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 TODAY’S WORLD
EVANGELII GAUDIUM
OF THE HOLY FATHER
FRANCIS
TO THE BISHOPS, CLERGY,
CONSECRATED PERSONS
AND THE LAY FAITHFUL
ON THE PROCLAMATION OF THE GOSPEL
IN TODAY’S WORLD
INDEX
I. A JOY EVER NEW, A JOY WHICH IS SHARED [2-8]
II. THE DELIGHTFUL AND COMFORTING JOY OF EVANGELIZING [9-13]
II. THE DELIGHTFUL AND COMFORTING JOY OF EVANGELIZING [9-13]
Eternal newness [11-13]
No to an economy of exclusion [53-54]
No to the new idolatry of money [55-56]
No to a financial system which rules rather than serves [57-58]
No to the inequality which spawns violence [59-60]
Some cultural challenges [61-67]
Challenges to inculturating the faith [68-70]
Challenges from urban cultures [71-75]
No to the new idolatry of money [55-56]
No to a financial system which rules rather than serves [57-58]
No to the inequality which spawns violence [59-60]
Some cultural challenges [61-67]
Challenges to inculturating the faith [68-70]
Challenges from urban cultures [71-75]
Yes to the challenge of a missionary spirituality [78-80]
No to selfishness and spiritual sloth [81-83]
No to a sterile pessimism [84-86]
Yes to the new relationships brought by Christ [87-92]
No to spiritual worldliness [93-97]
No to warring among ourselves [98-101]
Other ecclesial challenges [102-109]
No to selfishness and spiritual sloth [81-83]
No to a sterile pessimism [84-86]
Yes to the new relationships brought by Christ [87-92]
No to spiritual worldliness [93-97]
No to warring among ourselves [98-101]
Other ecclesial challenges [102-109]
A people for everyone [112-114]
A people of many faces [115-118]
We are all missionary disciples [119-121]
The evangelizing power of popular piety [122-126]
Person to person [127-129]
Charisms at the service of a communion which evangelizes [130-131]
Culture, thought and education [132-134]
A people of many faces [115-118]
We are all missionary disciples [119-121]
The evangelizing power of popular piety [122-126]
Person to person [127-129]
Charisms at the service of a communion which evangelizes [130-131]
Culture, thought and education [132-134]
The liturgical context [137-138]
A mother’s conversation [139-141]
Words which set hearts on fire [142-144]
A mother’s conversation [139-141]
Words which set hearts on fire [142-144]
Reverence for truth [146-148]
Personalizing the word [149-151]
Spiritual reading [152-153]
An ear to the people [154-155]
Homiletic resources [156-159]
Personalizing the word [149-151]
Spiritual reading [152-153]
An ear to the people [154-155]
Homiletic resources [156-159]
Kerygmatic and mystagogical catechesis [163-168]
Personal accompaniment in processes of growth [169-173]
Centred on the word of God [174-175]
Personal accompaniment in processes of growth [169-173]
Centred on the word of God [174-175]
Confession of faith and commitment to society [178-179]
The kingdom and its challenge [180-181]
The Church’s teaching on social questions [182-185]
The kingdom and its challenge [180-181]
The Church’s teaching on social questions [182-185]
In union with God, we hear a plea [187-192]
Fidelity to the Gospel, lest we run in vain [193-196]
The special place of the poor in God’s people [197-201]
The economy and the distribution of income [202-208]
Concern for the vulnerable [209-216]
Fidelity to the Gospel, lest we run in vain [193-196]
The special place of the poor in God’s people [197-201]
The economy and the distribution of income [202-208]
Concern for the vulnerable [209-216]
Time is greater than space [222-225]
Unity prevails over conflict [226-230]
Realities are more important than ideas [231-233]
The whole is greater than the part [234-237]
Unity prevails over conflict [226-230]
Realities are more important than ideas [231-233]
The whole is greater than the part [234-237]
Dialogue between faith, reason and science [242-243]
Ecumenical dialogue [244-246]
Relations with Judaism [247-249]
Interreligious dialogue [250-254]
Social dialogue in a context of religious freedom [255-258]
Ecumenical dialogue [244-246]
Relations with Judaism [247-249]
Interreligious dialogue [250-254]
Social dialogue in a context of religious freedom [255-258]
Personal encounter with the saving love of Jesus [264-267]
The spiritual savour of being a people [268-274]
The mysterious working of the risen Christ and his Spirit [275-280]
The missionary power of intercessory prayer [281-283]
The spiritual savour of being a people [268-274]
The mysterious working of the risen Christ and his Spirit [275-280]
The missionary power of intercessory prayer [281-283]
1.
THE JOY OF THE GOSPEL fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus.
Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner
emptiness and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew. In this
Exhortation 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.
2.
The great danger in today’s world, pervaded as it is by consumerism, is the
desolation and anguish born of a complacent yet covetous heart, the feverish
pursuit of frivolous pleasures, and a blunted conscience. Whenever our interior
life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer
room for others, no place for the poor. God’s voice is no longer heard, the
quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good fades. This
is a very real danger for believers too. Many fall prey to it, and end up
resentful, angry and listless. That is no way to live a dignified and fulfilled
life; it is not God’s will for us, nor is it the life in the Spirit which has
its source in the heart of the risen Christ.
3.
