1) Above all, in circumstances of serious difficulties-uncertainty about the future, profound and rapid changes, etc.-as were those of the disciples when the Lord died, today we have "the conviction that the Lord 'can always, by his newness, renew our life and our community'" (Exhort. Evangelii gaudium, 11). Francis wishes to offer his support, to accompany on the journey and to "encourage the search to respond with membership -to the present situation". Perhaps this last sentence is a good summary of the attitudes that your letter wishes to promote.
Start thankingAmong other things, the fact that "the German Catholic communities, in their diversity and plurality, are recognized throughout the world for their sense of co-responsibility" and their generosity in promoting and supporting evangelization in other regions and countries.
At the same time, he points out "how painful it is to note the growing erosion and decay of the faith with all that this entails, not only at the spiritual but also at the social and cultural levels". This deterioration, which is happening in so many other places, is multifaceted and not easily or quickly solved, "calls for a serious and conscious approach that stimulates us to turn, at the threshold of present history, like that mendicant to listen to the words of the apostle: "I have neither silver nor gold, but what I have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, arise and walk" (Ac 3,6).
The path proposed by the pope as head of the episcopal college, in general, is as follows a synodal path (cf. Const. ap. Episcopalis communio, 2018). In substance it is a matter, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, of "to walk together and with the whole Church under his light, guidance and irruption, in order to learn to listen and discern the ever new horizon that he wants to give us. Because synodality presupposes and requires the irruption of the Holy Spirit".
This is so, because the Lord had already announced it: "When he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you into all truth" (Jn 16:13). It is the Holy Spirit who, beginning at Pentecost, enlightens and guides the Church along the path and on the horizon of salvation.
We could say that synodality is the name given to the participation of everyone at all levels - from the bottom to the top and vice versa, writes the Pope, that is, from the last baptized person to the Bishop of Rome and vice versa - in the building up of the Church and in evangelization. "Only in this way," says the pope, "can we reach out and make decisions on matters essential to the faith and life of the Church.
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3) Here is a reference to a new pelagianism that he entrusted everything to "perfect administrative structures and organizations" (Evangelii gaudium, 32). Further on, the new gnosticism of those who "wanting to make a name for themselves and expand their doctrine and fame, seek to say something always new and different from what the Word of God gave them, of those who, feeling "advanced" or "enlightened", would like to overcome the ecclesial "we" with their own schemes (cf. J. Ratzinger, The God of Jesus Christ, Salamanca 1979).
This temptation to entrust everything to administrative solutions or messianic protagonism could, Francis points out, in the short term eliminate tensions. But it would lead to a "numbing and domestication of the heart" of the Christian people, leaving them perhaps somewhat "modernized", but worldly and "without soul or evangelical novelty," without vibrancy or bite. Without the effective capacity, one could say, to encourage Christians in their living of faith in Jesus Christ and his saving Word.
For one or the other - new Pelagians or new Gnostics - this observation is useful: "Every time the ecclesial community tried to solve its problems alone, relying and focusing exclusively on its own strength or methods, its intelligence, its will or prestige, it ended up increasing and perpetuating the evils it was trying to solve".
4) This is why Pope Bergoglio, as on previous occasions (cf. Meeting with the CELAM Steering Committee, Bogota, 7-IX-2017), proposes "managing the balance" with hope and not to be "afraid of imbalance" (cf. Evangelii gaudium97); for there are tensions and imbalances that are inevitable and, even more, indispensable as part of the proclamation of the Gospel.
We can think of so many Christians who, in the midst of difficulties, have witnessed to their trust in God, in his grace and in his mercy, while at the same time using the means humanly possible. This is why Francis speaks here of assuring the theological dimension of discernment-when it comes to innovations and proposals-and of acceptance of the free salvation that Christ has won for us by his self-giving on the Cross. Our mission is not based on human calculations nor on the "successful results of our pastoral plans". This is so, and this theological dimension, which means counting on faith in everything -knowing that God sees us and takes care of us-, is an essential component of our mission. Christian wisdom.
5) True transformation calls for the pastoral conversion, that is to say, that the guiding criterion par excellence be evangelizationThe proclamation of the faith and the new commandment of love. Evangelization is not a tactic of conquest or domination, of human influence or territorial expansion. No retouching to adapt, losing the original prophetic force. Nor is the attempt to recover habits or practices that made sense in another cultural context.
Once again, and following in the footsteps of those who have preceded him in the Petrine ministry, he sets out the right path: "The evangelization is a discipleship journey of response and conversion in love to the One who first loved us (cf. 1 Jn 4:19); a path that makes possible a faith that is lived, experienced, celebrated and witnessed to with joy. Evangelization leads us to recover the joy of the Gospel, the joy of being Christians".
