Pope Francis has issued his first Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel.) Vatican Radio says “The 224-page document outlines the Pope’s vision for a missionary Church, whose “doors should always be open”. 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.
For quick reading, here are 20 quotes from the document.
These quotes are in no way meant to represent the overall tone, meaning or
intent of the Holy Father’s Apostolic Exhortation. The full document is nuanced
and full of thought-provoking messages which should be read in full to fully
grasp.
1.“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.”
2.“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”
3.“God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of seeking his mercy.”
4.“The Gospel, radiant with the glory of Christ’s cross,
constantly invites us to rejoice.”
5.“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.”
6.“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”.
7.“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.”
8.“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.”
9.“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.”
10.“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.”
11.“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?”
12.“In this context, some people continue to defend
trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free
market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and
inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the
facts, expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding
economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic
system. Meanwhile, the excluded are still waiting.”
13.“The Pope loves everyone, rich and poor alike, but he
is obliged in the name of Christ to remind all that the rich must help, respect
and promote the poor. I exhort you to generous solidarity and a return of
economics and finance to an ethical approach which favours human beings.”
14.“Marriage now tends to be viewed as a form of mere
emotional satisfaction that can be constructed in any way or modified at will.
But the indispensable
contribution of marriage to society transcends the
feelings and momentary needs of the couple.”
15.“Challenges exist to be overcome! Let us be realists,
but without losing our joy, our boldness and our hope-filled commitment. Let us
not allow ourselves to be robbed of missionary vigour!”
16.“If anyone feels offended by my words, I would respond that I speak them with affection and with the best of intentions, quite apart from any personal interest or political ideology. My words are not those of a foe or an opponent. I am interested only in helping those who are in thrall to an individualistic, indifferent and self-centred mentality to be freed from those unworthy chains and to attain a way of living and thinking which is more humane, noble and fruitful, and which will bring dignity to their presence on this earth.”
17.“The Church has no wish to hold back the marvellous
progress of science. On the contrary, she rejoices and even delights in
acknowledging the enormous potential that God has given to the human mind.
Whenever the sciences – rigorously focused on their specific field of inquiry –
arrive at a conclusion which reason cannot refute, faith does not contradict
it. Neither can believers claim that a scientific opinion which is attractive
but not sufficiently verified has the same weight as a dogma of faith. At times
some scientists have exceeded the limits of their scientific competence by
making certain statements or claims. But here the problem is not with reason
itself, but with the promotion of a particular ideology which blocks the path
to authentic, serene and productive dialogue.”
18.“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.”
19.“Sometimes we are tempted to be that kind of Christian
who keeps the Lord’s wounds at arm’s length. Yet Jesus wants us to touch human
misery, to touch the suffering flesh of others. He hopes that we will stop
looking for those personal or communal niches which shelter us from the
maelstrom of human misfortune and instead enter into the reality of other
people’s lives and know the power of tenderness. Whenever we do so, our lives
become wonderfully complicated and we experience intensely what it is to be a
people, to be part of a people.”
20.“My mission of being in the heart of the people is not
just a part of my life or a badge I can take off; it is not an “extra” or just
another moment in life. Instead, it is something I cannot uproot from my being
without destroying my very self. I am a mission on this earth; that is the
reason why I am here in this world.”
