Joyful Announcers of the Gospel

Big cities are “fertile grounds” of evangelization that allows the Church to become a “leaven of Christian life” for citizens.  This was the reflection given by Pope Francis during a February 7, 2015 address to the participants of the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Laity. The Pontifical Council reflected on the theme: “Encountering God in the heart of the city: scenes of the evangelization for the third millennium.”

The Pope said that the Church is called to reach out to those individuals who are usually forgotten and abandoned by others. The lay faithful in particular, he noted, are called to “break the wall of anonymity and indifference” and to show that God is never absent from man’s heart.

“By becoming joyful announcers of the Gospel to their fellow citizens, the lay faithful discovers that there are many hearts that the Holy Spirit has already prepared to receive their witness, their closeness and their attention,” he said.

Saying that big cities are a  “fertile ground of apostolate”, the Pope stressed that the laity are called to live a “humble leadership” and become a “leaven of Christian life for the whole city.”

For more information, please visit:

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-encourages-lay-faithful-to-be-a-leaven-of-chr

http://www.laici.va/content/laici/en/eventi/assemblee-plenarie/incontrare-dio-nel-cuore-della-citta.html

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His Holiness Pope Francis always encourages us to listen to and share the “liberating message of the love of God in its strength, beauty and simplicity.”    For some of us, listening may seem easier to do than sharing the message.  But remember the encouragement of Saint Francis of Assisi that we “preach the Gospel always and, when necessary, use words.”

We can all start with a smile, a look of kindness, perhaps hold a door open for another, or any of the “common courtesies” that are unfortunately not-so-common in today’s world.  Have you noticed that if you say “thank you” or pay a compliment to someone they frequently seem surprised--even shocked-- perhaps because they have become used to being taken for granted.  Are we not drawn to someone who calls us by name, asks how we are and waits for an answer?  

We are called by Baptism and Confirmation to exercise “humble leadership” to touch the hearts of those persons God has placed in our lives.  Let’s think of ways to begin to evangelize and transform our cities and our world so they reflect God’s beauty, grace, and peace.  Please share!

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