Our main concern should be to share this joy by "going out to meet our brothers and sisters, especially those who are lying on the threshold of our temples, in the streets, in prisons and hospitals, in squares and cities (...) To go out to anoint with the spirit of Christ all earthly realities, in their multiple crossroads, especially there "where new stories and paradigms are born, to reach with the Word of Jesus the deepest nuclei of the soul of the cities" (Evangelii gaudium 73, cf. Evangelii nuntiandi, 19). It is a matter of "being close to the life of the people", with a passion for Jesus and at the same time a passion for his people. (cf. Evangelii gaudium, 268).
In the last part of his letter, Francis insists on the nature of the discernmentThe objective is not a mere adaptation to the spirit of the times, but rather a to improve our evangelizing mission.
By means of the discernment carried out through synodality, it is a matter of "living and feeling with the Church and in the Churchwhich, in many situations, will also lead us to suffer in the Church and with the Church", both at the universal and particular level. To this end, we must seek royal roads so that all voices, and humble, also those of the simplest and most humble, have space and visibility. A challenge that, in fact, we must all take up.
He still points out some more conditions - also of substance - for this discernment. These have to do with the framework of the Church's life and with personal correspondence to grace.
Stresses the "need to always keep alive and effective the communion with the whole body of the Church"especially for not lock ourselves up in our own particularities or allow ourselves to be enslaved by ideologiesThe Church's sense of the term (Sensus Ecclesiae), we must "know ourselves constitutively part of a larger bodye that claims, expects and needs us and that we also claim, expect and need. It is the pleasure of feeling part of the holy and patient God's faithful people".
This also requires the connection with the living Tradition of the ChurchThe "sources of the most living and full Tradition, which has the mission of keeping the fire alive rather than preserving the ashes" (cf. G. Mahler) "and allows all generations to rekindle, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, the first love" (cf. G. Mahler).
The framework for discernment is clear, and is assured by the reference to the holiness that we all have to encourage and the motherhood of Marywithout which we are not the people of God, whom the Son gave Him from the Cross to take care of; by the fraternity within the Church and reliance on the guidance of the Holy SpiritThe need to prioritizing a broad vision but without losing the attention for the small and close.
To everyone, and especially to pastors, the pope calls for a "state of wakefulness and conversion".without forgetting that vigil and conversion are gifts from God to be implored by means of the prayer, fasting and penance. In this way we can aspire to have the same sentiments as Christ (cf. Phil 2:7), that is to say, to have the same feelings as Christ (cf. Phil 2:7). humility, poverty y courage. The example of the Master "frees us from false and sterile protagonism, disinstalls us from the temptation to remain in protected and comfortable positions and invites us to go to the peripheries to meet and listen better to the Lord.
Prayer is also worshipBecause, "in adoring, man fulfills his supreme duty and is able to glimpse the clarity to come, that which helps us to savor the new creation" (cf. R. Guardini).
On another occasion a few days ago, addressing the synod of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (cf. Speech, 5-VII-2019), the pope pointed out that prayer must be a "primary concernWe need to be "prayerful" in all our activities. Without prayer, it is easy to fall into temptations of sleep, of the sword -violence- or of flight -cowardice- (cf. Mt 26:40ff). For shepherds it is equally necessary to proximitynot only to "talk about God", but also to to "give to God" by giving to themselves in the proclamation of the faith, liturgy and charity.
He also insisted on the synodalitywhich involves the listenthe co-responsibility and especially the implication of the lay faithful.
"The synodality It also leads to broadening horizons, to living the richness of one's own tradition within the universality of the Church: to benefit from good relations with other rites; to consider the beauty of sharing significant parts of one's theological and liturgical treasure with other communities, even non-Catholic ones; to weave fruitful relations with other particular Churches, in addition to (relations) with the Dicasteries of the Roman Curia" (Ibid.) and avoid particularisms.
The present situation - Francis concludes in his letter to German Catholics - does not call for a prudish, puerile or fainthearted attitude in the face of difficulties, but "the courage to face up to the challenges of the times".encouraged to open the door and to see what is normally veiled by superficiality, the culture of well-being and appearance. In this way we can aspire, by the grace of God-which we ask for with our minds, hearts and lives in permanent conversion-to walk on the path of the beatitudes and to be bearers of bliss for others.
Mr. Ramiro Pellitero Iglesias
Professor of Pastoral Theology
Faculty of Theology
University of Navarra
Published in "Church and new evangelization".
