Our Source of Joy

Today, I want to continue quoting from The Joy of the Gospel, the first encyclical of Pope Francis, in the hope that whoever samples his writing will have a thirst for more and will read the entire letter.  In a way, I wish that we still called these letters "Epistles," since the word "encyclical" is (1) hard to spell and (2) sounds so formal, like something that should be studied by theologians but might be above the rest of our daily lives. 

Goodness always tends to spread.  Every authentic experience of truth and goodness seeks by its very nature to grow within us, and any person who has experienced a profound liberation becomes more sensitive to the needs of others. As it expands, goodness takes root and develops....

 

The Gospel offers us the chance to live life on a higher plane, but with no less intensity: "Life grows by being given away, and it weakens in isolation and comfort.  Indeed, those who enjoy life most are those who leave security on the shore and become excited by the mission of communicating life to others.".....Consequently, an evangelizer must never look like someone who has just come back from a funeral!....And may the world of our time, which is searching, sometimes with anguish, sometimes with hope, be enabled to receive the good news not from evangelizers who are dejected, discouraged, impatient, or anxious, but from ministers of the Gospel whose lives glow with fervor, who have first received the joy of Christ....

 

God constantly renews his faithful ones, whatever their age....He is forever young and a constant source of newness....With this newness, he is always able to renew our lives and our communities, and even if the Christian message has known periods of darkness and ecclesial weakness, it will never grow old. ...

 

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 proselytizing that the Church grows, but "by attraction."

 

There are many things in this letter that will interest all active and involved Catholics today.  In fact, I think that a careful and systematic reading of The Joy of the Gospel, preferably in a group setting, would renew the face of the church among those who want to be more involved but are not sure about what they should do or how they should do it.  If nothing else, reading this encyclical under the anointing of the Holy Spirit should awaken every reader to a desire for the encounter with Jesus Christ that is the source of such joy!