I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal
encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter
them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day. No one should think
that this invitation is not meant for him or her, since “no one is excluded
from the joy brought by the Lord”.[1] The
Lord does not disappoint those who take this risk; whenever we take a step
towards Jesus, we come to realize that he is already there, waiting for us with
open arms. Now is the time to say to Jesus: “Lord, I have let myself be
deceived; in a thousand ways I have shunned your love, yet here I am once more,
to renew my covenant with you. I need you. Save me once again, Lord, take me
once more into your redeeming embrace”. How good it feels to come back to him
whenever we are lost! Let me say this once more: God never tires of forgiving
us; we are the ones who tire of seeking his mercy. Christ, who told us to forgive
one another “seventy times seven” (Mt 18:22) has given us his
example: he has forgiven us seventy times seven. Time and time again he bears
us on his shoulders. No one can strip us of the dignity bestowed upon us by
this boundless and unfailing love. With a tenderness which never disappoints,
but is always capable of restoring our joy, he makes it possible for us to lift
up our heads and to start anew. Let us not flee from the resurrection of Jesus,
let us never give up, come what will. May nothing inspire more than his life,
which impels us onwards!
4.
The books of the Old Testament predicted that the joy of salvation would abound
in messianic times. The prophet Isaiah exultantly salutes the awaited Messiah:
“You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy” (9:3). He exhorts
those who dwell on Zion to go forth to meet him with song: “Shout aloud and
sing for joy!” (12:6). The prophet tells those who have already seen him from
afar to bring the message to others: “Get you up to a high mountain, O herald
of good tidings to Zion; lift up your voice with strength, O herald of good
tidings to Jerusalem” (40:9). All creation shares in the joy of salvation:
“Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth! Break forth, O mountains, into
singing! For the Lord has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his
suffering ones” (49:13).
Zechariah,
looking to the day of the Lord, invites the people to acclaim the king who
comes “humble and riding on a donkey”: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout
aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and
victorious is he” (9:9).
Perhaps
the most exciting invitation is that of the prophet Zephaniah, who presents God
with his people in the midst of a celebration overflowing with the joy of salvation.
I find it thrilling to reread this text: “The Lord, your God is in your midst,
a warrior who gives you the victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he
will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing, as on a
day of festival” (3:17).
This
is the joy which we experience daily, amid the little things of life, as a
response to the loving invitation of God our Father: “My child, treat yourself
well, according to your means… Do not deprive yourself of the day’s enjoyment”
(Sir14:11, 14). What tender paternal love echoes in these words!
5.
The Gospel, radiant with the glory of Christ’s cross, constantly invites us to
rejoice. A few examples will suffice. “Rejoice!” is the angel’s greeting to
Mary (Lk 1:28). Mary’s visit to Elizabeth makes John leap for joy
in his mother’s womb (cf. Lk 1:41). In her song of praise,
Mary proclaims: “My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour” (Lk 1:47).
When Jesus begins his ministry, John cries out: “For this reason, my joy has
been fulfilled” (Jn 3:29). Jesus himself “rejoiced in the Holy
Spirit” (Lk 10:21). His message brings us joy: “I have said these
things to you, so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete”
(Jn 15:11). Our Christian joy drinks of his brimming heart. He
promises his disciples: “You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into
joy” (Jn 16:20). He then goes on to say: “But I will see you again
and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you” (Jn 16:22).
The disciples “rejoiced” (Jn20:20) at the sight of the risen Christ. In
the Acts of the Apostles we read that the first Christians “ate their food with
glad and generous hearts” (2:46). Wherever the disciples went, “there was great
joy” (8:8); even amid persecution they continued to be “filled with joy”
(13:52). The newly baptized eunuch “went on his way rejoicing” (8:39), while
Paul’s jailer “and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer
in God” (16:34). Why should we not also enter into this great stream of joy?
6.
There are Christians whose lives seem like Lent without Easter. I realize of
course that joy is not expressed the same way at all times in life, especially
at moments of great difficulty. Joy adapts and changes, but it always endures,
even as a flicker of light born of our personal certainty that, when everything
is said and done, we are infinitely loved. I understand the grief of people who
have to endure great suffering, yet slowly but surely we all have to let the
joy of faith slowly revive as a quiet yet firm trust, even amid the greatest
distress: “My soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is… But
this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: the steadfast love of the Lord
never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning.
Great is your faithfulness… It is good that one should wait quietly for the
salvation of the Lord” (Lam 3:17, 21-23, 26).
7.
Sometimes we are tempted to find excuses and complain, acting as if we could
only be happy if a thousand conditions were met. To some extent this is because
our “technological society has succeeded in multiplying occasions of pleasure,
yet has found it very difficult to engender joy”.[2] I
can say that the most beautiful and natural expressions of joy which I have
seen in my life were in poor people who had little to hold on to. I also think
of the real joy shown by others who, even amid pressing professional
obligations, were able to preserve, in detachment and simplicity, a heart full
of faith. In their own way, all these instances of joy flow from the infinite
love of God, who has revealed himself to us in Jesus Christ. I never tire of
repeating those words of Benedict XVI which take us to the very heart of the
Gospel: “Being a Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty
idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon
and a decisive direction”.[3]
8.
Thanks solely to this encounter – or renewed encounter – with God’s love, which
blossoms into an enriching friendship, we are liberated from our narrowness and
self-absorption. We become fully human when we become more than human, when we
let God bring us beyond ourselves in order to attain the fullest truth of our
being. Here we find the source and inspiration of all our efforts at
evangelization. For if we have received the love which restores meaning to our
lives, how can we fail to share that love with others?
