Evangelii Gauidium

7/23/2019 Evangelii Gauidium

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APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION

EVANGELII GAUDIUM

OF THE HOLY FATHER

FRANCIS

TO THE BISHOPS, CLERGY, CONSECRATED PERSONS

AND THE LAY FAITHFUL

ON THE PROCLAMATION OF THE GOSPEL IN TODAYS WORLD

SUBMITTED BY:

2H

PADLAN, Camille

PANDITA, Bai Sharinnah

TICKE, Kathlene Fyle


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The !"y "# the $"%&el #ill% the heart% an' li(e% "# all )h" en*"+nter e%+%- Th"%e )h" a**e&t hi% "##er

"# %al(ati"n are %et #ree #r"m %in, %"rr"), inner em&tine%% an' l"neline%%- .ith Chri%t !"y i% *"n%tantly

/"rn ane)-0

I. A JOY EVER NEW, A JOY WHICH IS SHARED

Our world today, being bombarded with consumerism, is filled with people whose hearts have been

hardened that God's voice and message of love can hardy be heard. Hearts filled with unhealthy desires

that many end up resentful, angry and listless, which is in no way, the life God wants for us to live.Keeping this in mind, the Pope invites all Christians to a renewed personal encounter with esus Christ,

or at least an openness to encounter them.

!"o one is e#cluded from the $oy brought by the %ord.&

uch is the perfect line to describe the %ord's love for us. (espite the countless disappointments we

bring and encounter, esus is still patiently waiting with arms wide open for us. )ith His help, we needonly to lift up our heads, embrace His unfailing love, and start anew.

!*he %ord, your God is in your midst, a warrior who gives you the victory+ he will re$oice over you

with gladness, he will renew you in his love+ he will e#ult over you with loud singing, as on a day of

festival& -ephaniah /012.

!3ut 4 will see you again and your hearts will re$oice, and no one will ta5e your $oy from you& ohn

06/772.

*hese 3ible verses tell us...89O4C9:

oy is not e#pressed the same way at all times in life, especially at moments of great difficulty.

However, even in the midst of the greatest distress, we all have to let the $oy of faith slowly revive as a

;uiet yet firm trust.

Given his encounters with the poor, the Pope shared how beautiful and natural the poor's e#pressions of

$oy are. (espite difficulties, these people were able to preserve the faith in their hearts, resulting to the

true $oy which flowed from the infinite love of God, who has revealed Himself to us in esus Christ.

*hese 5inds of encounters which blossom into enriching friendships, liberate us from narrowness and

self


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3y its very nature, every authentic e#periences of truth and goodness see5s to grow within us. )e

become sensitive to the needs of others through such e#periences. 3ut if we want to live a fulfilling

life, we have to reach out to others and see5 their good.

!%ife grows by being given away, and it wea5ens in isolation and comfort. 4ndeed, those who en$oy life

most are those who leave security on the shore and become e#cited by the mission of communicating

life to others&. *he tas5 of evangeli=ation is our source of authentic personal fulfillment. 4t is a mission

where we offer our life to give life to others, and yet, we ourselves, do not lose it, but gain it. However,

to be a truly effective evangeli=er, we must not be one filled with impatience, an#iousness, and

de$ection, but that of the $oy of Christ. > renewal of preaching is important that we may offer new faith

especially to those lu5ewarm in their beliefs.

!3y his coming, Christ brought with him all newness& that we are able to renew our lives despite

periods of dar5ness. )henever we ma5e the effort to return to the source and to recover the original

freshness of the Gospel, new avenues arise, new paths of creativity open up, with different forms of

e#pression, more elo;uent signs and words with new meaning for today?s world.

*he mission to evangeli=e does entail great generosity, but we must not forget that in every activity of

evangeli=ation, the primacy always belongs to God, who has called us to cooperate with him and who

leads us on by by the power of his pirit. 4t is God who loves us first and He alone gives the growth.

uch mission is not a heroic individual underta5ing. "either does it entail a 5ind of displacement or

forgetfulness of the living history which surrounds us and carries us forward. @emory is a dimension

of our faithAsuch as the 9ucharist which is a remembrance of esus' Passover. Grateful remembrance

is a source of the $oy of evangeli=ing, as can be seen in countless 3ible verses. >nd truly, the believer isessentially !one who remembers&.

