Last November 24, 2014, Pope Francis issued an Apostolic Exhortation entitled Evangelii Gaudium The Joy of the Gospel exhorting the whole church to rediscover the many joys found in the Gospel. As we approach the Christmas season after the 4th Sunday of Advent, let us review this Apostolic Exhortation and see the wonderful things it can bring us this season.
How do we share the Joy of the Gospel? The way the Gospel talks about the Kingdom of God at first seems odd; small seed (mustard seed) or like yeast (Mt. 13:31,33) both of which starts small. Meaning, the Kingdom of God starts in humble beginnings, like the coming of the Baby Jesus, the Emmanuel in a simple manger. But when properly nourished or mixed can grow to be the biggest of all trees or dough for bread. In Jesus, the Kingdom of God is the humble presence in the life of the people, a dialogue of life, between God and His people.
Gaudium et Spes (Joy and Hope) of Vat. II describes this sharing of life as dialogue of life, “The joys and hopes, sorrows and anxieties of the men and women of our time, especially the poor, are the same joys and hopes, sorrows and anxieties of the disciples of Jesus.” There are many areas of dialogue here: 1.) Dialogue of culture and faith, 2.) Dialogue of Religion and Faith, and 3.) Dialogue with the poor/anawim. Of the three, the Dialogue of Culture and Faith is the trickiest, for sometimes we can’t distinguish between both, especially in areas where the culture and faith seem homogeneous.
Pope Francis says the Gospel, if it is the Good News, contains in itself Joy. But do we know the joy that the Gospel already contains? Sad to say but sometimes we highlight more the difficulties rather than the good news and the opportunities. The good news that God is near, is LOVE, is Merciful, died for us, and triumphed over sin and death. All these should bring us joy. This year for example, the church will highlight the Extra Ordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy; the mission of the church is to be a witness of mercy. Many times it is not problem of content but simply drawing out the many joys of the Gospel.
Those who proclaim the Good News should exhume the Joy of the Gospel. If the Gospel contains in itself Joy, the proclaimers of the Gospel should themselves be bearers of Joy. We are all proclaimers of the Gospel, not only in words but more so in deeds. We are all visual representations of the Gospel, people are not just listening to us when we speak; they are also looking at us. We are in the age when people can distinguish the virtual from the authentic. Let us all bring out the Joy of the Gospel and be authentic witnesses of the Good News. Words convey truths, but when they look at us, is the bearer/messenger filled with Joy or the incarnation of the Joy of the Gospel?
Be in God,
Fr. Bing