This is the 15th entry in which I explore this papal exhortation! I feel blessed that I have the opportunity to read and pray with it, and yet there are still many things that Pope Francis talks about that I feel I could understand better. This is why, in this entry, I'd like to explore a little more deeply what Francis is calling us (the Universal Church, but also, all people of good will) to. I've thrown around the word ‘conversion',
and 'renewal’ a lot from entry to entry. That’s because Francis does too. Renewal
is mentioned 7 times in points 26-27 alone!
And conversion is the main theme of this section entitled “ Pastoral activity and conversion” (EG
25-33). It should be self explanatory that what we’re being renewed and
converted to is Jesus: The deeper we go into our intimacy and knowledge of him, the better we can understand our faith, and the more our lives are transformed. Nevertheless, perhaps more details are needed.
In EG 30, Francis does help widen our
understanding of this process, by reminding us that we can’t speak of evangelization without
conversion. He goes even further than that, by speaking of conversion as a “
concrete manifestation of the Church”. Now, I realize that when he’s speaking
about ‘missionary conversion’ as being the greatest expression of the Church as
a present and operating body, he is referring to something very specific: Christians going out into the world, and
sharing their passion for Jesus with the world in such a way that will touch
others and open them to the idea of conversion. This is in fact, how we can be
Church incarnate to the world. But we need to be careful how we live that
incarnation. It’s not just about bringing
people to the faith. I've said that before in this blog, we should not be too concerned about filling
the pews, getting more bodies in our Churches. That’s not the point of
evangelization.
The point, the focus of evangelization, is ‘joy
in communicating Jesus’. It’s bringing the light of that joy where it’s needed
in our world. (EG 30) This is, in a way how I try to live my faith. I don’t
whip out a bible and talk to strangers about Jesus. I don't even think that people who don't believe are condemned. Yes, I sometimes feel that their
lives would be better with Jesus, but I don’t make the assumption that it’s me
that will convince them of that. If God wants them to know that Joy, He/
She will make that happen. My job is to live that joy fully as a Jesuit, and to ensure all people see what the source of that joy is for me. My call, is
also to continue going to those places where there is little hope, and to bring
that hope that infuses my faith to all I encounter, to ensure that my
experience of hope remains vibrant by sharing it with others.
As lovely as that may sound, I think Pope Francis would challenge me. He may say, 'this attitude of yours is valuable, but perhaps on its own, not
sufficient. You have that missionary impulse in you. Don't leave it unattended. Make sure it remains focused, and generous. This is how it will become life giving both to yourself, and to others.' But he may also tell me ‘there’s no way you should be
doing this alone. Stop treating this as ‘your ministry’, and start working with
others to purify, and deepen your individual, and collective experience of
faith. Let yourself be guided and inspired by your leaders, Bishops and lay
people who are always trying to foster that budding missionary impulse
contained in our experience of faith’. (a speech inspired by EG 31! )
Fr Tom Rosica meets with Pope Francis
I had quite a wonderful experience with one
such leader recently. This was not a Bishop, but a fantastic homilist and a
great spiritual presence every where he goes, Fr Tom Rosica. He was recently visiting Newman Montreal, and there, celebrated a quiet Saturday night Mass. The
way he retold the story of the presentation at the temple, the way he
appropriated the story of Simeon and Anna for us, and the way he brought that
together with Pope Francis’ quiet ‘revolution of tenderness’ was awe inspiring,
and I must say, was even a moment of conversion for me. There was nothing new in what he said, but just a reminder that, all this light, all this hope,
all this tenderness and love is a force in our world. We can’t let that force sit idly within our
soul and not respond to it, not let it guide our every thoughts and
actions. In teaching us that, all Fr
Rosica was doing was ‘pointing the way and keeping my hope vibrant’ (EG
31). Part of me envies his ability to do
this. Again, Pope Francis swoops into my inner dialog and says ‘ buddy…you
also have your role to play, in being around people, with your own brand of ‘unassuming,
and merciful presence’ (EG 31). It seems the
Pope is doing two things with me today. Challenging me to look beyond my
habitual way of proceeding, but at the same time, embracing the gifts I do have
to offer, and ensuring these gifts are shared with others. I have my own role
to play in helping develop this missionary impulse. It’s strange I would get
all this from his words about the ministry of Bishops, but I guess, that’s the
power of Pope Francis: There’s wisdom to be cultivated in almost everything he
says. We just have to be patient enough to(through the work of the Spirit, and through God's love for us) harvest that wisdom, and eventually it, share it, and the light it produces with all people.
30. Each particular Church, as a portion of the Catholic Church under the leadership of its bishop, is likewise called to missionary conversion. It is the primary subject of evangelization,[30] since it is the concrete manifestation of the one Church in one specific place, and in it “the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church of Christ is truly present and operative”.[31] It is the Church incarnate in a certain place, equipped with all the means of salvation bestowed by Christ, but with local features. Its joy in communicating Jesus Christ is expressed both by a concern to preach him to areas in greater need and in constantly going forth to the outskirts of its own territory or towards new sociocultural settings.[32] Wherever the need for the light and the life of the Risen Christ is greatest, it will want to be there.[33] To make this missionary impulse ever more focused, generous and fruitful, I encourage each particular Church to undertake a resolute process of discernment, purification and reform.
31. The bishop must always foster
this missionary communion in his diocesan Church, following the ideal of the
first Christian communities, in which the believers were of one heart and one
soul (cf. Acts 4:32). To do so, he will sometimes go before
his people, pointing the way and keeping their hope vibrant. At other times, he
will simply be in their midst with his unassuming and merciful presence. At yet
other times, he will have to walk after them, helping those who lag behind and
– above all – allowing the flock to strike out on new paths. In his mission of
fostering a dynamic, open and missionary communion, he will have to encourage
and develop the means of participation proposed in the Code of Canon Law,[34] and
other forms of pastoral dialogue, out of a desire to listen to everyone and not
simply to those who would tell him what he would like to hear. Yet the
principal aim of these participatory processes should not be ecclesiastical
organization but rather the missionary aspiration of reaching everyone.
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