III. THE NEW EVANGELIZATION FOR THE TRANSMISSION OF THE FAITH

*he new evangeli=ation is a summons addressed to all, and carried out in principal settings/

Birst, the area of ordinary pastoral ministry. 4t is animated by the fire of the pirit, inflaming the hearts

of the faithful who regularly ta5e part in community worship to be nourished by the %ord's word and bythe bread of eternal life.

econd, the area of the bapti=ed whose lives do not reflect the demands of 3aptism. 4t involves those

who lac5 a meaningful relationship to the Church and no longer e#perience the consolation born of

faith. *hey are those whom the Church e#tends help that they may restore the $oy of faith.

%astly, the first and foremost reason of evangeli=ation


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Christ or those who have always re$ected him. *hey too have the right to receive the Gospel and the

Christians should not e#clude anyone to the 'delicious ban;uet'. Christians must not be impeded in

preaching the Gospel to those who are far from Christ for it is actually the first tas5 of the Church. >s

%u5e 0/1 provides, !ust so, 4 tell you, there will be more $oy in heaven over one sinner who repents

than ninety


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CHAPTER ONE

THE CHURCH'S MISSIONARY TRANSFORMATION

1" there#"re an' mae 'i%*i&le% "# all nati"n%, /a&ti3in$ them in the name "# the Father an' "# the

S"n an' "# the H"ly S&irit, tea*hin$ them t" "/%er(e all that I ha(e *"mman'e' y"+0 4The mi%%i"nary

man'ate "# e%+% a% &r"(i'e' in Mt 25:67829-

I. A CHURCH WHICH GOES FORTH

*he 3ible will show us that God challenges those who believe in Him !to go forth&, to go and ma5e

disciples. >s Christians, we are all called to ta5e part in this particular challenge and mission. 3eing in

the mission may prove difficult, having to discern God's path and eventually, to move out of our

comfort =ones. However, having to forego of the comfort =one we 5now, doesn't necessarily mean thatwe are foregoing of a happy life. Bor after all, we are being called for the Gospel, the Good "ews of the

%ord.

*he Gospel $oy which enlivens the community of disciples is a missionary $oy, as felt by the disciples,

the first converts, and esus Himself. uch $oy is the sign of the Gospel being proclaimed and

conse;uently, bearing fruit. 4n @5. 0/D, the %ord said, !%et us go on to the ne#t towns that 4 may

preach there also, for that is why 4 came out&. *his shows us that esus does not stay behind to e#plain

and perform more signs upon 'sowing the seed', but rather, He moves forward and goes to the ne#t

town. *his is because the pirit moves Him and the Gospel itself spea5s of a seed which, once sown,

grows by itself, even as the farmer sleeps @5. E/76nd by all people, it means that no one is e#cluded, as proved by the words of the angel who

appeared to the shepherds in 3ethlehem, !4 bring you good news of a great $oy which will come to all

the people L 7/02.&

4n accordance with the meaning of the Church which !goes forth&, the Church ta5es the first step, is

involved and supportive, and conse;uently bears fruit and re$oice. *he 5nowledge that God loved us

first, pushes us to move forward, towards those who feel li5e they have been forgotten and lost, andwelcome them li5e how God always welcomes us.

4t is difficult to ta5e the first step, but esus, being the perfect model, has taught us how to do it and

become involved. 3y the washing of the feet of His disciples, esus showed us what an evangeli=ing

community isAa community which involves itself by word and deed, willing to humble itself if

necessary, to bridge distances and bring people bac5 to God.


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3eing supportive is another trait of an evangeli=ing community. 4t stands by the people at every step of

the way, regardless of the difficulties it may encounter along the way. 4t is patient as it does not mind of

the time constraints.

4t is faithful to the %ord's gift, as it bears fruit of a new life despite of unfavorable situations.

%astly, an evangeli=ing community is filled with $oy for it 5nows how to re$oice. 4t 5nows that every

victory, every step forward, whether small or big, is worthy of being celebrated.

