Dialogue,Hope, Contemplation and Peripheries are the four main themes which our community is focusing on throughout this year. This is why we decided to have an input session from Leonard Callus, a lay person, to discuss his views on the latest Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium. Below are some of the main points which arose during the discussion:
- Pope Francis chose to write the Apostolic Exhortation in a more personal style choosing to write in the first person, something rather unique when compared to his predecessors.
- A strong emphasis is put by the Pope on our personal encounter with Jesus. This is what ultimately constitutes our faith. [264-280]
- The Pope urges us to be on the lookout to avoid being influenced by problems pervading society at large effecting even the Church. These include amongst others, consumerism. [60, 70, 89]
Mr Leonard Callus helped us discuss the Pope’s latest document on Evangelisation in today’s culture. - Spiritual worldliness is one of the temptations of our time which can also effect our parishes. These include a purely subjective faith and a trust in one’s own power. Compare [93-97]
- The importance of the homily, which the Pope says must be similar to a mother’s conversation because it has to be practical and coming from the heart so that it can touch the heart of the listeners. [139-141]
- Evangelisation in this Apostolic Exhortation is an invitation to leave the shores of our comfort zones in order to give life to others. [10]
- What the Pope calls the Christian substratum of strong Christian tradition is a reality which is also diffused across the Maltese islands. He is inviting us to use this opportunity to re-evangelise our culture by using popular piety as a source. [68 ]
This is a crucial document in our formation towards priesthood. Another lay person who studied the document in detail is helping us devise a formation program based on the teachings based on these new ways of evangelisation.