. He adds that there is a need for “still
broader opportunities for a more incisive female presence in the
Church”, in particular “in the various settings where important
decisions are made”. “Demands that the legitimate rights of women be
respected … cannot be lightly evaded”. The young should “exercise
greater leadership”. With regard to the scarcity of vocations in many
places, he emphasizes that “seminaries cannot accept candidates on the
basis of any motivation whatsoever”.
With
regard to the theme of inculturation, he remarks that “Christianity
does not have simply one cultural expression” and that the face of the
Church is “varied”. “We cannot demand that peoples of every continent,
in expressing their Christian faith, imitate modes of expression which
European nations developed at a particular moment of their history”. The
Pope reiterates that “underlying popular piety … is an active
evangelizing power” and encourages the research of theologians,
reminding them however that “the Church and theology exist to
evangelize” and urging them not to be “content with a desk-bound
theology”.
He
focuses “somewhat meticulously, on the homily”, since “many concerns
have been expressed about this important ministry and we cannot simply
ignore them”. The homily “should be brief and avoid taking on the
semblance of a speech or a lecture”, should be a “heart-to-heart
communication” and avoid “purely moralistic or doctrinaire” preaching.
He highlights the importance of preparation: “a preacher who does not
prepare is not ‘spiritual’; he is dishonest and irresponsible”.
Preaching should always be positive in order always to “offer hope” and
“does not leave us trapped in negativity”. The approach to the
proclamation of the Gospel should have positive characteristics:
“approachability, readiness for dialogue, patience, a warmth and welcome
which is non-judgemental”.
In
relation to the challenges of the contemporary world, the Pope
denounces the current economic system as “unjust at its root”. “Such an
economy kills” because the law of “the survival of the fittest”
prevails. The current culture of the “disposable” has created “something
new”: “the excluded are not the ‘exploited’ but the outcast, the
‘leftovers’”. “A new tyranny is thus born, invisible and often virtual”,
of an “autonomy of the market” in which “financial speculation” and
“widespread corruption” and “self-serving tax-evasion reign”. He also
denounces “attacks on religious freedom” and the “new persecutions
directed against Christians. … In many places the problem is more that
of widespread indifference and relativism”. The family, the Pope
continues, “is experiencing a profound cultural crisis”. Reiterating the
indispensable contribution of marriage to society”, he underlines that
“the individualism of our postmodern and globalized era favours a
lifestyle which … distorts family bonds”.
He
re-emphasizes “the profound connection between evangelization and human
advancement” and the right of Pastors “to offer opinions on all that
affects people’s lives”. “No one can demand that religion should be
relegated to the inner sanctum of personal life, without a right to
offer an opinion on events affecting society”. He quotes John Paul II,
who said that the Church “cannot and must not remain on the sidelines in
the fight for justice”. “For the Church, the option for the poor is
primarily a theological category” rather than a sociological one. “This
is why I want a Church that is poor and for the poor. They have much to
teach us”. “As long as the problems of the poor are not radically
resolved … no solution will be found for this world’s problems”.
“Politics, although often denigrated”, he affirms, “remains a lofty
vocation and one of the highest forms of charity”. I beg the Lord to
grant us more politicians who are genuinely disturbed by … the lives of
the poor!”. He adds an admonition: “Any Church community”, if it
believes it can forget about the poor, runs the risk of “breaking down”.
The
Pope urges care for the weakest members of society: “the homeless, the
addicted, refugees, indigenous peoples, the elderly who are increasingly
isolated and abandoned” and migrants, for whom the Pope exhorts “a
generous openness”. He speaks about the victims of trafficking and new
forms of slavery: “This infamous network of crime is now well
established in our cities, and many people have blood on their hands as a
result of their comfortable and silent complicity”. “Doubly poor are
those women who endure situations of exclusion, mistreatment and
violence”. “Among the vulnerable for whom the Church wishes to care with
particular love and concern are unborn children, the most defenceless
and innocent among us. Nowadays efforts are made to deny them their
human dignity”. “The Church cannot be expected to change her position on
this question … it is not ‘progressive’ to try to resolve problems by
eliminating a human life”. The Pope makes an appeal for respect for all
creation: we “are called to watch over and protect the fragile world in
which we live”.
With
regard to the theme of peace, the Pope affirms that “a prophetic voice
must be raised” against attempts at false reconciliation to “silence or
appease” the poor, while others “refuse to renounce their privileges”.
For the construction of a society “in peace, justice and fraternity” he
indicates four principles: “Time is greater than space” means working
“slowly but surely, without being obsessed with immediate results”.
“Unity prevails over conflict” means “a diversified and life-giving
unity”. “Realities are more important than ideas means avoiding
“reducing politics or faith to rhetoric”. “The whole is greater than the
part” means bringing together “globalization and localization”.
“Evangelization
also involves the path of dialogue”, the Pope continues, which opens
the Church to collaboration with all political, social, religious and
cultural spheres. Ecumenism is “an indispensable path to
evangelization”. Mutual enrichment is important: “we can learn so much
from one another!”, for example “in the dialogue with our Orthodox
brothers and sisters, we Catholics have the opportunity to learn more
about the meaning of Episcopal collegiality and their experience of
synodality”; “dialogue and friendship with the children of Israel are
part of the life of Jesus’ disciples”; “interreligious dialogue”, which
must be conducted “clear and joyful in one’s own identity”, is “a
necessary condition for peace in the world” and does not obscure
evangelization; in our times, “our relationship with the followers of
Islam has taken on great importance”: the Pope “humbly” entreats those
countries of Islamic tradition to guarantee religious freedom to
Christians, also “in light of the freedom which followers of Islam enjoy
in Western countries!”. “Faced with disconcerting episodes of violent
fundamentalism” he urges us to “avoid hateful generalisations, for
authentic Islam and the proper reading of the Koran are opposed to every
form of violence”. And against the attempt to private religions in some
contexts, he affirms that “the respect due to the agnostic or
non-believing minority should not be arbitrarily imposed in a way that
silences the convictions of the believing majority or ignores the wealth
of religious traditions”. He then repeats the importance of dialogue
and alliance between believers and non-believers.
The
final chapter is dedicated to “spirit-filled evangelizers”, who are
those who are “fearlessly open to the working of the Holy Spirit” and
who have “the courage to proclaim the newness of the Gospel with
boldness (parrhesía) in every time and place, even when it meets with
opposition”. These are “evangelizers who pray and work”, in the
knowledge that “mission is at once a passion for Jesus and a passion for
his people”: “Jesus wants us to touch human misery, to touch the
suffering flesh of others”. He explains, “In our dealings with the
world, we are told to give reasons for our hope, but not as an enemy who
critiques and condemns”. “Only the person who feels happiness in
seeking the good of others, in desiring their happiness, can be a
missionary”; “if I can help at least one person to have a better life,
that already justifies the offering of my life”. The Pope urges us not
to be discouraged before failure or scarce results, since “fruitfulness
is often invisible, elusive and unquantifiable”; we must know “only that
our commitment is necessary”. The Exhortation concludes with a prayer
to Mary, “Mother of Evangelization”. “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”.
To
read the full text of the Apostolic Exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium”, or
to download it in PDF format, click on or copy the following link:
http://www.vatican.va/phome_en.htm
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