Some fall into it because they throw themselves into unrealistic projects and are not satisfied simply to do what they reasonably can. Going out to others in order to reach the fringes of humanity does not mean rushing out aimlessly into the world. Thanks to our bodies, God has joined us so closely to the world around us that we can feel the desertification of the soil almost as a physical ailment, and the extinction of a species as a painful disfigurement. This practical relativism consists in acting as if God did not exist, making decisions as if the poor did not exist, setting goals as if others did not exist, working as if people who have not received the Gospel did not exist. IV. While Pope, however, she became pregnant by her companion. To be evangelizers of souls, we need to develop a spiritual taste for being close to people’s lives and to discover that this is itself a source of greater joy. Loving others is a spiritual force drawing us to union with God; indeed, one who does not love others “walks in the darkness” (1 Jn 2:11), “remains in death” (1 Jn 3:14) and “does not know God” (1 Jn 4:8). [99] John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Asia (6 November 1999), 21: AAS 92 (2000), 482-484. Here and now, especially where we are a “little flock” (Lk 12:32), the Lord’s disciples are called to live as a community which is the salt of the earth and the light of the world (cf. The Holy Spirit also grants the courage to proclaim the newness of the Gospel with boldness (parrhesía) in every time and place, even when it meets with opposition. Whenever we stop and attempt to understand the message of a particular text, we are practising “reverence for the truth”. The Gospel has an intrinsic principle of totality: it will always remain good news until it has been proclaimed to all people, until it has healed and strengthened every aspect of humanity, until it has brought all men and women together at table in God’s kingdom. [22][23], At the time of the Reformation, various Protestant writers took up the Pope Joan legend in their anti-Catholic writings, and the Catholics responded with their own polemic. The Catholic faith of many peoples is nowadays being challenged by the proliferation of new religious movements, some of which tend to fundamentalism while others seem to propose a spirituality without God. [36] In the 11th century, Pope John XIV was mistakenly counted as two popes. [163] John Paul II, Homily at Mass for the Evangelization of Peoples in Santo Domingo (11 October 1984), 5: AAS 77 (1985), 358. It presumes the creation of a new mindset which thinks in terms of community and the priority of the life of all over the appropriation of goods by a few. It often remains tied to tasks within the Church, without a real commitment to applying the Gospel to the transformation of society. On the lips of the catechist the first proclamation must ring out over and over: “Jesus Christ loves you; he gave his life to save you; and now he is living at your side every day to enlighten, strengthen and free you.” This first proclamation is called “first” not because it exists at the beginning and can then be forgotten or replaced by other more important things. Mary is the woman of faith, who lives and advances in faith,[214] and “her exceptional pilgrimage of faith represents a constant point of reference for the Church”. Since this Exhortation is addressed to members of the Catholic Church, I want to say, with regret, that the worst discrimination which the poor suffer is the lack of spiritual care. At the same time, it unites “its own commitment to that made in the social field by other Churches and Ecclesial Communities, whether at the level of doctrinal reflection or at the practical level”. Among the vulnerable for whom the Church wishes to care with particular love and concern are unborn children, the most defenceless and innocent among us. 200. It is about agreeing to live together, a social and cultural pact. The Gospel tells us that when the first disciples went forth to preach, “the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message” (Mk 16:20). 47, a. [155] To speak properly of our own rights, we need to broaden our perspective and to hear the plea of other peoples and other regions than those of our own country. Mary, who brought him into the world with great faith, also accompanies “the rest of her offspring, those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus” (Rev 12:17). These are three evils which fuel one another. [103] Fifth General Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Bishops, Aparecida Document, 29 June 2007, 262. Social dialogue as a contribution to peace. 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”. 