Evangelii Gaudium: Be Joy-Filled Servants of the Gospel

Evangelii Gaudium: Be Joy-Filled Servants of the Gospel By Leota Roesch I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day. Now is the time to say to Jesus: Lord, I have let myself be deceived; in a thousand ways I have shunned your love, yet here I am once more, to renew my covenant with you. I need you. Save me once again, Lord, take me once more into your redeeming embrace. (EG #3) Purpose This session for high school youth uses large and small group activities to help participants work with a papal document, and challenge them to answer Pope Francis invitation to be missionary disciples of the Gospel. This session will work well with groups of participants numbering from 10-30 high school youth. Component: Catechesis Session at a Glance 7:00 p.m. Welcome 7:02 p.m. Introduction to the Session, Opening Prayer 7:06 p.m. Focusing Activity: Rebuild My Church 7:12 p.m. Evangelii Gaudium: Pope Francis Call to Be Church 8:05 p.m. We ve Read a Part of the Document, Now What? 8:15 p.m. Closing Prayer 8:25 p.m. Announcements and Dismissal 8:30 p.m. Finish! Materials Needed Newspaper/magazine/Internet articles (secular and religious media) on Pope Francis (see #1 in Prepare in Advance) Environment for prayer focus: table, nice cloth, Bible, candle, crucifix, matches or light stick Part I of Evangelii Gaudium for each participant: http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/pa pa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html [To conserve paper, you may wish to give each person only those sections that their group is reading rather than all of Part I.] Handout 1, Opening Prayer, copy double-sided, one for each participant Page 1

Handout 2, Quotations from the Introduction to Evangelii Gaudium, copy double-sided, one for each participant Handout 3, Closing Prayer, copy double-sided, one for each participant Facilitator Resource Page Index cards, one for each participant Pens or pencils, one for each participant (Optional) Extend the Session: Overview of The Joy of the Gospel YouTube video (choose one of the following preview before using): Key points of Evangelii Gaudium, the Pope s first Apostolic Exhortation (2:40) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gprnbz5cuew This short video highlights four main points of the Pope s document. (Action, Humanity, Proximity, Don t Turn a Blind Eye, and Women) Pope Francis on the joy of the Gospel (2:20) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iem97gb_dy Catholic News Service looks at key points of Pope Francis new apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium. Evangelii Gaudium: Pope calls on Catholics to take action and evangelize (2:00) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4dypllzoyi Several clerics speak on Pope Francis document. Pope Francis explains how to spread the Joys of the Gospel (19:16) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grq58q9msi0 The Canadian Bishops television division, Salt & Light, produced this longer video segment the Pope s document. It does include the Catholic News Service video above. Fr. Robert Barron on Pope Francis & The Joy of the Gospel (9:00) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v8zqvly9v8 Fr. Barron talks about the Pope s document in the context of the Gospel which is the source of our joy. Additional commentary by Fr. Barron on Pope Francis and The Joy of the Gospel (7:23) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ik00mpxdhxs&src_vid=1v8zqvl Y9V8&feature=iv&annotation_id=annotation_3871673605 Laptop, LCD projector, speakers, and a Wi-Fi connection Prepare in Advance 1. If possible, before the week of the session, ask participants to collect newspaper/magazine/internet articles (secular and religious media) on Pope Francis, asking them to bring them to the session. If this is not possible, bring several articles yourself one for each group of four participants. 2. Prepare the prayer space using the materials mentioned above. 3. Invite two participants to be the prayer leader for the opening and closing prayers. Find time to prepare them for their roles. Page 2