>s a conclusion, the Church evangeli=es and is herself evangeli=ed through the beauty of the liturgy,

which is both a celebration of the tas5 of evangeli=ation and the source of her renewed selfs Pope Paul 4

has invited us, the call to renewal must be deepened, understanding that renewal is not only for

individuals acting alone, but the entire Church.

!*he Church must loo5 with penetrating eyes within herself, ponder the mystery of her own being...

*his vivid and lively self


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presence of the Church in a given territory and hence, in all its activities, it must encourage and train its

members to be evangeli=ers to become a true sanctuary for those who are thirsty. 4t cannot be denied

however, that the call to review and renew the parishes is not sufficient to ma5e them completely

mission


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but rather, the message to be preached must concentrate on the essentials. 4t must be simplified yet,

complete and thus, easier to understand which would give off a lot more convincing character.

>lthough all revealed truths come from the same divine source, there are more important truths which

give direct e#pression to the heart of the gospel. >nd this is the saving love of God made manifest in

esus Christ who died and rose from the dead. >s taught by t. *homas >;uinas, the Church's moral

teaching has its own 'hierarchy' in the virtues and the acts which proceeds from them. *he greatest of

these is provided in Galatians /6, !faith wor5ing through love&. t. *homas further e#plains that !4n

itself mercy is the greatest value of the virtues, since all the others revolve around it and, more than

this, it ma5es up for their deficiencies. *his is particular to the superior virtue, and as such it is proper

to God to have mercy, through which his omnipotence is manifested to the greatest degree&.

(espite this classification of more important virtues, still, the integrity of the Gospel must not be

deformed. Bor each truth, to be better understood, must be related to the harmonious totality of the

Christian message. *hus, each are important. @oreover, the Gospel is an invitation to respond to the

God of love who saves us. >ll these virtues are at the service of this response of love. *he most

important thing to remember, considering all these, is that it is the Gospel which should be preached,

not certain doctrinal or moral points based on specific ideological options.

IV. A MISSION EMBODIED WITHIN HUMAN LIMITS

*he Church, a missionary disciple herself, needs to grow in her interpretation of the revealed word and

in her understanding of truth. Bortunately, other sciences li5ewise help in such need. arious thoughts

in philosophy, theology and pastoral practice, if open for reconciliation by the pirit in respect and

love, could be of great aid to the Church's growth.

!*he deposit of the faith is one thing... the way it is e#pressed is another&. *he greatest danger we need

to prevent is the giving of false god or a human ideal to the truths about God and humanity, although

conducted with holy intent. )e must always be wary in transmitting to the people of today the Gospel

message, that only its true meaning is preached.

4t is understandable that the teachings of the Church can sometimes be hard to appreciate. Bor faith

retains a certain obscurity which does not detract from the firmness of its assent. 3ut despite all of

these obscurity, all religious teaching must be ultimately reflected in the teacher's way of life to awa5en

the assent of the heart by its nearness, love and witness.

4n its discernment, the Church may see certain customs which would no longer be properly understood

and applied for they can no longer serve as means of communicating the Gospel. *hese we should res a result, a heightened sense of individualism, identity crisis and a cooling of fervor can

be observed with pastoral wor5ers, despite their solid doctrinal and spiritual convictions. 3ecause

of mar5ed s5epticism with regard to the message of the church, paired with cynicism, may pastoral

wor5ers develop a sort of inferiority comple# which leads to their being unhappy with their missionand ultimately, to the wea5ening of missionary =eal.

*here is also a growing concern on how the tas5 of evangeli=ation is seen as a burden rather

than a $oyful response to God?s love. People have become so protective of their free time that

underta5ing apostolic wor5 is seen as a dissatisfying tas5 that curtails personal freedom. *his

pastoral acedia stems from, among others, lac5 of spirituality, which would ma5e pastoral wor5

fulfilling and pleasurable. 3ut Pope Brancis warns us about sterile pessimism < that the evils of our

world and the issues of the Church must not diminish our commitment to spread the Gospel. !4f we

start without confidence, we have already lost half the battle and we bury our talents.&

*oday?s world has imposed on man mistrust and suspicion towards others. )e have limited our

interpersonal relationships to the screens of our gadgets and we have isolated ourselves to the

comforts of our own privacy, forgetting about the importance of dealing with others face


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and disregarding our duty to be of service to our community. 3y detaching ourselves from the

society, we fail to see and encounter esus in others and we will not be able to build relationships

that will aid us in evangeli=ation.

