Light in a messenger's eyes brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.
(Proverbs 15:30)
Let me begin this wonderful journey of the heart with this document, with a question:
How do you live your joy?
Christians believe that they receive this from Jesus. Many speak of how he has set their hearts on fire with love and joy. That's lovely, but what do we do with that fire? How do we live it?
'I live it by being happy that Jesus loves me' is a common answer.
Pope Francis might respond ' I'm happy that you're happy...but you've been given a gift. Are you keeping that gift for yourself, or are you sharing that joy with others? Do you let that joy define you, or is it just a feeling you enjoy having?'
Pope Francis might respond ' I'm happy that you're happy...but you've been given a gift. Are you keeping that gift for yourself, or are you sharing that joy with others? Do you let that joy define you, or is it just a feeling you enjoy having?'
These are hard questions, which our Pope is very good at asking. And he's right to ask these questions:
What's the good of having the joy of Jesus Christ, 'fill our hearts and lives' (EG 1) if all we do with it is live a pleasant feeling, once in a while be at peace with the world and walk around with a big smile on our faces? Don't get me wrong: We need to be happy people. Being happy means being healthy -at least emotionally, and spiritually- and, let's face it, happy people make the world a better place. No arguments there.
But when the Pope speaks of a joy that is constantly born anew, he really means a transformed, and transformative joy. It's transformed because everything is renewed in the trinity. Our joy is meant to evolve, not just sit there stagnantly until we die!
It's transformative, because through its power, we can transform the lives of others. Through it, we can also restore hope to a world living in despair, by spreading the Gospel, and living it to the fullest of our abilities. That's how I understand his talk of an new chapter of evangelization marked by joy (EG 1). There's nothing wrong with the old evangelization,but our century, our whole millenium is in dire need of the Christian message, and yet resistant to it at the same time. Something needs to be done.
It's transformative, because through its power, we can transform the lives of others. Through it, we can also restore hope to a world living in despair, by spreading the Gospel, and living it to the fullest of our abilities. That's how I understand his talk of an new chapter of evangelization marked by joy (EG 1). There's nothing wrong with the old evangelization,but our century, our whole millenium is in dire need of the Christian message, and yet resistant to it at the same time. Something needs to be done.
One of the reasons why there is resistance to the message of the Gospel in the modern era, is that faith in God has been replaced by adherence to the God of consumerism. However, Francis points out that the greater challenge to the work of evangelization, and to the well-being of the world, is the state of the modern heart: Complacent, covetous, longing for frivolous pleasures, and with a blunted conscience. (EG2) There is still room for happiness in such a heart, but instead of this, we find a a pervasive narcissism that lusts for pleasure instead of true joy.
The struggle for evangelization today, is that God's joy, as quiet as it is, is easily drowned out by the noise of our our self obsessed consumerist culture. When that joy of the divine fades from our hearts, something that happens even with Christians, our desire to do good, to serve others, (EG2) and to work for the building of the kingdom quietly fades. This portrait of the modern Christian is not flattering at all, and is in part what is wrong with the Church. We should not be living our lives on to the rules of the secular world , but according to the fullness of life that the spirit offers us, a " life that has its source in the heart of Jesus" (EG2)
A challenging invitation from the Pope, one especially relevant on this First Sunday of Advent. Let us continue our journey into advent with a spirit of conversion that will lead us to the heart of Jesus.
The struggle for evangelization today, is that God's joy, as quiet as it is, is easily drowned out by the noise of our our self obsessed consumerist culture. When that joy of the divine fades from our hearts, something that happens even with Christians, our desire to do good, to serve others, (EG2) and to work for the building of the kingdom quietly fades. This portrait of the modern Christian is not flattering at all, and is in part what is wrong with the Church. We should not be living our lives on to the rules of the secular world , but according to the fullness of life that the spirit offers us, a " life that has its source in the heart of Jesus" (EG2)
A challenging invitation from the Pope, one especially relevant on this First Sunday of Advent. Let us continue our journey into advent with a spirit of conversion that will lead us to the heart of Jesus.
1. THE JOY OF THE GOSPEL fills the
hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of
salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly
born anew. In this
Exhortation I wish to encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new
chapter of evangelization marked by this joy, while pointing out new paths for
the Church’s journey in years to come
2. 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. Many fall prey to it, and end
up resentful, angry and listless. That is no way to live a dignified and
fulfilled life; it is not God’s will for us, nor is it the life in the Spirit
which has its source in the heart of the risen Christ.
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