4. Set up tables and chairs for small group work. Set up tables for refreshments and sign-in. Have one or two people at the sign-in table with a check-in sheet and nametags. Hospitality is important: As the leader, do not use the gathering time before the session begins to take care of last-minute preparations. Spend the time moving among the participants, greeting and speaking with them. (Optional) Extend the Session: Overview of The Joy of the Gospel 5. Review all the suggested videos to find what you think will work for your group. When using a video, cue it up to the spot where you want to begin. 6. If you do not have a Wi-Fi connection, you can download the video to your computer/tablet. Directions can be found at iskysoft - itube studio at http://www.iskysoft.com. 7. After choosing the video(s) you wish to use, develop three or four questions that you wish the participants to discuss. Session Outline Welcome (2 minutes) Welcome the participants as they arrive. Introduce yourself and any other adults who will be assisting you. Ask them to turn off their cell phones, and then announce any other guidelines or rules that will govern the session. Introduction (2 minutes) At the close of the Year of Faith in November 2013, Pope Francis gave copies of his new Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, to special groups of people, and it was then released to the world. Papal documents are named after their first two Latin words; in this case we can call the document, The Joy of the Gospel. This papal document follows from the Synod on the New Evangelization that was held in Rome in October 2012. An apostolic exhortation is a type of communication from the Pope. It encourages the Church to undertake a particular activity but does not define Church doctrine. Examples of other papal documents are encyclicals and apostolic letters for example. Pope Francis began to compose this readable and practical document shortly after he returned from World Youth Day 2013 in Rio de Janeiro. Perhaps we can assume that some of what he wrote he began thinking about after encountering the youth of the world! Tonight we are going to read a significant portion of the Introduction and Part I of The Joy of the Gospel to see what Pope Francis might be calling us to do in our lives. Now let us begin our evening in prayer. Opening Prayer (4 minutes) Page 3

Give a copy of Handout 1, Opening Prayer, to the participants. Invite the participants to gather at or focus on the prayer space. Lead the participants through a few breathing exercises, in order to prepare them for prayer, light the candle purposefully, then have the prayer leader begin. When the prayer is finished, ask the participants to return to their tables and chairs or to re-focus attention to the next part of the evening. Focusing Activity: Rebuild My Church (6-7 minutes) Note to Leader: If the participants have brought articles about Pope Francis, ask them to share with the large group: What the story is about What they learned about Pope Francis from the article If you provided the articles, they should be placed around the room. Ask the participants to walk around and peruse them. If necessary, give them additional time if necessary. Ask them the same questions as above when they have enough information to respond. When Jose Maria Cardinal Bergoglio was elected Pope on March 13, 2013, he surprised the world and took the name Francis after St. Francis of Assisi, il Poverelo, the little poor one. He explained the taking of the name this way: When it became clear the cardinals had elected him Pope, [Pope Francis] said, Cardinal Hummes embraced me and kissed me and said: Don t forget the poor and that struck me the poor Immediately I thought of St. Francis of Assisi. Francis was a man of peace, a man of poverty, a man who loved and protected creation. That was when he chose the name Francis, he explained, adding: How I would love a Church that is poor and for the poor. St. Francis of Assisi loved the Church. As he prayed in front of the cross at San Damiano Church, Jesus said to him, Rebuild my Church. This Francis and his eventual followers did literally by repairing church buildings and eventually also spiritually. Francis and the Franciscans followed the teachings of the Church to the letter. They served communities and shared with them the precious gift of our faith. This is how they and he rebuilt the church Pope Francis shines a light on the Gospel and gives us, today, another way to rebuild the Church. St. Francis' approach to everyone and everything in the world was one of relationship. When we form relationships that are based on love, open dialogue becomes easier, and hostility fades away. Pope Francis, in Evangelii Gaudium, continues along these three same tracks : Page 4

1. He missions us to be a poor church for the poor by concretely telling us what the Gospel demands of us. 2. He sets about rebuilding the Church by reminding us that we are to be conformed to Christ who gave his life for the salvation of the world. 3. He reaffirms that it is in relationship that we encounter the God-With- Us particularly in the poor. With that, let us begin our journey through Pope Francis Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium. (Optional) Extend the Session: Overview of The Joy of the Gospel (20-30 minutes) Prepare the video/s for viewing. Briefly introduce the video, and give the participants a heads up of what they should be listening for. After the video, divide the participants into triads and give them the questions one at a time to discuss. When all the questions have been discussed, ask each group to develop a statement that sums up what they discussed. When all groups have their statements ready, have them share them one at a time while recording them on a sheet of newsprint. Make some closing comments on what the participants have shared and move on to the next part of the evening. Evangelii Gaudium: Pope Francis Call to Be Church (55 minutes) Divide participants into working groups of four (or whatever small group number works best). Give each person a copy of Handout 2, Quotations from the Introduction. I have given you a page of quotations from Pope Francis introduction to The Joy of the Gospel. In your small group, take some time to read through the quotations silently to yourselves. When you have finished, share with the members of your group one or two quotations that really impressed you, stuck with you, made you think, etc. Share your quotations with your small group when all have finished reading silently. Be ready to share with the larger group one or two quotations your small group liked the best and why you chose them. After the small groups have shared with the larger group, make any comments on the quotations that you think would be appropriate before you go on to the reading Part I. Also, use any information from the summaries mentioned in the Facilitator s Resource that will help the participants in their understanding of the Introduction. Page 5

