"The interior life is not improvised," the Pope reminds us.On the day on which the Church commemorates St. Albert the Great, universal scholar, Dominican and Doctor of the Church, the Holy Father Francis has announced who wishes to summarize this cycle on apostolic zeal in four points, inspired by the apostolic exhortation "Evangelii gaudium", which celebrates its tenth anniversary this month.
The first point, which we look at today, refers to the attitude on which the substance of the evangelizing gesture depends: joy. And for this he meditated on the words that the angel addresses to the shepherds, the announcement of "great joy" (Lk 2:10).
"And what is the reason for this great joy: good news, a surprise, a beautiful event? Much more, a person: Jesus! He is God made man who loves us always, who gave his life for us and who desires to give us eternal life! He is our Gospel, the source of a joy that does not pass away! The question, dear brothers and sisters, is therefore not whether to proclaim it, but how to proclaim it, and this 'how' is joy".
"For this reason," the Pope stressed, "an unhappy, sad, dissatisfied or, worse still, resentful and resentful Christian is not credible. It is essential to be vigilant about our feelings. Especially in those contexts in which the Church no longer enjoys certain social recognition, there is a risk of adopting attitudes of discouragement or revenge, and this is not good. In evangelization, it is the gratuity that comes from a fullness that works, not the pressure that comes from a lack".
"The credible and authoritative witness is recognized by his happy and meek soul, by the serene and gentle trait that comes from having met Jesus, by the sincere passion with which he offers to all what he has received without merit," he said.
Civilization of disbelief
In his catechesis, Pope Francis drew on the episode of the disciples of Emmaus to whom the Lord appeared, and pointed out that "like the two at Emmaus, we return to daily life with the impulse of one who has found a treasure. And we discover that humanity abounds with brothers and sisters who are waiting for a word of hope. Yes, the Gospel is also awaited today: mankind of all times needs it, even the civilization of programmed unbelief and institutionalized secularity; moreover, especially society, which leaves the spaces of religious meaning deserted. This is the favorable moment for the proclamation of Jesus".
Praying for Ukraine, Holy Land, Sudan
The Pope recalled that the last weeks of the liturgical year invite us to a sense of Christian hope. In this perspective, "I invite you to always grasp the meaning and value of daily experiences and also of trials," thinking that "everything contributes to the good of those who love God" (Rom 8:28).
"Let us pray, brothers and sisters, for peace in Ukraine, in Palestine and Israel, in Sudan and wherever there are war".
"Let us ask the Lord to renew our encounter with him every day, may he make our hearts burn with his word, may the Eucharist give birth in us to the impulse that encouraged the disciples to go out to evangelize the world. May Jesus bless you and the Holy Virgin watch over you," Francis concluded, moments after exhorting the young people to be "courageous protagonists in the environments in which you live, above all to be joyful witnesses of the Gospel, builders of bridges, and never of walls".
