VATICAN, Dr. Pamela Fabiano. The Apostolic Exhoration Evangelii Gaudium is the document that Pope Francis wanted to give to Christians at the end of the Year of the Faith. Written to guide and point out (the word exhortation comes from the latin verb ex – hortari “motivate to do something” but also means “to console, to raise up) the guiding principles of the Church’s path in the future and extend an invitation for a new chapter of evangelization.
Joy
Joy is the key word in this document. It appears 76 times in the text and is given a position of importance. The word “joy” permeates the Holy Father’s thinking and is, from the start, constantly before us as we read. The Holy Father warns us: “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. (EG1,2) At the heart of the Exhortation is this: are we Christians who are prepared to put aside our individual sadness, that we are more or less we are aware of, to listen to God’s voice who speaks to us through the beauty of the world, the cries of the poor through the melody of our individual conscience?
The Old Testament foretold the joy of salvation that had become overwhelming in messianic times.
The Gospel insistently carries an invitation of joy: “Rejoice!” is the angel’s greeting to Mary (Lk 1:28). John leaps for joy in his mother’s womb when Mary goes to visit Elizabeth (cf. Lk 1:41). In her song of praise, Mary proclaims: “My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour” (Lk 1,47)
The Holy Father then disarms us with the question: “why should we not also enter into this great stream of joy? (EG1,5) “For if we have received the love which restores meaning to our lives, how can we fail to share that love with others? (EG 1,8). Indeed, how can we?
All aspects of social life in which Christians move should be infused anew with the joy of sharing the good news of salvation
The Exhoration is long and very wordy, but it is easy to understand and the language is simple, fluid and clear. The Pope talks to us simply and uses simple expressions to help us understand him.
Permeating the thread of the “joy of evangelization” one sees the themes and places that are dear to the Church: the life of associations and movements, the parish, the family, society, economy, politics, media and dialogue with other religions. All aspects of social life in which Christians move should be infused anew with the joy of spreading the good news of salvation.
Covenant Culture
As Christians and Schoenstatt members, this message also makes us question, at least, I hope so. In a recent interview by the newspaper Avvenire, Fr. Heinrich Walter said that there are many themes and passages in the Exhortation where one can again find Fr. Kentenich’s favourite themes: the emphasis on a pilgrim Church that listens to the “pulse of the times”, the importance of the individual life over and above organizations and structures.
Our pedagogical objective, which can be summarized as the “new man” that is, people who free, strong and have a missionary character, can be found throughout the Exhoration, and in this, our jubilee year, the words of the Holy Father invite us to make what we call “Covenant Culture” practical: social and missionary projects that emanate from our Covenant with Mary. With her, we also want to run with joy, towards Elizabeth, towards the other who needs our help and to take Christ to the streets of the world.
Original: Spanish – Translation: Kohnie Valderamma, Madrid, Spain