Distribute copies of Part I of Evangelii Gaudium to each person in each group. Consider dividing the reading for Part I as follows: 1. Paragraphs 19 24 2. Paragraphs 25-30 3. Paragraphs 31-36 4. Paragraphs 37-41 5. Paragraphs 42-49 In Part I of his Exhortation, Pope Francis talks about The Church s Missionary Transformation. He reminds us that we must be evangelizers, we must proclaim the Gospel in word and deed because Jesus told us so when he left us the same great commission that he gave the apostles when he ascended into heaven, Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:19-20) In this part of the document, the Holy Father describes for us what church which takes seriously that command of Jesus would look like. In other words, how must the Church change if she wishes to fulfill the mission that Christ gave her. In your small group, take turns reading aloud, the sections assigned to you. While someone is reading, listen carefully you may even want to use your pen/pencil to underline something that strikes you. After reading your section, discuss among yourselves the following: Note to Leader: Consider posting these questions on newsprint, a white board, or PowerPoint slide, etc. for easy reference while the groups are talking. Choose someone or two from your group who will report to the large group. What surprised you in what the Pope said? What stuck with you after you heard it read? What will you remember from what you read? What questions came to your mind? How do you think Pope Francis would want young people to respond to what he said? What do YOU think must change in the Church if we, all of us, are to be more able to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus to others? Was there a quotation that you particularly liked? Why did you like it? What is the most important thing, from what you read, that you want the rest of us to hear, know about? After adequate time has been given to the reading and discussion, call the groups back together. Ask each small group to share the following: A quotation they liked Page 6

What they want the rest of the group to hear from what they read in their section Any question they might have about something the Pope wrote Before we continue, let us recall what Pope Francis said in the last section of Part I, because it gives us a glimpse of what he will focus on in the rest of the document: He calls for the Church to go out firstly to the poor and sick, those who are despised and overlooked; and says that if something should rightly disturb us and trouble our consciences, it is the fact that so many of our brothers and sisters are living without the strength, light and consolation born of friendship with Jesus Christ. And in paragraph 48 he says, Today and always, the poor are the privileged recipients of the Gospel, and the fact that it is freely preached to them is a sign of the kingdom that Jesus came to establish. We have to state, without mincing words, that there is an inseparable bond between our faith and the poor. May we never abandon them. These are powerful words from our Pope who reminds us over and over that Christ in the Gospel calls us to service and that not only do we recognize him in the breaking of the bread (Eucharist) but also in those who are suffering, poor, oppressed, unemployed, sick, uneducated, the least in our societies. Now let us look at how we can meet the challenge that the Pope gives us. We ve Read a Part of the Document, Now What? (15 minutes) How do we make ourselves fit for mission? If you play sports or an instrument or pursue any other interest with some passion, you know that you must be fit physically and mentally in order to perform at your peak level. Let us list on the board some things we need to be, to do, to be a young church on mission. Think of some of the things that Pope Francis wrote about and how they would apply to you and your friends. After an adequate time for silent thought, invite the participants to share what they think they should be doing to answer the Pope s call. Once they have exhausted what they want to share with the group, give each participant an index card and a pen/pencil and ask them to write down one thing they will do to become missionaries of the Gospel and to walk with the poor. Invite them to put their card in their purse or wallet to constantly remind them of what they are to do and be. Encourage them to be practical what they choose should be doable. Invite them to share their resolution with the rest of the group. Before we end tonight with prayer, let us keep in mind the words of Pope Francis at World Youth Day 2013 in Rio de Janeiro during his homily at the closing Mass: Go and make disciples of all nations. With these words, Jesus is speaking to each one of us, saying: It was wonderful to take part in World Youth Day, to live the faith Page 7