Pope Brancis has also warned us about warring among ourselves. !piritual worldliness leadssome Christians to war with other Christians who stand in the way of their ;uest for power,

prestige, pleasure and economic security. ome are even no longer content to live as part of the

greater Church community but sto5e a spirit of e#clusivity, creating an !inner circle&. 4nstead of

belonging to the whole Church in all its rich variety, they belong to this or that group which thin5s

itself different or special.&


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CHAPTER THREE

THE PROCLAMATION OF THE GOSPEL

>s a bapti=ed members of the Catholic Church, it is every Christian?s primary obligation to ta5e

part in evangeli=ation wor5. >ccording to Pope ohn Paul 44, if the Church !is to fulfill its providentialdestiny, evangeli=ation as the $oyful, patient and progressive preaching of the saving death and

resurrection of esus Christ must be your absolute priority.& 4n e#horting the proclamation of the

Gospel, Pope Brancis reiterated that we are all missionary disciples with abilities to spread the word of

God. He also emphasi=ed the value of the homily, the importance of preparation for preaching and the

deeper understanding of the 5erygma.

a2 The entire &e"&le "# 1"' &r"*laim% the 1"%&el

*he good news of salvation is for everyone and in proclaiming and bringing this good news

to the world, there should be no ;ualification and discrimination. !*he Church must be a place

of mercy freely given, where everyone can feel welcomed, loved, forgiven and encouraged to

live the good life of the Gospel. 4n the same vein, everyone who is bapti=ed, regardless of their

race, color, position in the society or in the Church, are considered agents of evangeli=ation.

8egardless of our level instruction with respect to our faith, we must carry out evangeli=ation

wor5 if we have e#perienced God?s love through esus Christ. )e need not be e#perts in our

religion to ;ualify as a missionary disciple. !*oday, as the Church see5s to e#perience a

profound missionary renewal, there is a 5ind of preaching which falls to each of us as a daily

responsibility. 4t has to do with bringing the Gospel to the people we meet, whether they be our

neighbors or complete strangers. *his is the informal preaching which ta5es place in the middle

of a conversation, something along the lines of what a missionary does when visiting a home.

3eing a disciple means being constantly ready to bring the love of esus to others, and this can

happen une#pectedly and in any place/ on the street, in a city s;uare, during wor5, on a$ourney.&

b2 The h"mily

Pope Brancis has e#pressed his concerns over the preaching of the liturgy and its


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preparation. 3eing a constant source of renewal and growth for the faithful, there is great

importance in the homily and its delivery. >ccording to Pope Brancis, ! the homily cannot be a

form of entertainment li5e those presented by the media, yet it does need to give life and

meaning to the celebration. 4t is a distinctive genre, since it is preaching situated within the

framewor5 of a liturgical celebration+ hence it should be brief and avoid ta5ing on thesemblance of a speech or a lecture.& 4n delivering the homily, the minister must remember that

the Church is a @other that preaches the way a mother spea5s to her child. *herefore, the

homily must be attended by warmth in the preacher?s voice, by $oy in his gestures and by

modesty in his manner of spea5ing. 4t must not be in the form of a dialogue rather than a purely

moralistic lecture on biblical e#egesis.

c2 Pre&arin$ t" &rea*h

!Preparation for preaching is so important a tas5 that a prolonged time of study, prayer,

reflection and pastoral creativity should be devoted to itI > preacher who does not prepare is

not !spiritual&+ he is dishonest and irresponsible with the gifts he has received.& Pope Brancis

laid out the importance of understanding the meaning of the te#ts of the 3ible, given its age.

*his would prevent erroneous and biased interpretations that could contradict other teachings of

the very same scripture. )hile preachers are not e#pected to be flawless, a high level of

understanding is e#pected from them. !*he preacher !ought first of all to develop a great

personal familiarity with the word of God. Knowledge of its linguistic or e#egetical aspects is

insufficient. *hey must e#amine themselves to see if they have grown in love for the word that

they preach and they can do this every time they prepare to preach.

