I am reproducing a few more quotes from Pope Francis’s apostolic exhortation ‘The Joy of the Gospel’. I focus on its first section, which speaks about the nature of evangelisation.

Lent without Easter

“There are Christians whose lives seem like Lent without Easter. I realise, 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 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.” (6)

Quoting Pope Benedict

“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. …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’.” (7)

Authentic fulfilment

“The Gospel offers us the chance to live life on a higher plane, but with no less intensity. …When the Church summons Christians to take up the task of evangelisation, she is simply pointing to the source of authentic personal fulfilment. Consequently, an evangeliser must never look like someone who has just come back from a funeral! Let us recover and deepen our enthusiasm.” (10)

Share your joy

“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 proselytising that the Church grows, but ‘by attraction’.” (14)

Decentralisation

“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 ‘decentralisation’.” (16)

Evangelising community

“An evangelising 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. Evangelisers thus take on the ‘smell of the sheep’, and the sheep are willing to hear their voice. An evangelising community is 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. Evangelisation consists mostly of patience and disregard for constraints of time. Faithful to the Lord’s gift, it also bears fruit.” (24)

Permanent mission

“I hope all communities will devote the necessary effort to advancing along the path of a pastoral and missionary conversion which cannot leave things as they are. ‘Mere administration’ can no longer be enough. Throughout the world, let us be ‘permanently in a state of mission’.” (25)

(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)