234. Can we continue to stand by when food is thrown away while people are starving? Pope is perhaps best known—and indeed most vilified—for her patriotic poetry of the First World War. [137] Evangelization demands familiarity with God’s word, which calls for dioceses, parishes and Catholic associations to provide for a serious, ongoing study of the Bible, while encouraging its prayerful individual and communal reading. Without anxiety, but with clear convictions and tenacity. On the other hand, despite the scarcity of vocations, today we are increasingly aware of the need for a better process of selecting candidates to the priesthood. [203] A healthy pluralism, one which genuinely respects differences and values them as such, does not entail privatizing religions in an attempt to reduce them to the quiet obscurity of the individual’s conscience or to relegate them to the enclosed precincts of churches, synagogues or mosques. While certainly not the only institution which evangelizes, if the parish 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”. 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. Popular piety itself can be the starting point for healing and liberation from these deficiencies. The Lord truly enjoys talking with his people; the preacher should strive to communicate that same enjoyment to his listeners. Jesus did not tell the apostles to form an exclusive and elite group. Exclusion ultimately has to do with what it means to be a part of the society in which we live; those excluded are no longer society’s underside or its fringes or its disenfranchised – they are no longer even a part of it. As Christians, we cannot consider Judaism as a foreign religion; nor do we include the Jews among those called to turn from idols and to serve the true God (cf. Pope Clement describes the hierarchy of the New Covenant, contained in the Lord Jesus Christ himself and concretized in the mission of the apostles. 52. A lector delivers a reading during Mass at a church in Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Aug. 20, 2014. 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. 29. Behind this attitude lurks a rejection of ethics and a rejection of God. The heart of its message will always be the same: the God who revealed his immense love in the crucified and risen Christ. [167] The poor person, when loved, “is esteemed as of great value”,[168] and this is what makes the authentic option for the poor differ from any other ideology, from any attempt to exploit the poor for one’s own personal or political interest. Every expression of true beauty can thus be acknowledged as a path leading to an encounter with the Lord Jesus. [165]  Address at the Inaugural Session of the Fifth General Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Bishops (13 May 2007), 3: AAS 99 (2007), 450. 187. 85. This is another painful kind of desert. Evangelization also involves the path of dialogue. 17. A spirit-filled evangelization is one guided by the Holy Spirit, for he is the soul of the Church called to proclaim the Gospel. The different tools provided by literary analysis are well known: attention to words which are repeated or emphasized, recognition of the structure and specific movement of a text, consideration of the role played by the different characters, and so forth. The kingdom, already present and growing in our midst, engages us at every level of our being and reminds us of the principle of discernment which Pope Paul VI applied to true development: it must be directed to “all men and the whole man”. The immense numbers of people who have not received the Gospel of Jesus Christ cannot leave us indifferent. Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! What is essential is that the preacher be certain that God loves him, that Jesus Christ has saved him and that his love always has the last word. 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. When preaching takes place within the context of the liturgy, it is part of the offering made to the Father and a mediation of the grace which Christ pours out during the celebration. The Gospel tells us: “Blessed are the merciful, because they shall obtain mercy” (Mt 5:7). Th., I, q. Ethics has come to be viewed with a certain scornful derision. 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. However, it is not difficult to see in that beginning a particular heaviness of heart, linked with a sort of night of faith – to use the words of Saint John of the Cross – a kind of ‘veil’ through which one has to draw near to the Invisible One and to live in intimacy with the mystery. [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 group made up of a chosen few. Young people often fail to find responses to their concerns, needs, problems and hurts in the usual structures. Star of the new evangelization, help us to bear radiant witness to communion, service, ardent and generous faith, justice and love of the poor, that the joy of the Gospel may reach to the ends of the earth, illuminating even the fringes of our world. The salvation which God offers us is the work of his mercy. [64] G. Bernanos, Journal d’un curé de campagne, Paris, 1974, 135. I do not want a Church concerned with being at the centre and which then ends by being caught up in a web of obsessions and procedures. [83] Cf. Small yet strong in the love of God, like Saint Francis of Assisi, all of us, as Christians, are called to watch over and protect the fragile world in which we live, and all its peoples. Dialogue between science and faith also belongs to the work of evangelization at the service of peace. 