@ore importantly, the preacher has to 5eep his ears and hearts open to the people. @ore than

understanding the word of God, he also needs to understand the needs of his people in order to

discover what they need to hear. *he preacher must have the faculty to lin5 a biblical te#t to a

human situation or emotion. "evertheless, limits must be observed and the preacher must be

careful in not going overboard by tal5ing about unrelated * programs or trends $ust to awa5en

the people?s interests.


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d2 E(an$eli3ati"n an' the 'ee&er +n'er%tan'in$ "# the ery$ma

e%+% Chri%t l"(e% y"+< he $a(e hi% li#e t" %a(e y"+< an' n") he i% li(in$ at y"+r %i'e e(ery

'ay t" enli$hten, %tren$then an' #ree y"+-0*his first proclamation is something which we must

hear again and again in different ways, the one which we must announce one way or another

throughout the process of catechesis, at every level and moment.& *his proclamation calls for

our ongoing transformation and maturity with respect to our 5nowledge of God and our growth

in Christ. Jniform to our duty to engage on evangeli=ation wor5, we must recogni=e the need

for ourselves to be continually in need of being evangeli=ed. >ll Christian formation consists of

entering more deeply into the 5erygma. !4t has to e#press God?s saving love which precedes

any moral and religious obligation on our part+ it should not impose the truth but appeal to

freedom+ it should be mar5ed by $oy, encouragement, liveliness and a harmonious balancewhich will not reduce preaching to a few doctrines which are at times more philosophical than

evangelical. >ll this demands on the part of the evangeli=er certain attitudes which foster

openness to the message/ approachability, readiness for dialogue, patience, a warmth and

welcome which is non


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CHAPTER FOUR

THE SOCIAL DIMENSION OF EVANGELIZATION

Any &artial "r #ra$mentary 'e#initi"n )hi*h attem&t% t" ren'er the reality "# e(an$eli3ati"n in all it%

ri*hne%%, *"m&le=ity an' 'ynami%m '"e% %" "nly at the ri% "# im&"(eri%hin$ it an' e(en "# 'i%t"rtin$it-0

4.COMMUNAL AND SOCIETAL REPERCUSSIONS OF THE KERYGMA

*he 5erygma has a clear social content/ at the very heart of the Gospel is life in community and

engagement with others. *he content of the first proclamation has an immediate moral implicationcentered on charity.

Our Baith in the *rinity gives us redemption which has a social dimension for !God, in Christ, redeems

not only the individual person, but also the social relations e#isting between men.& *he Holy pirit5nows how to loosen the 5nots of human affairs, and evangeli=ation is an arm in the wor5s of the

pirit. *hat is the very mystery of the *rinity, we cannot be saved by our own efforts. )e must acceptGod?s love and to love him in return with the very love which is his gift. )hich then brings forth aresponse to desire, see5 and protect the good of others.

*he message of the Gospel is one which we often ta5e for granted. *his appears to be fatal in our life,for we could lose our ama=ement, e#citement and =eal for living the Gospel of fraternity and $ustice.

@any verses in the 3ible teach us the ways of how we treat our brothers and sisters, some of these are

@atthew 7/E, @atthew 1/7 and %u5e 6/6nd it was esus? mission to inaugurate the 5ingdom of his father.*he 5ingdom that is already here must be directed to all men and the whole man. *his is the principle

of universality intrinsic to the Gospel that salvation is for everyone. Bor the 3ible didn?t ;ualify.

8eligion should not be restricted to the private sphere, that it only e#ists to prepare souls for heaven.

God designed the world for us to en$oy, though we are called to fulfilment in eternity. Conse;uently, no

one then can demand that religion should only focus to personal lives, without influencing the societal

and national life. Bor an authentic faith always involves a deep desire to change the world and to

transmit values. *he earth is our common home, it is only natural for us to love and protect it and not$ust sit on the sidelines. >ll Christians are called to show concern for the building of a better world.