9.
Goodness always tends to spread. Every authentic experience of truth and
goodness seeks by its very nature to grow within us, and any person who has
experienced a profound liberation becomes more sensitive to the needs of
others. As it expands, goodness takes root and develops. If we wish to lead a
dignified and fulfilling life, we have to reach out to others and seek their
good. In this sense, several sayings of Saint Paul will not surprise us: “The
love of Christ urges us on” (2 Cor 5:14); “Woe to me if I do not
proclaim the Gospel” (1 Cor 9:16).
10.
The Gospel offers us the chance to live life on a higher plane, but with no
less intensity: “Life grows by being given away, and it weakens in isolation
and comfort. Indeed, those who enjoy life most are those who leave security on
the shore and become excited by the mission of communicating life to others”.[4] When
the Church summons Christians to take up the task of evangelization, she is
simply pointing to the source of authentic personal fulfilment. For “here we
discover a profound law of reality: that life is attained and matures in the
measure that it is offered up in order to give life to others. This is
certainly what mission means”.[5] Consequently,
an evangelizer must never look like someone who has just come back from a
funeral! Let us recover and deepen our enthusiasm, that “delightful and
comforting joy of evangelizing, even when it is in tears that we must sow… And
may the world of our time, which is searching, sometimes with anguish,
sometimes with hope, be enabled to receive the good news not from evangelizers
who are dejected, discouraged, impatient or anxious, but from ministers of the
Gospel whose lives glow with fervour, who have first received the joy of
Christ”.[6]
11.
A renewal of preaching can offer believers, as well as the lukewarm and the
non-practising, new joy in the faith and fruitfulness in the work of
evangelization. The heart of its message will always be the same: the God who
revealed his immense love in the crucified and risen Christ. God constantly
renews his faithful ones, whatever their age: “They shall mount up with wings
like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not be faint”
(Is 40:31). Christ is the “eternal Gospel” (Rev 14:6);
he “is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb 13:8), yet
his riches and beauty are inexhaustible. He is for ever young and a constant
source of newness. The Church never fails to be amazed at “the depth of the
riches and wisdom and knowledge of God” (Rom 11:33). Saint John of
the Cross says that “the thicket of God’s wisdom and knowledge is so deep and
so broad that the soul, however much it has come to know of it, can always
penetrate deeper within it”.[7] Or
as Saint Irenaeus writes: “By his coming, Christ brought with him all newness”.[8] With
this freshness he is always able to renew our lives and our communities, and
even if the Christian message has known periods of darkness and ecclesial
weakness, it will never grow old. Jesus can also break through the dull
categories with which we would enclose him and he constantly amazes us by his
divine creativity. Whenever we make 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 expression, more eloquent signs and
words with new meaning for today’s world. Every form of authentic
evangelization is always “new”.
12.
Though it is true that this mission demands great generosity on our part, it
would be wrong to see it as a heroic individual undertaking, for it is first
and foremost the Lord’s work, surpassing anything which we can see and
understand. Jesus is “the first and greatest evangelizer”.[9] In
every activity of evangelization, 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
Spirit. The real newness is the newness which God himself mysteriously brings
about and inspires, provokes, guides and accompanies in a thousand ways. The
life of the Church should always reveal clearly that God takes the initiative,
that “he has loved us first” (1 Jn 4:19) and that he alone “gives
the growth” (1 Cor 3:7). This conviction enables us to maintain a
spirit of joy in the midst of a task so demanding and challenging that it
engages our entire life. God asks everything of us, yet at the same time he
offers everything to us.
13.
Nor should we see the newness of this mission as entailing a kind of
displacement or forgetfulness of the living history which surrounds us and
carries us forward. Memory is a dimension of our faith which we might call
“deuteronomic”, not unlike the memory of Israel itself. Jesus leaves us the
Eucharist as the Church’s daily remembrance of, and deeper sharing in, the
event of his Passover (cf. Lk 22:19). The joy of evangelizing
always arises from grateful remembrance: it is a grace which we constantly need
to implore. The apostles never forgot the moment when Jesus touched their
hearts: “It was about four o’clock in the afternoon” (Jn 1:39).
Together with Jesus, this remembrance makes present to us “a great cloud of
witnesses” (Heb 12:1), some of whom, as believers, we recall with
great joy: “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God” (Heb 13:7).
Some of them were ordinary people who were close to us and introduced us to the
life of faith: “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first
in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice” (2 Tim 1:5). The
believer is essentially “one who remembers”.
14.
Attentive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit who helps us together to read
the signs of the times, the XIII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of
Bishops gathered from 7-28 October 2012 to discuss the theme: The New
Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith. The Synod
reaffirmed that the new evangelization is a summons addressed to all and that
it is carried out in three principal settings.[10]
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 and gather on the
Lord’s day to be nourished by his word and by the bread of eternal life”.[11] In
this category we can also include those members of faithful who preserve a deep
and sincere faith, expressing it in different ways, but seldom taking part in
worship. Ordinary pastoral ministry seeks to help believers to grow spiritually
so that they can respond to God’s love ever more fully in their lives.
A
second area is that of “the baptized whose lives do not reflect the demands
of Baptism”,[12] 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 these 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”.[13]
15.