1) Above all, in circumstances of serious difficulties-uncertainty about the future, profound and rapid changes, etc.-as were those of the disciples when the Lord died, today we have "the conviction that the Lord 'can always, by his newness, renew our life and our community'" (Exhort. Evangelii gaudium, 11). Francis wishes to offer his support, to accompany on the journey and to "encourage the search to respond with membership -to the present situation". Perhaps this last sentence is a good summary of the attitudes that your letter wishes to promote.
Start thankingAmong other things, the fact that "the German Catholic communities, in their diversity and plurality, are recognized throughout the world for their sense of co-responsibility" and their generosity in promoting and supporting evangelization in other regions and countries.
At the same time, he points out "how painful it is to note the growing erosion and decay of the faith with all that this entails, not only at the spiritual but also at the social and cultural levels". This deterioration, which is happening in so many other places, is multifaceted and not easily or quickly solved, "calls for a serious and conscious approach that stimulates us to turn, at the threshold of present history, like that mendicant to listen to the words of the apostle: "I have neither silver nor gold, but what I have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, arise and walk" (Ac 3,6).
The path proposed by the pope as head of the episcopal college, in general, is as follows a synodal path (cf. Const. ap. Episcopalis communio, 2018). In substance it is a matter, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, of "to walk together and with the whole Church under his light, guidance and irruption, in order to learn to listen and discern the ever new horizon that he wants to give us. Because synodality presupposes and requires the irruption of the Holy Spirit".
This is so, because the Lord had already announced it: "When he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you into all truth" (Jn 16:13). It is the Holy Spirit who, beginning at Pentecost, enlightens and guides the Church along the path and on the horizon of salvation.
We could say that synodality is the name given to the participation of everyone at all levels - from the bottom to the top and vice versa, writes the Pope, that is, from the last baptized person to the Bishop of Rome and vice versa - in the building up of the Church and in evangelization. "Only in this way," says the pope, "can we reach out and make decisions on matters essential to the faith and life of the Church.
3) Here is a reference to a new pelagianism that he entrusted everything to "perfect administrative structures and organizations" (Evangelii gaudium, 32). Further on, the new gnosticism of those who "wanting to make a name for themselves and expand their doctrine and fame, seek to say something always new and different from what the Word of God gave them, of those who, feeling "advanced" or "enlightened", would like to overcome the ecclesial "we" with their own schemes (cf. J. Ratzinger, The God of Jesus Christ, Salamanca 1979).
This temptation to entrust everything to administrative solutions or messianic protagonism could, Francis points out, in the short term eliminate tensions. But it would lead to a "numbing and domestication of the heart" of the Christian people, leaving them perhaps somewhat "modernized", but worldly and "without soul or evangelical novelty," without vibrancy or bite. Without the effective capacity, one could say, to encourage Christians in their living of faith in Jesus Christ and his saving Word.
For one or the other - new Pelagians or new Gnostics - this observation is useful: "Every time the ecclesial community tried to solve its problems alone, relying and focusing exclusively on its own strength or methods, its intelligence, its will or prestige, it ended up increasing and perpetuating the evils it was trying to solve".
4) This is why Pope Bergoglio, as on previous occasions (cf. Meeting with the CELAM Steering Committee, Bogota, 7-IX-2017), proposes "managing the balance" with hope and not to be "afraid of imbalance" (cf. Evangelii gaudium97); for there are tensions and imbalances that are inevitable and, even more, indispensable as part of the proclamation of the Gospel.
We can think of so many Christians who, in the midst of difficulties, have witnessed to their trust in God, in his grace and in his mercy, while at the same time using the means humanly possible. This is why Francis speaks here of assuring the theological dimension of discernment-when it comes to innovations and proposals-and of acceptance of the free salvation that Christ has won for us by his self-giving on the Cross. Our mission is not based on human calculations nor on the "successful results of our pastoral plans". This is so, and this theological dimension, which means counting on faith in everything -knowing that God sees us and takes care of us-, is an essential component of our mission. Christian wisdom.
5) True transformation calls for the pastoral conversion, that is to say, that the guiding criterion par excellence be evangelizationThe proclamation of the faith and the new commandment of love. Evangelization is not a tactic of conquest or domination, of human influence or territorial expansion. No retouching to adapt, losing the original prophetic force. Nor is the attempt to recover habits or practices that made sense in another cultural context.
Once again, and following in the footsteps of those who have preceded him in the Petrine ministry, he sets out the right path: "The evangelization is a discipleship journey of response and conversion in love to the One who first loved us (cf. 1 Jn 4:19); a path that makes possible a faith that is lived, experienced, celebrated and witnessed to with joy. Evangelization leads us to recover the joy of the Gospel, the joy of being Christians".