44. THE INCLUSION OF THE POOR IN SOCIETY

)e are all called to be an instrument of God in helping the poor, meaning we must be attentive to their

cries. )e cannot turn a deaf ear to their pleas, for this could directly affect our relationship with Christ.


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*he old ;uestion always returns/ !How does God?s love abide in anyone who has the world?s goods,

and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses to help& 0 ohn /012 4t is an act of grace and not a

mission to few, the need to heed this plea. esus himself has commanded his disciples to eliminate the

structural causes of poverty and to promote the integral development of the poor, as well as small dailyacts of solidarity in meeting the real needs which we encounter. *hese convictions and habits of

solidarity opens the way to other structural transformations and ma5e them possible.

!Peace is founded not only on respect for human rights, but also on respect for the rights of peoples.&

*his planet belongs to all man5ind and is meant for all man5ind. 8egardless of your race or status in

life, you are dignified. *he Pope calls for our dreams to soar higher, that we must not be limited only tonourishment of dignified sustenance, but also the general temporal welfare and prosperity.

*he Pope tells us to listen to what does the 3ible says. 4n the boo5 of @atthew, it is written that blessedare the merciful, because they shall obtain mercy. )hile in the boo5 of ames, apostle ames teaches us

that our mercy to others will vindicate us on the day of God?s $udgement. One of the concrete e#ercise

of mercy towards those in need is almsgiving, which is well e#pressed in the boo5 of irach and on 0

Peter of the new testament. *he church urges us to accept these e#hortations with courage and =eal.>nd that we must not be concerned simply about falling into doctrinal error, but about remaining

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*here must be decisions, programmes, mechanisms and processes that are specifically geared for a

better distribution of income. Politics is one of the highest forms of charity. *he Pope begs the %ord to

grant us more politicians who are genuinely disturbed by the state of society, the people and the lives of

the poor. *hey must as5 God to inspire their plans.

9conomy is the art of achieving a fitting management of our common home, the world. )e need more

efficient way of interacting which ensures the economic wells a pastor of Church without frontiers, the Pope e#horts all countries to a generous openness

that is capable of creating new forms of cultural synthesis.

*he Pope have always been distressed at the lot of those who are victims of various 5inds of human

traffic5ing, doubly are those women who endure situations of e#clusion, mistreatment and violence,

and the unborn children who are the most defenceless and innocent among us. *he defense of unborn

life is closely lin5ed to the defense of each and every other human right. 4t involves the conviction thata human being is always sacred and inviolable.

*here are still other wea5 and defenceless that are fre;uently at the mercy of economic interests orindiscriminate e#ploitation. *he Pope spea5s of the creation as a whole, we must be stewards of each

other.

444. THE COMMON GOOD AND PEACE IN SOCIETY

Peace in society is not $ust the absence of violence nor as a prete#t for $ustifying social structure which

silences or appeases the poor. *he dignity and common good of a person ran5s higher than the comfort

of those who refuse to renounce their privileges. 4n the end, a peace that is not a result of integraldevelopment will be doomed.

People in every nation must be a responsible citi=en. *his is an on


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us to be more effective in our wor5s by not being obsessed with immediate results. One of the faults the

Pope have observed is that spaces and power are preferred to time and processes. *his means madly

attempting to 5eep everything together in the present, rather than being concerned about initiating

processes.

Unity Pre(ail% >(er C"n#li*t

Conflict must be faced for us not to lose our perspective. *his is the best way to deal with conflict, to

face it head on. *his ma5es possible the development of communion despite the disagreement. *he sign

of this unity and reconciliation of all things in Him is peace, for Christ !is our peace.& 9phesians 7/0E2Peace has become possible for Christ have overcome the world. 4t is now then incumbent upon us to

radiate this inner peace God have brought us. >nd the unity that is brought to us by the pirit can

harmoni=e every diversity.

?ealitie% Are M"re Im&"rtant Than I'ea%

8ealities simply are, while ideas are wor5ed out. *hese two must come hand in hand together, so as

where the third principle comes into play. *his results to the re$ection of mas5ing reality. 4deas that are

disconnected from realities give rise to ineffectual forms of idealism and nominalism. ome politiciansand even religious leaders often falls for this, they are stuc5 in the realm of ideas and end up reducing

politics or faith into rhetoric. 8ealities are still greater than ideas.