John Paul II asked us to recognize that “there must be no lessening of the
impetus to preach the Gospel” to those who are far from Christ, “because this
is the first task of the Church”.[14] Indeed,
“today missionary activity still represents the greatest challenge for the
Church”[15] and
“the missionary task must remain foremost”.[16] What
would happen if we were to take these words seriously? We would realize that
missionary outreach is paradigmatic for all the Church’s activity.
Along these lines the Latin American bishops stated that we “cannot passively
and calmly wait in our church buildings”;[17] we
need to move “from a pastoral ministry of mere conservation to a decidedly
missionary pastoral ministry”.[18] This
task continues to be a source of immense joy for the Church: “Just so, I tell
you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than
ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance” (Lk 15:7).
16.
I was happy to take up the request of the Fathers of the Synod to write this
Exhortation.[19] In
so doing, I am reaping the rich fruits of the Synod’s labours. In addition, I
have sought advice from a number of people and I intend to express my own
concerns about this particular chapter of the Church’s work of evangelization.
Countless issues involving evangelization today might be discussed here, but I
have chosen not to explore these many questions which call for further
reflection and study. Nor do I believe that the papal magisterium should be
expected to offer a definitive or complete word on every question which affects
the Church and the world. It is not advisable for the Pope to take the place of
local Bishops in the discernment of every issue which arises in their
territory. In this sense, I am conscious of the need to promote a sound
“decentralization”.
17.
Here I have chosen to present some guidelines which can encourage and guide the
whole Church in a new phase of evangelization, one marked by enthusiasm and
vitality. In this context, and on the basis of the teaching of the Dogmatic
Constitution Lumen Gentium, I have decided, among other themes, to
discuss at length the following questions:
a)
the reform of the Church in her missionary outreach;
b) the temptations faced by pastoral workers;
c) the Church, understood as the entire People of God which evangelizes;
d) the homily and its preparation;
e) the inclusion of the poor in society;
f) peace and dialogue within society;
g) the spiritual motivations for mission.
b) the temptations faced by pastoral workers;
c) the Church, understood as the entire People of God which evangelizes;
d) the homily and its preparation;
e) the inclusion of the poor in society;
f) peace and dialogue within society;
g) the spiritual motivations for mission.
18.
I have dealt extensively with these topics, with a detail which some may find
excessive. But I have done so, not with the intention of providing an
exhaustive treatise but simply as a way of showing their important practical
implications for the Church’s mission today. All of them help give shape to a
definite style of evangelization which I ask you to adopt in every
activity which you undertake. In this way, we can take up, amid our daily
efforts, the biblical exhortation: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will
say: Rejoice” (Phil 4:4).
CHAPTER ONE
19.
Evangelization takes place in obedience to the missionary mandate of Jesus: “Go
therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that
I have commanded you” (Mt 28:19-20). In these verses we see how the
risen Christ sent his followers to preach the Gospel in every time and place,
so that faith in him might spread to every corner of the earth.
20.
The word of God constantly shows us how God challenges those who believe in him
“to go forth”. Abraham received the call to set out for a new land (cf. Gen 12:1-3).
Moses heard God’s call: “Go, I send you” (Ex 3:10) and led the
people towards the promised land (cf. Ex 3:17). To Jeremiah,
God says: “To all whom I send you, you shall go” (Jer 1:7). In our
day Jesus’ command to “go and make disciples” echoes in the changing scenarios
and ever new challenges to the Church’s mission of evangelization, and all of
us are called to take part in this new missionary “going forth”. Each Christian
and every community must discern the path that the Lord points out, but all of
us are asked to obey his call to go forth from our own comfort zone in order to
reach all the “peripheries” in need of the light of the Gospel.
21.
The Gospel joy which enlivens the community of disciples is a missionary joy.
The seventy-two disciples felt it as they returned from their mission
(cf. Lk 10:17). Jesus felt it when he rejoiced in the Holy
Spirit and praised the Father for revealing himself to the poor and the little
ones (cf. Lk 10:21). It was felt by the first converts who
marvelled to hear the apostles preaching “in the native language of each” (Acts 2:6)
on the day of Pentecost. This joy is a sign that the Gospel has been proclaimed
and is bearing fruit. Yet the drive to go forth and give, to go out from
ourselves, to keep pressing forward in our sowing of the good seed, remains
ever present. The Lord says: “Let us go on to the next towns that I may preach
there also, for that is why I came out” (Mk 1:38). Once the seed
has been sown in one place, Jesus does not stay behind to explain things or to
perform more signs; the Spirit moves him to go forth to other towns.
22.
God’s word is unpredictable in its power. The Gospel speaks of a seed which,
once sown, grows by itself, even as the farmer sleeps (Mk 4:26-29).
The Church has to accept this unruly freedom of the word, which accomplishes
what it wills in ways that surpass our calculations and ways of thinking.
23.
The Church’s closeness to Jesus is part of a common journey; “communion and
mission are profoundly interconnected”.[20] In
fidelity to the example of the Master, it is vitally important for the Church
today to go forth and preach the Gospel to all: to all places, on all
occasions, without hesitation, reluctance or fear. The joy of the Gospel is for
all people: no one can be excluded. That is what the angel proclaimed to the
shepherds in Bethlehem: “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a
great joy which will come to all the people (Lk 2:10). The Book of
Revelation speaks of “an eternal Gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on
earth, to every nation and tongue and tribe and people (Rev 14:6).
24.
