Pope Francis continued his series of catechisms on “passion for evangelization” during his usual public audience on Wednesday. He focused on the church aspect of evangelization, and encouraged all believers to participate in the church’s mission of evangelization and spread the gospel to the ends of the earth.
(Vatican News Network)Every baptized person plays a unique role in the mission of the Church. This is what Pope Francis emphasized in his catechism during the routine public audience on Wednesday, March 8. The Pope continued his series of catechisms on the theme of “Passion for Evangelization”, focusing on the ecclesiastical aspect of evangelization.
The pope emphasized that proclaiming the Gospel is not an independent individual mission, but a common service to the faith of the Church handed down from the apostles, which must be passed on from generation to generation in its entirety. The Pope explained that the zeal to evangelize is inseparable from the size of the Church, which protects the Christian message from distortions and submission to secular interests and ways of thinking.
Therefore, the Pope referred to the teachings of the Second Vatican Council’s Decree on the Missionary Work of the Church, emphasizing that all evangelization originates from the infinite love of God the Father, which is poured into the world through the mission of the Son and the Holy Spirit. . The mission of the church is to spread this saving love to the ends of the earth.
missionary disciple
As “missionary disciples”, all baptized people are called to imitate Christ’s self-sacrificing love, to be creative and to bear convincing witnesses to the truth of his Word and its power to reconcile. The Pope emphasized that “the apostolic zeal of every disciple-missionary” is very important “because among the people of God who are evangelizing on their earthly journey, there is no distinction between active and passive subjects”.
Quoting the Apostolic Exhortation “Joy of the Gospel”, the Pope said: “All baptized persons, regardless of their position in the Church or their level of faith formation, are the executors of evangelization.” (“Joy of the Gospel” , 120) “All baptized participate in the mission of the Church and in the mission of the Church participate in the mission of Christ the King, Priest and Prophet.”
new way of witnessing
Next, the Pope cites the Decree on the Missionary Work of the Church to explain that this mission “although the way it is carried out may be different for the environment, it is essentially the same in any region and environment” (No. 6). This, the Pope reminded, invites us not to become sclerotic or rigid. He said that the missionary zeal of believers is manifested in their creative exploration of new ways of preaching and witnessing, new ways of encountering the wounded humanity Christ has borne, and new ways of serving the Gospel and humanity.
The Pope called on believers to return to the great love of the Father and the mission of the Son and the Holy Spirit, and not to close themselves in a personal space of comfort and immobility. “This allows us to acknowledge the free gift of our calling to the fullness of life, and to praise and thank God for it,” the Pope said.
Finally, the Pope urged all the faithful present to live more fully the grace they have received and to share it with others.
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