The .h"le I% 1reater Than The Part

)e must broaden our hori=ons to see the benefit of the many without having to be detached in our

locality. )e can wor5 on a small scale but with a larger perspective. Our model here is a polyhedronthat reflects the convergence of all its part. *his principle also evo5es the totality or integrity of the

Gospel which the Church passes down to us and sends us forth to proclaim. *he Gospel has an intrinsic

principle of reality.

4. SOCIAL DIALOGUE AS A CONTRIBUTION TO PEACE

9vangeli=ation involves the path of dialogues in order to promote full human development and to

pursue the common good. !*he Church spea5s from the light which faith offers,& and this light

transcends human reason. (ialogues are about agreeing to live together, a social and cultural pact.

Baith is not fearful of reason, but it actually see5s trust and reason. 4n its dialogue between science andfaith, the Church calls for a synthesis between empirical sciences, philosophy, theology as well as faithitself. *his dialogue opens up new hori=ons for thought and e#pands the possibilities of reason that also

leads to a path of harmony and peace. *he Church re$oices and even delights in ac5nowledging the

enormous potential that God has blessed the man5ind.

!*hey may all be one.& ohn 01/702 >s a respond to this prayer of the %ord esus we must commit to

ecumenism. )e must put aside all of our suspicions and instead trust our fellow pilgrims. *rusting


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others is an art and peace is an art. !3lessed are the peacema5ers.& @atthew /F2 *he call for unity

becomes more urgent in continents of >sia and >frica where missionaries mention the criticisms,

complaints and ridicule. *he immense numbers of people who have not received the Gospel cannot

leave us indifferent. 4t is an indispensable path in evangeli=ation to lead these people in acceptingChrist and to receive the gift of pirit.

>s Christians, we cannot consider udaism as a foreign religion+ nor do we include the ews amongthose called to turn from idols and to serve the true God. )ith them, *he Pope calls us to believe in one

God who acts in history, and with them we accept his revealed word.

Our dialogues with the followers of non healthy pluralism is one that respects

and values differences and does not entail privati=ing religions in an attempt to reduce them to ;uiet

obscurity of one?s conscience or to relegate them to enclosed precincts of churches, synagogues ormos;ues. >s believers, we feel close to those who do not consider themselves as part of any religious

traditions, they are our allies in defending dignity and building peaceful coe#istence. Our encounters

with non


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CHAPTER FIVE

SPIRIT-FILLED EVANGELIZERS

piritt Pentecost the

pirit descended among the apostles enabling them to spea5 in different language. 4t has also grantedupon them the boldness to share the Gospel.

4n this final chapter, the Pope does not intend to offer a synthesis of Christian spirituality, but simply tooffer some thoughts about the spirit of the new evangeli=ation. *he Pope had reali=ed that no words of

encouragement will be enough unless the fire of Holy pirit burns in our hearts.

4. REASONS FOR A RENEWED MISSIONARY IMPULSE

piritnd it also helps in 5eeping the fire burning within us. *here is always the ris5

that some moments of prayer can become an e#cuse for not offering one?s life in a mission+ a privati=e

lifestyle can lead Christians to ta5e refuge in some false norms of spirituality. (o not consoleyourselves by saying that things are different now than before. *he 8oman 9mpire was not also

conducive for the Gospel message. 9very period of history is mar5ed with self true

missionary, who never ceases to be a disciple, 5nows that God is with Him. Jnless we see Him as

present at the heart of our missionary commitment, our enthusiasm will soon wane.

4n union with esus, we see5 what He see5s and we love what He loves. 4f we are missionaries it isbecause esus had called us so. )e evangeli=e not because of our personal interests but rather for thegreater glory of the Bather who loves us.

@ission is not $ust a passion for esus but also passion for His people. 4f we loo5 closely, we could seethat esus died at the cross burning with love for all people. He had called us to reach out for His

people. esus himself is our model to this method of evangeli=ation. 4n @ar5 0/70 it is said that

!esus, loo5ing upon him, loved him.& His life on earth has shown how he became so close with his


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people, reaching for the sic5 and sinners. *he %ord hopes that we enter into reality of other people?s

lives and 5now the power of tenderness.

esus does not want us to be grandees who loo5 down upon others, but men and women of the people.