The Church which “goes forth” is a community of missionary disciples who take
the first step, who are involved and supportive, who bear fruit and rejoice. An
evangelizing community knows that the Lord has taken the initiative, he has
loved us first (cf. 1 Jn 4:19), and therefore we can move
forward, boldly take the initiative, go out to others, seek those who have
fallen away, stand at the crossroads and welcome the outcast. Such a community
has an endless desire to show mercy, the fruit of its own experience of the
power of the Father’s infinite mercy. Let us try a little harder to take the
first step and to become involved. Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. The
Lord gets involved and he involves his own, as he kneels to wash their feet. He
tells his disciples: “You will be blessed if you do this” (Jn13:17). 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. An evangelizing community is also supportive, standing by
people at every step of the way, no matter how difficult or lengthy this may
prove to be. It is familiar with patient expectation and apostolic endurance.
Evangelization consists mostly of patience and disregard for constraints of
time. Faithful to the Lord’s gift, it also bears fruit. An evangelizing
community is always concerned with fruit, because the Lord wants her to be
fruitful. It cares for the grain and does not grow impatient at the weeds. The
sower, when he sees weeds sprouting among the grain does not grumble or
overreact. He or she finds a way to let the word take flesh in a particular
situation and bear fruits of new life, however imperfect or incomplete these
may appear. The disciple is ready to put his or her whole life on the line,
even to accepting martyrdom, in bearing witness to Jesus Christ, yet the goal
is not to make enemies but to see God’s word accepted and its capacity for
liberation and renewal revealed. Finally an evangelizing community is filled
with joy; it knows how to rejoice always. It celebrates at every small victory,
every step forward in the work of evangelization. Evangelization with joy
becomes beauty in the liturgy, as part of our daily concern to spread goodness.
The Church evangelizes and is herself evangelized through the beauty of the
liturgy, which is both a celebration of the task of evangelization and the
source of her renewed self-giving.
25.
I am aware that nowadays documents do not arouse the same interest as in the
past and that they are quickly forgotten. Nevertheless, I want to emphasize
that what I am trying to express here has a programmatic significance and
important consequences. I hope that all communities will devote the necessary
effort to advancing along the path of a pastoral and missionary conversion
which cannot leave things as they presently are. “Mere administration” can no
longer be enough.[21] Throughout
the world, let us be “permanently in a state of mission”.[22]
26.
Paul VI invited us to deepen the call to renewal and to make it clear that
renewal does not only concern individuals but the entire Church. Let us return
to a memorable text which continues to challenge us. “The Church must look with
penetrating eyes within herself, ponder the mystery of her own being… This
vivid and lively self-awareness inevitably leads to a comparison between the
ideal image of the Church as Christ envisaged her and loved her as his holy and
spotless bride (cf. Eph 5:27), and the actual image which the
Church presents to the world today... This is the source of the Church’s heroic
and impatient struggle for renewal: the struggle to correct those flaws
introduced by her members which her own self-examination, mirroring her
exemplar, Christ, points out to her and condemns”.[23] The
Second Vatican Council presented ecclesial conversion as openness to a constant
self-renewal born of fidelity to Jesus Christ: “Every renewal of the Church
essentially consists in an increase of fidelity to her own calling… Christ
summons the Church as she goes her pilgrim way… to that continual reformation
of which she always has need, in so far as she is a human institution here on
earth”.[24]
There
are ecclesial structures which can hamper efforts at evangelization, yet even
good structures are only helpful when there is a life constantly driving,
sustaining and assessing them. Without new life and an authentic evangelical
spirit, without the Church’s “fidelity to her own calling”, any new structure
will soon prove ineffective.
27.
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. The renewal
of structures demanded by pastoral conversion can only be understood in this
light: as part of an effort to make them 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 him. 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”.[25]
28.
The parish is not an outdated institution; precisely because it possesses great
flexibility, it can assume quite different contours depending on the openness
and missionary creativity of the pastor and the community. While certainly not
the only institution which evangelizes, if it proves capable of self-renewal
and constant adaptivity, it continues to be “the Church living in the midst of
the homes of her sons and daughters”.[26] This
presumes that it really is in contact with the homes and the lives of its
people, and does not become a useless structure out of touch with people or a
self-absorbed cluster made up of a chosen few. The parish is the presence of
the Church in a given territory, an environment for hearing God’s word, for
growth in the Christian life, for dialogue, proclamation, charitable outreach,
worship and celebration.[27] In
all its activities the parish encourages and trains its members to be
evangelizers.[28] It
is a community of communities, a sanctuary where the thirsty come to drink in
the midst of their journey, and a centre of constant missionary outreach. We
must admit, though, that the call to review and renew our parishes has not yet
sufficed to bring them nearer to people, to make them environments of living
communion and participation, and to make them completely mission-oriented.
29.
Other Church institutions, basic communities and small communities, movements,
and forms of association are a source of enrichment for the Church, raised up
by the Spirit for evangelizing different areas and sectors. Frequently they
bring a new evangelizing fervour and a new capacity for dialogue with the world
whereby the Church is renewed. But it will prove beneficial for them not to
lose contact with the rich reality of the local parish and to participate
readily in the overall pastoral activity of the particular Church.[29] This
kind of integration will prevent them from concentrating only on part of the
Gospel or the Church, or becoming nomads without roots.
30.