together with young people from the four corners of the earth, but now you must go, now you must pass on this experience to others. Jesus is calling you to be a disciple with a mission! Today, in the light of the word of God that we have heard, what is the Lord saying to us? What is the Lord saying to us? Three simple ideas: Go, do not be afraid, and serve. Closing Prayer (6 minutes) Distribute Handout 3, Closing Prayer, to each participant. Follow the handout. Closing Thoughts, Announcements, and Dismissal (5 minutes) Make any needed announcements about upcoming activities. Thank the young people for their participation, and bid them good night, inviting them back for the next session. Websites and links were accessed successfully on May 18, 2014. This session was written by Leota Roesch, Director of Parish Faith Formation at Resurrection Parish, Tempe, Arizona. Fr. Roy Shelly, Ph.D., pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Spreckels, California served as theological consultant on this session. Page 8

Facilitator Resource Facilitator Preparation Even though this session focuses solely on the Introduction and Part 1 of The Joy of the Gospel, it is important that the entire document be read in preparation for the session. Less than optimal would be the facilitator s reading of the Introduction and Part I. If you do not have a printed copy, it may be downloaded directly from the Vatican website. Use this same site to download Part I for the participants. Additional helpful resources: The Complete Annotated Outline of Evangelii Gaudium by Father Roger Landry Summary of Evangelii Gaudium by Joe Paprocki High school young people are very capable of reading and studying a papal document. This session requires that they read and discuss the first part of the document. Consequently, there is not a lot of input from the facilitator whose role is to guide the discussion and help the participants make a decision on how to meet the Pope s request to be missionary disciples. Page 9

Handout 1 Call to Prayer Opening Prayer Prayer Leader: We begin our prayer with the Sign of the Cross. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Whenever we look to Mary, we come to believe once again in the revolutionary nature of love and tenderness. In her we see that humility and tenderness are not virtues of the weak but of the strong who need not treat others poorly in order to feel important themselves. Mary, Virgin and Mother, you who, moved by the Holy Spirit, welcomed the word of life in the depths of your humble faith: as you gave yourself completely to the Eternal One, help us to say our own yes to the urgent call, as pressing as ever, to proclaim the good news of Jesus. Side 1 Filled with Christ s presence, you brought joy to John the Baptist, making him exult in the womb of his mother. Brimming over with joy, you sang of the great things done by God. Side 2 Standing at the foot of the cross with unyielding faith, you received the joyful comfort of the resurrection, and joined the disciples in awaiting the Spirit so that the evangelizing Church might be born. Side 1 Obtain for us now a new ardor born of the resurrection, that we may bring to all the Gospel of life which triumphs over death. Give us a holy courage to seek new paths, that the gift of unfading beauty may reach every man and woman. Page 10

Side 2 Virgin of listening and contemplation, Mother of love, Bride of the eternal wedding feast, pray for the Church, whose pure icon you are, that she may never be closed in on herself or lose her passion for establishing God s kingdom. Side 1 Star of the new evangelization, help us to bear radiant witness to communion, service, ardent and generous faith, justice and love of the poor, Side 2 Mother of the living Gospel, wellspring of happiness for God s little ones, pray for us. Amen. Alleluia! Page 11

Handout 2 Quotations from the Introduction of Evangelii Gaudium 1. The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew. 2. The great danger in today s world, pervaded as it is by consumerism, is the desolation and anguish born of a complacent yet covetous heart, the feverish pursuit of frivolous pleasures, and a blunted conscience. God s voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good fades. This is a very real danger for believers too. Many fall prey to it, and end up resentful, angry and listless. That is no way to live a dignified and fulfilled life; it is not God s will for us, nor is it the life in the Spirit which has its source in the heart of the risen Christ. 3. I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day. No one should think that this invitation is not meant for him or her, since no one is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord How good it feels to come back to him whenever we are lost! Let me say this once more: God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of seeking his mercy. 4. This is the joy which we experience daily, amid the little things of life, as a response to the loving invitation of God our Father: My child, treat yourself well, according to your means Do not deprive yourself of the day s enjoyment (Sir 14:11, 14). What tender paternal love echoes in these words! 5. In the Acts of the Apostles we read that the first Christians ate their food with glad and generous hearts (2:46). Wherever the disciples went, there was great joy (8:8); even amid persecution they continued to be filled with joy (13:52). The newly baptized eunuch went on his way rejoicing (8:39), while Paul s jailer and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God (16:34). Why should we not also enter into this great stream of joy? 6. There are Christians whose lives seem like Lent without Easter. I realize of course that joy is not expressed the same way at all times in life, especially at moments of great difficulty. Joy adapts and changes, but it always endures, even as a flicker of light born of our personal certainty that, when everything is said and done, we are infinitely loved. 7. I never tire of repeating those words of Benedict XVI which take us to the very heart of the Gospel: Being a Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction Page 12

