{"id":22794,"date":"2013-11-26T10:55:29","date_gmt":"2013-11-26T15:55:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/?p=22794"},"modified":"2013-11-26T15:24:13","modified_gmt":"2013-11-26T20:24:13","slug":"franciss-joy-filled-exhortation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2013\/11\/26\/franciss-joy-filled-exhortation\/","title":{"rendered":"Francis\u2019s Joy-Filled Exhortation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Evangelii Gaudium<\/span><\/a><\/em> is Pope Francis\u2019s 288-article exhortation, at the conclusion of the Year of Faith, on proclamation of the Gospel in today\u2019s world. From beginning to end, Francis\u2019s writing exudes a spirit of joy, of hope in the future, of profound respect for people, of common-sense connection to the real world. \u201cThere are Christians whose lives seem like Lent without Easter,\u201d Francis writes (6). Francis is not one them. His infectious joyfulness makes the Gospel message attractive in its simplicity and depth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Francis has become famous for his striking word choices, and he repeats some of his favorite words and phrases in the exortation \u2013 \u201cnarcissism\u201d (a bad thing in ministers), \u201cmuseum pieces\u201d (not what the church should be), \u201chouse of cards\u201d (what the Church\u2019s moral teaching risk becoming), \u201cneopelagianism\u201d (in those intransigently faithful to the past).<\/span><\/p>\n

Others will rightly be commenting on the main themes of the exhortation \u2013 the entire Church as evangelizing community, the Church\u2019s concern especially for the poor and the needy, the Church\u2019s critique of unjust economic conditions (see the sharp words on \u201ctrickle-down\u201d theories and the free market at no. 54), and much more. For Pray Tell<\/em> readers, I highlight some of the themes we tend to talk about around here.<\/span><\/p>\n

Liturgy<\/strong>: The liturgy is not treated extensively in the exhortation. But at 95, Francis refers to an \u201cinsidious worldliness\u201d in \u201can ostentatious preoccupation for the liturgy, for doctrine and for the Church\u2019s prestige, but without any concern that the Gospel have a real impact on God\u2019s faithful people and the concrete needs of the present time.\u201d The life of the Church \u201cturns into a museum piece or something which is the property of a select few.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Beauty in the Liturgy<\/strong>: This is affirmed twice at 24 \u2013 but with no further elaboration of the theme or critique of the reformed liturgy or call for greater continuity with liturgical tradition. The tone is practical and evangelical: \u201cEvangelization with joy becomes beauty in the liturgy, as part of our daily concern to spread goodness.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Arts<\/strong>: Francis writes of the via pulchritudinis<\/em> (\u201cway of beauty\u201d) at 167, with a bit more emphasis on the contemporary than the traditional. The Church should \u201cencourage the use of the arts in evangelization, building on the treasures of the past but also drawing upon the wide variety of contemporary expressions so as to transmit the faith in a new \u2018language of parables\u2019.\u201d \u00a0He wants the Church to \u201cbe bold enough to discover new signs and new symbols, new flesh to embody and communicate the word, and different forms of beauty which are valued in different cultural settings, including those unconventional modes of beauty\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Preaching<\/strong>: Francis gives a lengthy reflection on preaching (135-159) which is entirely practical and rather conversational in tone. Earlier (128) he wrote that preaching is \u201calways respectful and gentle.\u201d Here he emphasizes that \u201cthe preacher must know the heart of his community.\u201d (137) The homily is not \u201centertainment\u201d; it should be \u201cbrief\u201d and not become \u201ca speech or lecture.\u201d (138) Preaching should not be \u201cpurely moralistic or doctrinaire,\u201d nor should it be \u201ca lecture on biblical exegesis.\u201d (142) The pope speaks of the \u201ccloseness of the preacher, the warmth of his tone of voice, the unpretentiousness of his manner of speaking, the joy of his gestures.\u201d (140) And in a rare note of realism in an official document, the pope says that \u201ceven if the homily at times may be somewhat tedious,\u201d it will still bear fruit if the preacher has a spirit of maternal love. <\/span><\/p>\n

A Church That Goes Out<\/strong>: Repeating a theme he has often stressed, Pope Francis writes: \u201cI prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security. I do not want a Church concerned with being at the center and then ends by being caught up in a web of obsessions and procedures.\u201d (49)<\/span><\/p>\n

Critique of Traditionalism<\/strong>: There is a danger that \u201cwe hold fast to a formulation while failing to convey its substance.\u201d (41) There are \u201ccertain customs not directly connected to the heart of the Gospel, even some which have deep historical roots, \u2026 no longer properly understood and appreciated. Some of these customs may be beautiful, but they no longer serve as means of communicating the Gospel. We should not be afraid to re-examine them.\u201d (43) There are \u201crules or precepts\u201d once effective but which \u201cno longer have the same usefulness.\u201d (43)<\/span><\/p>\n

Traditional Devotions<\/strong>: Traditional Catholic devotions are warmly praised at 122-126. But at the same time, there is undue emphasis on \u201cthe outward expressions and traditions of some groups, or on alleged private revelations\u201d (does he mean Medjugorje?), and there are \u201cdevotions reflecting an individual and sentimental faith life\u201d which are not \u201cconcerned with the advancement of society or the formation of the laity.\u201d (70) After affirmation of prayer and intercession, reading Scripture, and Eucharistic adoration, he quotes John Paul II in rejecting \u201cprivatized and individualistic spirituality which ill accords with the demands of charity.\u201d (262)<\/span><\/p>\n