Each particular Church, as a portion of the Catholic Church under the
leadership of its bishop, is likewise called to missionary conversion. It is
the primary subject of evangelization,[30] since
it is the concrete manifestation of the one Church in one specific place, and
in it “the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church of Christ is truly present
and operative”.[31] It
is the Church incarnate in a certain place, equipped with all the means of
salvation bestowed by Christ, but with local features. Its joy in communicating
Jesus Christ is expressed both by a concern to preach him to areas in greater
need and in constantly going forth to the outskirts of its own territory or
towards new sociocultural settings.[32] Wherever
the need for the light and the life of the Risen Christ is greatest, it will
want to be there.[33]To
make this missionary impulse ever more focused, generous and fruitful, I
encourage each particular Church to undertake a resolute process of
discernment, purification and reform.
31.
The bishop must always foster this missionary communion in his diocesan Church,
following the ideal of the first Christian communities, in which the believers
were of one heart and one soul (cf. Acts 4:32). To do so, he
will sometimes go before his people, pointing the way and keeping their hope
vibrant. At other times, he will simply be in their midst with his unassuming
and merciful presence. At yet other times, he will have to walk after them,
helping those who lag behind and – above all – allowing the flock to strike out
on new paths. In his mission of fostering a dynamic, open and missionary
communion, he will have to encourage and develop the means of participation
proposed in the Code of Canon Law,[34] and
other forms of pastoral dialogue, out of a desire to listen to everyone and not
simply to those who would tell him what he would like to hear. Yet the
principal aim of these participatory processes should not be ecclesiastical
organization but rather the missionary aspiration of reaching everyone.
32.
Since I am called to put into practice what I ask of others, I too must think
about a conversion of the papacy. It is my duty, as the Bishop of Rome, to be
open to suggestions which can help make the exercise of my ministry more
faithful to the meaning which Jesus Christ wished to give it and to the present
needs of evangelization. Pope John Paul II asked for help in finding “a way of
exercising the primacy which, while in no way renouncing what is essential to
its mission, is nonetheless open to a new situation”.[35] We
have made little progress in this regard. The papacy and the central structures
of the universal Church also need to hear the call to pastoral conversion. The
Second Vatican Council stated that, like the ancient patriarchal Churches,
episcopal conferences are in a position “to contribute in many and fruitful
ways to the concrete realization of the collegial spirit”.[36] Yet
this desire has not been fully realized, since a juridical status of episcopal conferences
which would see them as subjects of specific attributions, including genuine
doctrinal authority, has not yet been sufficiently elaborated.[37] Excessive
centralization, rather than proving helpful, complicates the Church’s life and
her missionary outreach.
33.
Pastoral ministry in a missionary key seeks to abandon the complacent attitude
that says: “We have always done it this way”. I invite everyone to be bold and
creative in this task of rethinking the goals, structures, style and methods of
evangelization in their respective communities. A proposal of goals without an
adequate communal search for the means of achieving them will inevitably prove
illusory. I encourage everyone to apply the guidelines found in this document
generously and courageously, without inhibitions or fear. The important thing
is to not walk alone, but to rely on each other as brothers and sisters, and
especially under the leadership of the bishops, in a wise and realistic
pastoral discernment.
34.
If we attempt to put all things in a missionary key, this will also affect the
way we communicate the message. In today’s world of instant communication and
occasionally biased media coverage, the message we preach runs a greater risk
of being distorted or reduced to some of its secondary aspects. In this way
certain issues which are part of the Church’s moral teaching are taken out of
the context which gives them their meaning. The biggest problem is when the
message we preach then seems identified with those secondary aspects which,
important as they are, do not in and of themselves convey the heart of Christ’s
message. We need to be realistic and not assume that our audience understands
the full background to what we are saying, or is capable of relating what we
say to the very heart of the Gospel which gives it meaning, beauty and
attractiveness.
35.
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, 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.
36.
All revealed truths derive from the same divine source and are to be believed
with the same faith, yet some of them are more important for giving direct
expression to the heart of the Gospel. In this basic core, what shines forth is
the beauty of the saving love of God made manifest in Jesus Christ who died and
rose from the dead. In this sense, the Second Vatican Council explained, “in
Catholic doctrine there exists an order or a ‘hierarchy’ of truths, since they
vary in their relation to the foundation of the Christian faith”.[38] This
holds true as much for the dogmas of faith as for the whole corpus of the
Church’s teaching, including her moral teaching.
37.
Saint Thomas Aquinas taught that the Church’s moral teaching has its own
“hierarchy”, in the virtues and in the acts which proceed from them.[39] What
counts above all else is “faith working through love” (Gal 5:6). Works
of love directed to one’s neighbour are the most perfect external manifestation
of the interior grace of the Spirit: “The foundation of the New Law is in the
grace of the Holy Spirit, who is manifested in the faith which works through
love”.[40] Thomas
thus explains that, as far as external works are concerned, mercy is the
greatest of all the virtues: “In itself mercy is the greatest of the virtues,
since all the others revolve around it and, more than this, it makes up for
their deficiencies. This 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”.[41]
38.
It is important to draw out the pastoral consequences of the Council’s
teaching, which reflects an ancient conviction of the Church. First, it needs
to be said that in preaching the Gospel a fitting sense of proportion has to be
maintained. This would be seen in the frequency with which certain themes are
brought up and in the emphasis given to them in preaching. For example, if in
the course of the liturgical year a parish priest speaks about temperance ten
times but only mentions charity or justice two or three times, an imbalance
results, and precisely those virtues which ought to be most present in
preaching and catechesis are overlooked. The same thing happens 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.