111. Otherwise we can easily make the text say what we think is convenient, useful for confirming us in our previous decisions, suited to our own patterns of thought. We do not need plans drawn up by a few for the few, or an enlightened or outspoken minority which claims to speak for everyone. 87. Yes to the challenge of a missionary spirituality. 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. A new tyranny is thus born, invisible and often virtual, which unilaterally and relentlessly imposes its own laws and rules. [151] Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 12. 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. Yet we also need to look to the local, which keeps our feet on the ground. With this in mind, I encourage financial experts and political leaders to ponder the words of one of the sages of antiquity: “Not to share one’s wealth with the poor is to steal from them and to take away their livelihood. Charisms at the service of a communion which evangelizes. Knowledge of its linguistic or exegetical aspects, though certainly necessary, is not enough. Mt 18:15), but without making judgments about their responsibility and culpability (cf. 88. This is an important principle of biblical interpretation which recognizes that the Holy Spirit has inspired not just a part of the Bible, but the Bible as a whole, and that in some areas people have grown in their understanding of God’s will on the basis of their personal experience. Sometimes we are tempted to find excuses and complain, acting as if we could only be happy if a thousand conditions were met. There is greater complicity than we think. 2. Nothing human can be alien to it”. [35] Encyclical Letter Ut Unum Sint (25 May 1995), 95: AAS 87 (1995), 977-978. It is vital that government leaders and financial leaders take heed and broaden their horizons, working to ensure that all citizens have dignified work, education and healthcare. As Blessed Peter Faber used to say: “Time is God’s messenger”. The same is true of Marianus Scotus's Chronicle of the Popes, a text written in the 11th century. The kerygma is trinitarian. Mk 2:16) without worrying about being thought a glutton and a drunkard himself (cf. Some people do not commit themselves to mission because they think that nothing will change and that it is useless to make the effort. I am aware that nowadays documents do not arouse the same interest as in the past and that they are quickly forgotten. It follows that Christian conversion demands reviewing especially those areas and aspects of life “related to the social order and the pursuit of the common good”. [52] Benedict XVI, Address to the Brazilian Bishops in the Cathedral of São Paulo, Brazil (11 May 2007), 3: AAS 99 (2007), 428. Through an exchange of gifts, the Spirit can lead us ever more fully into truth and goodness. I have dealt extensively with these topics, with a detail which some may find excessive. 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). Through ignorance of the exact time when the birth was expected, she was delivered of a child while in procession from St. Peter's to the Lateran, in a lane once named Via Sacra (the sacred way) but now known as the "shunned street" between the Colosseum and St Clement's church. This is not an idea of the Pope, or one pastoral option among others; they are injunctions contained in the word of God which are so clear, direct and convincing that they need no interpretations which might diminish their power to challenge us. The Holy Spirit works as he wills, when he wills and where he wills; we entrust ourselves without pretending to see striking results. III, Oxford, 1979, 204. 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. A person who is not convinced, enthusiastic, certain and in love, will convince nobody. [181] In their light I would now like to set forth these four specific principles which can guide the development of life in society and the building of a people where differences are harmonized within a shared pursuit. The new evangelization calls for personal involvement on the part of each of the baptized. [131] Cf. Pastoral ministry in a missionary key seeks to abandon the complacent attitude that says: “We have always done it this way”. So what are we waiting for? New patterns of behaviour are emerging as a result of over-exposure to the mass media… As a result, the negative aspects of the media and entertainment industries are threatening traditional values, and in particular the sacredness of marriage and the stability of the family”.[58]. In the course of the homily, the hearts of believers keep silence and allow God to speak. As it expands, goodness takes root and develops. He brought us to her because he did not want us to journey without a mother, and our people read in this maternal image all the mysteries of the Gospel. What is it about my life that you want to change by this text? 263. The Church’s closeness to Jesus is part of a common journey; “communion and mission are profoundly interconnected”. In the midst of conflict, we lose our sense of the profound unity of reality. On the contrary, she rejoices and even delights in acknowledging the enormous potential that God has given to the human mind. 160. 