Pope
Francis: Evangelize with the Gospel of Joy
(Vatican Radio) In his homily during the “Mass for the
Evangelization of Peoples,” celebrated in Quito’s Parque Bicentenario (Bicentennial
Park), Pope Francis focused on the theme of unity and independence. The Holy
Father spoke of Jesus’ cry for unity at the Last Supper, and Latin America’s
cry for independence which is commemorated in the Park where the Liturgy took
place. “I would like to see these two cries joined together,” he said, “under
the beautiful challenge of evangelization.” He continued, "We evangelize
not with grand words, or complicated concepts, but with 'the joy of the
Gospel'."
The full text of Pope Francis’ prepared homily for the Mass for
the Evangelization of Peoples can be found below:
Mass for the Evangelization of Peoples
Quito, Parque Bicentenario
Tuesday, 7 July 2015
Tuesday, 7 July 2015
The word of God calls us to live in unity, that the world may
believe.
I think of those hushed words of Jesus during the Last Supper as
more of a shout, a cry rising up from this Mass which we are celebrating in
Bicentennial Park. The bicentennial which this Park commemorates was that of
Latin America’s cry for independence. It was a cry which arose from being
conscious of a lack of freedom, of exploitation and despoliation, of being
“subject to the passing whims of the powers that be” (Evangelii Gaudium,
213).
I would like to see these two cries joined together, under the
beautiful challenge of evangelization. We evangelize not with grand words, or
complicated concepts, but with “the joy of the Gospel”, which “fills the hearts
and lives of all who encounter Jesus. For those who accept his offer of
salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness”
(ibid., 1). We who are gathered here at table with Jesus are ourselves a cry, a
shout born of the conviction that his presence leads us to unity, “pointing to
a horizon of beauty and inviting others to a delicious banquet” (ibid., 15).
“Father, may they be one... so that the world may believe”. This
was Jesus’ prayer as he raised his eyes to heaven. This petition arose in a
context of mission: “As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into
the world”. At that moment, the Lord was experiencing in his own flesh the
worst of this world, a world he nonetheless loved dearly. Knowing full well its
intrigues, its falsity and its betrayals, he did not turn away, he did not
complain. We too encounter daily a world torn apart by wars and violence. It
would be facile to think that division and hatred only concern struggles
between countries or groups in society. Rather, they are a manifestation of
that “widespread individualism” which divides us and sets us against one
another (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 99), that legacy of sin lurking in
the heart of human beings, which causes so much suffering in society and all of
creation. But is it precisely this troubled world into which Jesus sends us. We
must not respond with nonchalance, or complain we do not have the resources to
do the job, or that the problems are too big. Instead, we must respond by taking
up the cry of Jesus and accepting the grace and challenge of being builders of
unity.
There was no shortage of conviction or strength in that cry for
freedom which arose a little more than two hundred years ago. But history tells
us that it only made headway once personal differences were set aside, together
with the desire for power and the inability to appreciate other movements of
liberation which were different yet not thereby opposed.
Evangelization can be a way to unite our hopes, concerns, ideals
and even utopian visions. We believe this and we make it our cry. I have
already said that, “in our world, especially in some countries, different forms
of war and conflict are re-emerging, yet we Christians remain steadfast in our
intention to respect others, to heal wounds, to build bridges, to strengthen
relationships and to ‘bear one another’s burdens’ (Evangelii Gaudium,
67). The desire for unity involves the delightful and comforting joy of
evangelizing, the conviction that we have an immense treasure to share, one
which grows stronger from being shared, and becomes ever more sensitive to the
needs of others (cf. ibid., 9). Hence the need to work for inclusivity at every
level, to avoid forms of selfishness, to build communication and dialogue, to encourage
collaboration. We need to give our hearts to our companions along the way,
without suspicion or distrust. “Trusting others is an art, and peace is an art”
(ibid., 244). Our unity can hardly shine forth if spiritual worldliness makes
us feud among ourselves in a futile quest for power, prestige, pleasure or
economic security.
Such unity is already an act of mission, “that the world may
believe”. Evangelization does not consist in proselytizing, but in attracting
by our witness those who are far off, in humbly drawing near to those who feel
distant from God and the Church, those who are fearful or indifferent, and
saying to them: “The Lord, with great respect and love, is also calling you to
be a part of his people” (Evangelii Gaudium, 113).
The Church’s mission as sacrament of salvation also has to do
with her identity as a pilgrim people called to embrace all the nations of the
earth. The more intense the communion between us, the more effective our
mission becomes (cf. John Paul II, Pastores Gregis, 22). Becoming a
missionary Church requires constantly fostering communion, since mission does
not have to do with outreach alone… We also need to be missionaries within the
Church, showing that she is “a mother who reaches out, a welcoming home, a constant
school of missionary communion” (Aparecida Document, 370).
Jesus’ prayer can be realized because he has consecrated us.
“For their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in
truth”. The spiritual life of an evangelizer is born of this profound truth,
which should not be confused with a few comforting religious exercises. Jesus
consecrates us so that we can encounter him personally. And this encounter
leads us in turn to encounter others, to become involved with our world and to
develop a passion for evangelization (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 78).
Intimacy with God, in itself incomprehensible, is revealed by
images which speak to us of communion, communication, self-giving and love. For
that reason, the unity to which Jesus calls us is not uniformity, but rather a
“multifaceted and inviting harmony” (Evangelii Gaudium, 117). The wealth
of our differences, our diversity which becomes unity whenever we commemorate
Holy Thursday, makes us wary of all totalitarian, ideological or sectarian
schemes. Nor is this unity something we can fashion as we will, setting
conditions, choosing who can belong and who cannot. Jesus prays that we will
all become part of a great family in which God is our Father and all of us are
brothers and sisters. This is not about having the same tastes, the same
concerns, the same gifts. We are brothers and sisters because God created us
out of love and destined us, purely of his own initiative, to be his sons and
daughters (cf. Eph 1:5). We are brothers and sisters because “God has sent the
Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying “Abba! Father!” (Gal 4:6). We are
brothers and sisters because, justified by the blood of Christ Jesus (cf. Rom
5:9), we have passed from death to life and been made “coheirs” of the promise
(cf. Gal 3:26-29; Rom 8:17). That is the salvation which God makes possible for
us, and which the Church proclaims with joy: to be part of the divine “we”.
Our cry, in this place linked to the original cry for freedom in
this country, echoes that of Saint Paul: “Woe to me if I do not preach the
Gospel!” (1 Cor 9:16). It is a cry every bit as urgent and pressing as was the
cry for independence. It is similarly thrilling in its ardor. May each of you
be a witness to a fraternal communion which shines forth in our world!
How beautiful it would be if all could admire how much we care
for one another, how we encourage and help each other. Giving of ourselves
establishes an interpersonal relationship; we do not give “things” but our very
selves. In any act of giving, we give ourselves. “Giving of oneself” means
letting all the power of that love which is God’s Holy Spirit take root in our
lives, opening our hearts to his creative power. When we give of ourselves, we
discover our true identity as children of God in the image of the Father and,
like him, givers of life; we discover that we are brothers and sisters of
Jesus, to whom we bear witness. This is what it means to evangelize; this is
the new revolution – for our faith is always revolutionary –, this is our deepest
and most enduring cry.
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