39.
Just as the organic unity existing among the virtues means that no one of them
can be excluded from the Christian ideal, so no truth may be denied. The
integrity of the Gospel message must not be deformed. What is more, each truth
is better understood when related to the harmonious totality of the Christian
message; in this context all of the truths are important and illumine one
another. When preaching is faithful to the Gospel, the centrality of certain
truths is evident and it becomes clear that Christian morality is not a form of
stoicism, or self-denial, or merely a practical philosophy or a catalogue of
sins and faults. Before all else, the Gospel invites us to respond to the God
of love who saves us, to see God in others and to go forth from ourselves to
seek the good of others. Under no circumstance can this invitation be obscured!
All of the virtues are at the service of this response of love. If this
invitation does not radiate forcefully and attractively, the edifice of the
Church’s moral teaching risks becoming a house of cards, and this is our
greatest risk. It would mean that it is not the Gospel which is being preached,
but certain doctrinal or moral points based on specific ideological options.
The message will run the risk of losing its freshness and will cease to have
“the fragrance of the Gospel”.
40.
The Church is herself a missionary disciple; she needs to grow in her
interpretation of the revealed word and in her understanding of truth. It is
the task of exegetes and theologians to help “the judgment of the Church to
mature”.[42] The
other sciences also help to accomplish this, each in its own way. With
reference to the social sciences, for example, John Paul II said that the
Church values their research, which helps her “to derive concrete indications
helpful for her magisterial mission”.[43] Within
the Church countless issues are being studied and reflected upon with great
freedom. Differing currents of thought in philosophy, theology and pastoral
practice, if open to being reconciled by the Spirit in respect and love, can
enable the Church to grow, since all of them help to express more clearly the
immense riches of God’s word. For those who long for a monolithic body of
doctrine guarded by all and leaving no room for nuance, this might appear as
undesirable and leading to confusion. But in fact such variety serves to bring
out and develop different facets of the inexhaustible riches of the Gospel.[44]
41.
At the same time, today’s vast and rapid cultural changes demand that we
constantly seek ways of expressing unchanging truths in a language which brings
out their abiding newness. “The deposit of the faith is one thing... the way it
is expressed is another”.[45] There
are times when the faithful, in listening to completely orthodox language, take
away something alien to the authentic Gospel of Jesus Christ, because that
language is alien to their own way of speaking to and understanding one
another. With the holy intent of communicating the truth about God and
humanity, we sometimes give them a false god or a human ideal which is not
really Christian. In this way, we hold fast to a formulation while failing to
convey its substance. This is the greatest danger. Let us never forget that
“the expression of truth can take different forms. The renewal of these forms
of expression becomes necessary for the sake of transmitting to the people of
today the Gospel message in its unchanging meaning”.[46]
42.
All of this has great relevance for the preaching of the Gospel, if we are
really concerned to make its beauty more clearly recognized and accepted by
all. Of course, we will never be able to make the Church’s teachings easily
understood or readily appreciated by everyone. Faith always remains something
of a cross; it retains a certain obscurity which does not detract from the
firmness of its assent. Some things are understood and appreciated only from
the standpoint of this assent, which is a sister to love, beyond the level of
clear reasons and arguments. We need to remember that all religious teaching
ultimately has to be reflected in the teacher’s way of life, which awakens the
assent of the heart by its nearness, love and witness.
43.
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. 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”.[47] 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”.[48] 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 the reform of the Church
and her preaching which would enable it to reach everyone.
44.
Moreover, pastors and the lay faithful who accompany their brothers and sisters
in faith or on a journey of openness to God must always remember what the Catechism
of the Catholic Church teaches quite clearly: “Imputability and
responsibility for an action can be diminished or even nullified by ignorance,
inadvertence, duress, fear, habit, inordinate attachments, and other
psychological or social factors”.[49] Consequently,
without detracting from the evangelical ideal, they need to accompany with
mercy and patience the eventual stages of personal growth as these
progressively occur.[50] I
want to remind priests that the confessional must not be a torture chamber but
rather an encounter with the Lord’s mercy which spurs us on to do our best. A
small step, in the midst of great human limitations, can be more pleasing to
God than a life which appears outwardly in order but moves through the day
without confronting great difficulties. Everyone needs to be touched by the
comfort and attraction of God’s saving love, which is mysteriously at work in
each person, above and beyond their faults and failings.
45.
We see then that the task of evangelization operates within the limits of
language and of circumstances. It constantly seeks to communicate more
effectively the truth of the Gospel in a specific context, without renouncing
the truth, the goodness and the light which it can bring whenever perfection is
not possible. A missionary heart is aware of these limits and makes itself
“weak with the weak... everything for everyone” (1 Cor 9:22). It
never closes itself off, never retreats into its own security, never opts for
rigidity and defensiveness. It realizes that it has to grow in its own
understanding of the Gospel and in discerning the paths of the Spirit, and so
it always does what good it can, even if in the process, its shoes get soiled
by the mud of the street.
46.
A Church which “goes forth” is a Church whose doors are open. Going out to
others in order to reach the fringes of humanity does not mean rushing out
aimlessly into the world. Often it is better simply to slow down, to put aside
our eagerness in order to see and listen to others, to stop rushing from one
thing to another and to remain with someone who has faltered along the way. At
times we have to be like the father of the prodigal son, who always keeps his
door open so that when the son returns, he can readily pass through it.