9. Goodness always tends to spread. Every authentic experience of truth and goodness seeks by its very nature to grow within us, and any person who has experienced a profound liberation becomes more sensitive to the needs of others. As it expands, goodness takes root and develops. 10. The Gospel offers us the chance to live life on a higher plane, but with no less intensity: Life grows by being given away, and it weakens in isolation and comfort. Indeed, those who enjoy life most are those who leave security on the shore and become excited by the mission of communicating life to others. Consequently, an evangelizer must never look like someone who has just come back from a funeral! Let us recover and deepen our enthusiasm, that delightful and comforting joy of evangelizing, even when it is in tears that we must sow And may the world of our time, which is searching, sometimes with anguish, sometimes with hope, be enabled to receive the good news not from evangelizers who are dejected, discouraged, impatient or anxious, but from ministers of the Gospel whose lives glow with fervour, who have first received the joy of Christ Page 13

Handout 3 Closing Prayer (This prayer is based on what Pope Francis has to say to us in Part II of the document in which he speaks to the context in which missionary disciples must live and work and proclaim the Gospel.) Prayer Leader: Tonight we have listened to and studied the words of Pope Francis calling all of us, youth and adult, to be proclaimers of the New Evangelization. Before we go tonight, let us listen once more to his words: Reader: I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day. No one should think that this invitation is not meant for him or her, since no one is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord. The Lord does not disappoint those who take this risk; whenever we take a step towards Jesus, we come to realize that he is already there, waiting for us with open arms. Now is the time to say to Jesus: Lord, I have let myself be deceived; in a thousand ways I have shunned your love, yet here I am once more, to renew my covenant with you. I need you. Save me once again, Lord, take me once more into your redeeming embrace. (EG #3) In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Litany of Commitment Prayer Leader: We say, No to an economy of exclusion. R. I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (Jn 13:34, 35) Prayer Leader: We say, No to the new idolatry of money. R. No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. (Matthew 6:24) Prayer Leader: We say, No to a financial system which rules rather than serves. R. So when he had washed their feet [and] put his garments back on and reclined at table again, he said to them, Do you realize what I have done for you?.i have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do. Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master (Jn 13: 12-16) Prayer Leader: We say, No to the inequality which spawns violence. Page 14

R. God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Gen. 1:27) When God created human beings, he made them in the likeness of God; he created them male and female. When they were created, he blessed them and named them (Gen 5:2) Prayer Leader: We say, Yes to the challenge of a missionary spirituality. R. Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of missionary enthusiasm! Prayer Leader: We say, No to selfishness and spiritual sloth R. Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of the joy of evangelization! Prayer Leader: We say, No to a sterile pessimism R. Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of hope! Prayer Leader: We say, Yes to the new relationships brought by Christ R. Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of community! Prayer Leader: We say, No to spiritual worldliness R. Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of the Gospel! Prayer Leader: We say, No to warring among ourselves R. Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of the ideal of fraternal love! Prayer Leader: Let us pray. All: Loving Father, Together we pray to walk in faith and charity, Ever trusting in your mercy: You always wait for us, love us. You have pardoned us with your Blood, And pardon us every time we go to you to ask for forgiveness. Let us be renewed by your mercy. Let us accept the grace of Christ s Resurrection. Let us be loved by Jesus - Let us enable the power of his love to transform our lives too; And let us become agents of this mercy, Channels through which your Holy Spirit can water the earth, Protect all creation and make justice and peace flourish. Amen. (PF, Second Sunday of Easter, 2013) Page 15