Evangelii Gaudium: The Joy of the Gospel

Pope Francis encourages every Christian to rediscover the joy of a personal encounter with Jesus and then to engage with renewed vigour in the mission of spreading that joy of the Gospel and becoming spirit-filled evangelizers.

“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... I have decided, among other themes, to discuss at length the following questions:

 ·         the reform of the Church in her missionary outreach;

·         the temptations faced by pastoral workers;

·         the Church, understood as the entire People of God which evangelizes;

·         the homily and its preparation;

·         the inclusion of the poor in society;

·         peace and dialogue within society;

·         the spiritual motivations for mission.”

 (Evangelii Gaudium 17)

The Holy Father puts his vast pastoral experience and the outcome of the Synod on the New Evangelization in 2012 at the service of the whole Church and encourages every member of the Church to act on this renewed priority for the Church: “I want to emphasize that what I am trying to express here has a programmatic significance and important consequences. I hope that all communities will devote the necessary effort to advancing along the path of a pastoral and missionary conversion which cannot leave things as they presently are.” (EG 25)