47.
The Church is called to be the house of the Father, with doors always wide
open. One concrete sign of such openness is that our church doors should always
be open, so that if someone, moved by the Spirit, comes there looking for God,
he or she will not find a closed door. There are other doors that should not be
closed either. Everyone can share in some way in the life of the Church;
everyone can be part of the community, nor should the doors of the sacraments
be closed for simply any reason. This is especially true of the sacrament which
is itself “the door”: baptism. The Eucharist, although it is the fullness of
sacramental life, is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and
nourishment for the weak.[51] These
convictions have pastoral consequences that we are called to consider with
prudence and boldness. Frequently, we act as arbiters of grace rather than its
facilitators. But the Church is not a tollhouse; it is the house of the Father,
where there is a place for everyone, with all their problems.
48.
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
neighbours, 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”,[52] 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.
49. Let us go forth, then, let us go
forth to offer everyone the life of Jesus Christ. Here I repeat for the entire
Church what I have often said to the priests and laity of Buenos Aires: I
prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on
the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and
from clinging to its own security. I do not want 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 and trouble our consciences,
it is the fact that so many of our brothers and sisters are living without the
strength, light and consolation born of friendship with Jesus Christ, without a
community of faith to support them, without meaning and a goal in life. More
than by fear of going astray, my hope is that we will be moved by the fear of
remaining shut up within structures which give us a false sense of security,
within rules which make us harsh judges, within habits which make us feel safe,
while at our door peole are starving and Jesus does not tire of saying to us:
“Give them something to eat” (Mk 6:37).
[4] FIFTH
GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN BISHOPS, Aparecida
Document, 29 June 2007, 360.
[8] Adversus
Haereses, IV, c. 34, n. 1: PG 7, pars prior,
1083: “Omnem novitatem attulit, semetipsum afferens”.
[11] BENEDICT
XVI, Homily at Mass for the Conclusion of the Synod of Bishops (28 October
2012): AAS 104 (2102), 890.
[13] BENEDICT
XVI, Homily at Mass for the Opening of the Fifth General Conference of the
Latin American and Caribbean Bishops (13 May 2007), Aparecida, Brazil: AAS 99
(2007), 437.
[17] FIFTH
GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN BISHOPS, Aparecida
Document, 29 June 2007, 548.
[20] JOHN
PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles Laici (30
December 1988), 32: AAS 81 (1989) 451.
[21] FIFTH
GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN BISHOPS, Aparecida
Document, 29 June 2007, 201.
[25] JOHN
PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Oceania (22
November 2001), 19: AAS 94 (2002), 390.
[26] JOHN
PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles Laici (30
September 1988), 26: AAS 81 (1989), 438.
[31] SECOND
VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops Christus
Dominus, 11.
[32] Cf.
BENEDICT XVI, Address for the Fortieth Anniversary of the Decree Ad
Gentes (11 March 2006): AAS 98 (2006), 337.
[41] S.
Th., II-II, q. 30, a. 4: “We do not worship God with
sacrifices and exterior gifts for him, but rather for us and for our neighbour.
He has no need of our sacrifices, but he does ask that these be offered by us
as devotion and for the benefit of our neighbour. For him, mercy, which
overcomes the defects of our devotion and sacrifice, is the sacrifice which is
most pleasing, because it is mercy which above all seeks the good of one’s
neighbour” (S. Th., II-II, q. 30, a. 4, ad 1).
[44] Saint
Thomas Aquinas noted that the multiplicity and variety “were the intention of
the first agent”, who wished that “what each individual thing lacked in order
to reflect the divine goodness would be made up for by other things”, since the
Creator’s goodness “could not be fittingly reflected by just one creature” (S.
Th., I, q. 47, a. 1). Consequently, we need to grasp the variety of things
in their multiple relationships (cf. S. Th., I, q. 47, a. 2, ad 1;
q. 47, a. 3). By analogy, we need to listen to and complement one another in
our partial reception of reality and the Gospel.
[45] JOHN
XXIII, Address for the Opening of the Second Vatican Council (11 October 1962):
AAS 54 (1962), 792: “Est enim aliud ipsum depositum fidei, seu veritates,
quae veneranda doctrina nostra continentur, aliud modus, quo eaedem enuntiantur”.
[50] Cf.
JOHN PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio (22
November 1981), 34: AAS 74 (1982), 123.
[51] Cf.
SAINT AMBROSE, De Sacramentis, IV, 6, 28: PL 16, 464: “I must
receive it always, so that it may always forgive my sins. If I sin continually,
I must always have a remedy”; ID., op. cit., IV, 5, 24: PL 16, 463: “Those who
ate manna died; those who eat this body will obtain the forgiveness of their
sins”; SAINT CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA, In Joh. Evang., IV, 2: PG 73,
584-585: “I examined myself and I found myself unworthy. To those who speak
thus I say: when will you be worthy? When at last you present yourself before
Christ? And if your sins prevent you from drawing nigh, and you never cease to
fall – for, as the Psalm says, ‘what man knows his faults?’ – will you remain
without partaking of the sanctification that gives life for eternity?”
[52] BENEDICT
XVI, Address to the Brazilian Bishops in the Cathedral of São Paulo, Brazil (11
May 2007), 3: AAS 99 (2007), 428.
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