22. 250. 178. No one must say that they cannot be close to the poor because their own lifestyle demands more attention to other areas. The first step, after calling upon the Holy Spirit in prayer, is to give our entire attention to the biblical text, which needs to be the basis of our preaching. [10][11] Pope Joan is now widely considered fictional, though the legend remains influential in cultural depictions.[12][13]. An evangelizing community knows that the Lord has taken the initiative, he has loved us first (cf. If the Gospel is embedded in a culture, the message is no longer transmitted solely from person to person. As the bishops of the Congo have put it: “Our ethnic diversity is our wealth… It is only in unity, through conversion of hearts and reconciliation, that we will be able to help our country to develop on all levels”.[184]. This has nothing to do with fostering an aesthetic relativism[130] which would downplay the inseparable bond between truth, goodness and beauty, but rather a renewed esteem for beauty as a means of touching the human heart and enabling the truth and goodness of the Risen Christ to radiate within it. [51] Cf. Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he” (9:9). [91] In this way, the Church takes up the values of different cultures and becomes sponsa ornata monilibus suis, “the bride bedecked with her jewels” (cf. How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points? In the Bible, for example, we can find advice on how to prepare a homily so as to best to reach people: “Speak concisely, say much in few words” (Sir 32:8). 227. 3. The accounts state that later church processions avoided this spot, and that the Vatican removed the female pope from its official lists and crafted a ritual to ensure that future popes were male. 117. Frequently, we act as arbiters of grace rather than its facilitators. I do so out of the conviction that their application can be a genuine path to peace within each nation and in the entire world. [157], 191. Mk 10:46-52) and eats and drinks with sinners (cf. 4, ad 1). In the homily, truth goes hand in hand with beauty and goodness. They are dedicated in many other ways to showing an immense love for humanity inspired by the God who became man. In our neighbourhoods and in the workplace, how many wars are caused by envy and jealousy, even among Christians! 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. 126. [118], 151. It is out of sequence, and in a different hand, one that dates from after the time of Martin of Opava. The Spanish colonization of the Americas began under the Crown of Castile and spearheaded by the Spanish conquistadors.The Americas were invaded and incorporated into the Spanish Empire, with the exception of Brazil, British America, and some small regions in South America and the Caribbean.The crown created civil and religious structures to administer this vast territory. Christ’s resurrection everywhere calls forth seeds of that new world; even if they are cut back, they grow again, for the resurrection is already secretly woven into the fabric of this history, for Jesus did not rise in vain. 159. God shows the poor “his first mercy”. This was Jesus’ heartfelt prayer to the Father: “That they may all be one... in us... so that the world may believe” (Jn 17:21). It means proclaiming and bringing God’s salvation into our world, which often goes astray and needs to be encouraged, given hope and strengthened on the way. Our preferential option for the poor must mainly translate into a privileged and preferential religious care. Translation in L’Osservatore Romano, English Language Edition, 6 November 1996. Fifty years after the Second Vatican Council, we are distressed by the troubles of our age and far from naive optimism; yet the fact that we are more realistic must not mean that we are any less trusting in the Spirit or less generous. 230. Benedict XVI put it nicely at the beginning of the Synod’s reflections: “It is important always to know that the first word, the true initiative, the true activity comes from God and only by inserting ourselves into the divine initiative, only begging for this divine initiative, shall we too be able to become – with him and in him – evangelizers”. In some places a spiritual “desertification” has evidently come about, as the result of attempts by some societies to build without God or to eliminate their Christian roots. Instead of belonging to the whole Church in all its rich variety, they belong to this or that group which thinks itself different or special. Conference given at the Meeting of Presidents of Latin American Episcopal Commissions for the Doctrine of the Faith, Guadalajara, Mexico, 1996.

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