“THE JOY OF THE GOSPEL” AND THE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES
On the Feast of Christ the King (Nov 2013), our Holy Father issued his first Apostolic Exhortation, entitled “The Joy of the Gospel” in Latin “Evangelii Gaudium”. It is seemingly the Pope’s response to the Synod last October on “The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Catholic Faith”. The Pope speaks on numerous themes, including evangelization, peace, homiletics, social justice, the family, respect for creation, faith and politics, ecumenism, interreligious dialogue, and the role of women and of the laity in the Church. “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.”
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. Pope Francis sees the Christian life as being based on knowing and experiencing God’s love, mercy and salvation offered to all through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Evangelization programs and catechesis must be designed to help people return to that basic knowledge and experience and help them understand church teaching in light of God having revealing himself as loving and merciful.
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. … With a tenderness that 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 may. The document touches on three themes of love. These are:
Firstly, the Gospel proclaims above all is that we are loved by God—each one of us personally, and all of us as a human community. God loves us tenderly and faithfully in Jesus Christ, who has come to join us, to be our brother and to save our world. That is the central proclamation of this letter from the pastor of our world-wide Church. The Christian vocation to joy, even in the midst of the tears and tragedies of life in this world, must be proclaimed. Receiving and returning the tender love of God in Jesus Christ is the inexhaustible fountain of Christian joy. Sharing that love with others, through daily life lived as a missionary disciple, is what matures and completes the joy. (cf. No.3)
A second burning conviction of The Joy of the Gospel is that the encounter with Christ, as it wakes us up to the astonishing fact that we are God’s beloved, changes us. It unites us to our brother Jesus, and it also turns us in love and respectful concern towards the world. We become missionary disciples. (cf. No. 8)
The third burning conviction of this letter is about how centrally the Lord of the Gospel belongs with the poor, the afflicted, the excluded and the ignored, success-addicted world. The heart of the Christian moral message is love for one another, which must motivate Christians to share the Gospel, help the poor and work for social justice.
Every Christian is challenged, here and now, to be actively engaged in evangelization; indeed, anyone who has truly experienced God’s saving love does not need much time or lengthy training to go out and proclaim that love. Every Christian is a missionary to the extent that he or she has encountered the love of God in Christ Jesus. We no longer say that we are “disciples” or “missionaries” but rather that we are “missionary disciples.” (cf. No.120)
It is very interesting to note that , Pope Francis highlights Mary not only as a model of faith and fidelity, but as a strong woman and mother who shared many of the joys and sorrows facing people today and, therefore, understands the challenges they face.
If you can’t add any value to the lives of people you encounter, at least, do not leave them worse than they met you. Give them hope! Give them the joy of the Gospel! Give them Jesus!
What is Apostolic Exhortation?
To be Continued…
Mary, Queen of Peace, Pray for us!!!
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