Divisiveness in Pastoral Workers<\/strong>: Francis writes, \u201cIt always pains me greatly to discover how some Christian communities, and even consecrated persons, can tolerate different forms of enmity, division, calumny, defamation, vendetta, jealous and the desire to impose certain ideas at all costs, even to persecutions which appear as veritable witch hunts. Whom are we going to evangelize if this is the way we act?\u201d (100)<\/span><\/p>\n

Pastoral Spirit<\/strong>: Pastoral ministry should not be \u201cobsessed with the disjointed transmission of a multitude of doctrines to be insistently imposed.\u201d (35)\u00a0 There should be a \u201cfitting sense of proportion\u201d in the \u201cfrequency with which certain themes are brought up.\u201d (38) In words worthy of Luther, the pope decries \u201cwhen we speak more about law than about grace, more about the Church than about Christ, more about the Pope than about God\u2019s word.\u201d (38). Then we risk \u201cthe edifice of the Church\u2019s moral teachings\u2026becoming a house of cards.\u201d (39) Instead of the Gospel, we would be teaching \u201ccertain doctrinal or moral points based on specific ideological options.\u201d (39)<\/span><\/p>\n

Relativism in Pastoral Workers<\/strong>: In a culture of skepticism toward Christianity, many pastoral workers \u201cdevelop a sort of inferiority complex which leads them to relativize or conceal their Christian identity and convictions.\u201d They are obsessed with \u201cbeing like everyone else.\u201d (79) Pastoral workers fall into \u201crelativism\u201d which is not just about doctrine, but about \u201cthe deepest and inmost decisions that shape their way of life.\u201d There is a \u201cpractical relativism\u201d \u2013 \u201cacting as if God did not exist.\u201d (80)<\/span><\/p>\n

Worldliness in Pastoral Workers<\/strong>: The pope seems to have a two-pronged critique of those on the so-called left and right. He critiques \u201cGnosticism, a purely subjective faith whose only interest is a certain experience or a set of ideas and bits of information which are meant to console and enlighten,\u201d and then he goes on to critique a \u2018self-absorbed promethean neopelagianism of those who ultimately trust only in their own powers and feel superior to others because they observe certain rules or remain intransigently faithful to a particular Catholic style from the past.\u201d This latter leads to \u201cnarcissistic and authoritarian elitism.\u201d (94)<\/span><\/p>\n

Mercy<\/strong>: The Eucharist \u201cis not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak.\u201d (47) We should not act as \u201carbiters of grace rather than its facilitators,\u201d and the church is not a \u201ctollhouse\u201d but \u201cthe house of the Father.\u201d (47)<\/span><\/p>\n

Ecumenism<\/strong>: Francis writes with emphasis, \u201cHow many important things unite us! If we really believe in the abundantly free working of the Holy Spirit, we can learn so much from one another! It is not just about being better informed about others, but rather about reaping what the Spirit has sown in them, which is also meant to be a gift for us.\u201d (246)<\/span><\/p>\n

Decentralization<\/strong>: The pope promotes \u201csound \u2018decentralization\u2019\u201d (16). The papal magisterium should not \u201cbe expected to offer a definitive or complete word on every question which affects the Church and the world.\u201d (16) The Second Vatican Council\u2019s promotion of episcopal conferences \u201chas not been fully realized\u201d and there is a need for their clearer juridical status \u201cincluding genuine doctrinal authority.\u201d (32) \u201cExcessive centralization, rather than proving helpful, complicates the Church\u2019s life and her missionary outreach.\u201d (32) In the section on ecumenical dialogue, Francis says that \u201cwe Catholics have the opportunity to learn more about the meaning of episcopal collegiality\u2026 and synodality\u201d from the Orthodox. (246)<\/span><\/p>\n

Shared Decision-Making<\/strong>: There is an \u201cexcessive clericalism which keeps [lay persons] away from decision-making\u201d in the Church. (102)<\/span><\/p>\n

Women in the Church<\/strong>: The all-male priesthood \u201cis not a question open to discussion,\u201d (104) but \u201cwe need to create still broader opportunities for a more incisive female presence in the Church.\u201d (103) The pope speaks of exploring \u201cthe possible role of women in decision-making in different areas of the Church\u2019s life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Motive for Seeking Ordination<\/strong>: \u201cDespite the scarcity of vocations, today we are increasingly aware of the need for a better process of selecting candidates to the priesthood. Seminaries cannot accept candidates on the basis of\u2026 motivations hav[ing] to do with affective insecurity or the pursuit of power, human glory or economic well-being.\u201d (107)<\/span><\/p>\n

To be sure, Francis is no innovator on doctrine. He quotes Pope Benedict often (4 mentions in the text, 18 footnote references). He shuts the door (again) on women\u2019s ordination, as noted above. He laments that \u201cMarriage now tends to be viewed as a form of mere emotional satisfaction that can be constructed in any way or modified at will.\u201d (66) There is surely a reference to gay marriage here, although the pope refrains from a head-on attack.<\/span><\/p>\n

In general, the importance of this document is that it affirms, in an official way, the themes Pope Francis has emphasized more informally in his daily homilies and his interviews with the press. It is becoming clearer what sort of pastoral pope Francis is, and how he wants to energize the Catholic Church in its pastoral mission.<\/span><\/p>\n

awr<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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