2024-03-15 12:52:27
Those who attended the Plenary Conference of the Dicastery for Evangelization met with the Pope at the Vatican on March 15th. In his message to them, Pope Francis reminded them that it is time to face the problems of evangelization in different parts of the world where culture and traditions are very different.
C. Rubini Chinnapa9 CTC, Vatican News
Secularism
Secularism has caused major problems in the last ten years in many local churches around the world. The Pope pointed out that it is a serious matter that through this people have lost the idea of being part of the Christian community and that there is indifference to the faith and its contents. Our calling is to be able to give an effective answer to the younger generations to find the meaning of life by understanding the negative aspects of secularism. The personal freedom that secularism posits cannot be theorized as deliverance from God; Because it is God who ensures individual agency. In the same way, along with the benefits offered by the digital culture, the Pope addressed the problems in the perspective of personal freedom in interpersonal and social relations.
Family and faith community
The Pope told them that the problem before us is to first understand how to overcome the rift in the transmission of faith. In this regard, Pope Francis underlined the need to restore the relationship with families and centers of formation. The Pope recalled that faith in the Risen Lord is at the heart of evangelization and that to transmit this, a life-changing encounter with Jesus is needed by families and the Christian community who live meaningfully. Without such a real and very basic experience, the Pope warned, we fall into the temptation of making faith a doctrine rather than a testimony of life. The Pope expressed his gratitude for the service of the Dicastery for Evangelization to catechesis in terms of transmitting the faith.
The Spirituality of Compassion
Second, Pope Francis spoke about the spirituality of mercy, which should be the basic content of evangelization. God’s mercy is something that should flow in the veins of the body that is the church. Our calling is to be witnesses to it. The pastoral mission in pilgrimage centers should be overflowing with compassion. Apostles of mercy must bear witness to the fact that God is always forgiving without limit by their sacramental services of reconciliation. Apostles of mercy must be ready to search and find, not just wait. The Pope reminded us to be witnesses of a God who is a merciful father, a good and happy person who is happy to welcome the returnee.
A Year of Prayer for the Jubilee of Hope
Thirdly, the Pope suggested that next year’s Jubilee should be a Jubilee in which the power of hope should be resurrected. The Pope also announced that the Apostolic Epistle related to the Jubilee will be released within a few weeks. The Pope reminded us not to forget that this year before the Jubilee is a year dedicated to prayer, that prayer means being in the presence of the Lord, and that we need to recognize that we are understood, welcomed and loved by Him. The Pope said that it gives space for silence to listen to the Lord’s voice and receive them in our lives as he taught them, and called us to pray more, to pray better and to come to the schools of Mary and the Saints.
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