Our main concern should be to share this joy by "going out to meet our brothers and sisters, especially those who are lying on the threshold of our temples, in the streets, in prisons and hospitals, in squares and cities (...) To go out to anoint with the spirit of Christ all earthly realities, in their multiple crossroads, especially there "where new stories and paradigms are born, to reach with the Word of Jesus the deepest nuclei of the soul of the cities" (Evangelii gaudium 73, cf. Evangelii nuntiandi, 19). It is a matter of "being close to the life of the people", with a passion for Jesus and at the same time a passion for his people. (cf. Evangelii gaudium, 268).
In the last part of his letter, Francis insists on the nature of the discernmentThe objective is not a mere adaptation to the spirit of the times, but rather a to improve our evangelizing mission.
By means of the discernment carried out through synodality, it is a matter of "living and feeling with the Church and in the Churchwhich, in many situations, will also lead us to suffer in the Church and with the Church", both at the universal and particular level. To this end, we must seek royal roads so that all voices, and humble, also those of the simplest and most humble, have space and visibility. A challenge that, in fact, we must all take up.
He still points out some more conditions - also of substance - for this discernment. These have to do with the framework of the Church's life and with personal correspondence to grace.
Stresses the "need to always keep alive and effective the communion with the whole body of the Church"especially for not lock ourselves up in our own particularities or allow ourselves to be enslaved by ideologiesThe Church's sense of the term (Sensus Ecclesiae), we must "know ourselves constitutively part of a larger bodye that claims, expects and needs us and that we also claim, expect and need. It is the pleasure of feeling part of the holy and patient God's faithful people".
This also requires the connection with the living Tradition of the ChurchThe "sources of the most living and full Tradition, which has the mission of keeping the fire alive rather than preserving the ashes" (cf. G. Mahler) "and allows all generations to rekindle, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, the first love" (cf. G. Mahler).
The framework for discernment is clear, and is assured by the reference to the holiness that we all have to encourage and the motherhood of Marywithout which we are not the people of God, whom the Son gave Him from the Cross to take care of; by the fraternity within the Church and reliance on the guidance of the Holy SpiritThe need to prioritizing a broad vision but without losing the attention for the small and close.
To everyone, and especially to pastors, the pope calls for a "state of wakefulness and conversion".without forgetting that vigil and conversion are gifts from God to be implored by means of the prayer, fasting and penance. In this way we can aspire to have the same sentiments as Christ (cf. Phil 2:7), that is to say, to have the same feelings as Christ (cf. Phil 2:7). humility, poverty y courage. The example of the Master "frees us from false and sterile protagonism, disinstalls us from the temptation to remain in protected and comfortable positions and invites us to go to the peripheries to meet and listen better to the Lord.
Prayer is also worshipBecause, "in adoring, man fulfills his supreme duty and is able to glimpse the clarity to come, that which helps us to savor the new creation" (cf. R. Guardini).
On another occasion a few days ago, addressing the synod of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (cf. Speech, 5-VII-2019), the pope pointed out that prayer must be a "primary concernWe need to be "prayerful" in all our activities. Without prayer, it is easy to fall into temptations of sleep, of the sword -violence- or of flight -cowardice- (cf. Mt 26:40ff). For shepherds it is equally necessary to proximitynot only to "talk about God", but also to to "give to God" by giving to themselves in the proclamation of the faith, liturgy and charity.
He also insisted on the synodalitywhich involves the listenthe co-responsibility and especially the implication of the lay faithful.
"The synodality It also leads to broadening horizons, to living the richness of one's own tradition within the universality of the Church: to benefit from good relations with other rites; to consider the beauty of sharing significant parts of one's theological and liturgical treasure with other communities, even non-Catholic ones; to weave fruitful relations with other particular Churches, in addition to (relations) with the Dicasteries of the Roman Curia" (Ibid.) and avoid particularisms.
The present situation - Francis concludes in his letter to German Catholics - does not call for a prudish, puerile or fainthearted attitude in the face of difficulties, but "the courage to face up to the challenges of the times".encouraged to open the door and to see what is normally veiled by superficiality, the culture of well-being and appearance. In this way we can aspire, by the grace of God-which we ask for with our minds, hearts and lives in permanent conversion-to walk on the path of the beatitudes and to be bearers of bliss for others.
Mr. Ramiro Pellitero Iglesias
Professor of Pastoral Theology
Faculty of Theology
University of Navarra
Published in "Church and new evangelization".