4n loving others, we are drawn closer in our union with God. 4t is upon opening ourselves with otherthat we 5now God in a different way. 4f we want to advance in the spiritual life, then, we mustconstantly be missionaries. *his wor5 enriches us as persons, it opens up spiritual hori=ons and it ta5es

us beyond our limited spiritual constructs. 4t is also written in >cts 7/, that it is more blessed to give

than to receive.

*he Pope?s mission on being in the heart of the people is not $ust a part of his life or a badge he can

ta5e off. 4nstead, it is something he cannot uproot from his being without destroying his very self.

4f we are in this mission, we must reali=e that everyone is worthy of giving. )e are all made in the

li5eness of God, and esus died in the cross to atone for the sin of everyone.

The My%teri"+% ."rin$ "# the ?i%en Chri%t an' Hi% S&irit

*he attitude of as5ing !)hy should 4 deny myself of comforts and pleasures if 4 won?t see any

significant result& ma5es it impossible to be a missionary. )e must remember that God had already

triumphed over death and sin, so that we won?t be hopeless. Our preaching is not in vain. Christ?sresurrection is not an event of the past, but it is an irresistible force that continues on 7, years later.

Baith is not $ust believing in God, but also believing that he is alive and truly loves us. %et us believe in

the Gospel when it tells us that the 5ingdom of God is already present in this world.

*he certainty we have that God wor5s though we cannot see is often called !a sense of mystery.& 4t is

5nowing that all those who entrust themselves to the %ord will bear good fruit. @ore often, fruitfulness

is invisible to us, but we have our confident in God that all of our wor5s, pain and sacrifices are not invain. @ission is not li5e a business transaction, it escapes all measurement. %et us learn to surrender

everything to Christ. Bor the pirit wor5s as he wills, when he will and where he wills.

*he prayer of intercession moves us particularly to ta5e up the tas5 of evangeli=ation and to see5 thegood of others. 4t is a prayer of gratitude since it is constantly than5ful. 4t is the gratitude which flows

from a heart that is attentive to others. 4ntercession is li5e a !leaven& in the heart of *rinity. 4t shows us

the Bather?s heart, shedding light on concrete situations and change them.

44. MARY, MOTHER OF EVANGELIZATION

.ith the H"ly S&irit, Mary i% al)ay% &re%ent in the mi'%t "# the &e"&le- She !"ine' the 'i%*i&le% in


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&rayin$ #"r the *"min$ "# the H"ly S&irit-0 4A*t% 6:6@

e%+%; 1i#t t" Hi% Pe"&le

*he words of esus to @ary when he was in at the cross, !)oman, here is your son,& are not chiefly the

e#pression of his concern for His mother, but a revelatory formula which manifests the mystery of aspecial saving mission. esus left us His mother to be our mother. He brought us to her for he did notwant us to $ourney without a mother. @ary is the woman that turned a stable home for esus, an

abundance of love, a friend who is ever concerned, a woman that understands all our pain. he is the

missionary that draws near to us. he is our great companion and a constant reminder of God?s love.

Star "# the Ne) E(an$eli3ati"n

*he Pope as5s us to loo5 at @ary and as5 her to help us proclaim the message of salvation to all and

enable new disciples to become evangeli=ers in turn. *he fatigue and dar5ness we?ll e#perience along

the way, @ary had e#perienced them herself. *here is a @arian style to the Church?s wor5 of

evangeli=ation. )hen we loo5 to her, we see that humility and tenderness are not virtues of the wea5,but of the strong who need not treat others poorly in order to feel important themselves. @ary is able to

recogni=e the traces of God?s pirit in events great and small. *he interplay of $ustice and tenderness is

what ma5es the ecclesial community loo5 to @ary as a model of evangeli=ation.

!3ehold, 4 ma5e all things new.& 8evelations 70/2 )ith @ary we advance confidently towards the

fulfilment of this promise.

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