Gaudete et exsultate

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Coat of arms of Pope Francis

The Apostolic Letter Gaudete et exsultate ( German : Rejoice and cheer ( Mt 5.12  EU )) "On the call to holiness in the world today" was signed by Pope Francis on March 19, 2018 and published on April 9, 2018 . The focus of his teaching letter, in the form of an exhortation , is on encouraging more holiness in everyday life .

formality

The letter consists of 48 pages, which are divided into 5 chapters . The continuous and consecutive numbering of the paragraphs goes from paragraphs 1 to 177. The exhortation was signed by Pope Francis on March 19, the sixth year of his pontificate , and presented to the public on April 9, 2018.

content

  • First chapter: the call to holiness
    • The saints who encourage and accompany us
    • The saints next door
    • The Lord is calling
    • Also for you
    • Your mission to Christ
    • Sanctifying action
    • More alive, more human
  • Chapter Two: Two Subtle Enemies of Holiness
    • Current Gnosticism
    • A spirit without God and without flesh
    • A teaching without a secret
    • The limits of reason
    • Current Pelagianism
    • A will without humility
    • An often forgotten doctrine of the Church
    • The Neopelagians
    • The summary of the law
  • Third Chapter: In the Light of the Master
    • Against the current
    • “Blessed are the poor before God; because the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. "
    • “Blessed are the meek; because they will inherit the land. "
    • “Blessed are the mourners; for they will be comforted. "
    • “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness; because they will be satisfied. "
    • “Blessed are the merciful; because they will find mercy. "
    • “Blessed are the pure in heart; because they will see God. "
    • “Blessed are the peacemakers; for they will be called children of God. "
    • “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness; because the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. "
    • The big scale
    • Out of loyalty to the master
    • The ideologies that distort the core of the gospel
    • The worship service that pleases God more
  • Chapter Four: Some Features of Holiness in Today's World
    • Perseverance, patience and gentleness
    • Joy and sense of humor
    • Daring and zeal
    • In community
    • In constant prayer
  • Fifth Chapter: Struggle, Vigilance and Discernment
    • The struggle and the vigilance
    • More than a myth
    • Awake and trusting
    • The spiritual corruption
    • The distinction
    • An urgent need
    • Always in the light of the Lord
    • A supernatural gift
    • Talk, sir
    • The logic of the gift and the cross

Summary

Pope Francis attaches great importance to the observation that this letter is not a treatise on holiness with definitions , distinctions, analyzes or social norms . He differentiates

  • "The saints who are already in the presence of God" and "maintain bonds of love and community with us" and
  • “The holiness of the quarreling church”: “the holiness in the patient people of God; the holiness 'next door', of those who live near us and who are a reflection of God's presence, or, to put it another way, 'the middle class of holiness' ”.

In his admonitions and encouragements, the Pope refers to everyday scenes in which holiness is revealed. He thinks of "parents who raise their children with so much love", of "men and women who work to bring their daily bread home", of the sick and of "the older women religious who keep smiling" .

Francis warns against excessive forms of holiness such as arrogance, complacent superficiality (38), spiritual rigidity, comfortable, consumer-oriented, and selfish indolence (111). For the Pope, the path to holiness is a "constant struggle" which demands constant vigilance and differentiation from the faithful (158f.). According to him, the fulfillment of these demands requires human knowledge, an encounter with the Holy Scriptures and the teaching of the Church, prayer as well as patience and openness to transcendence (147).

Assessments

The chairman of the German Bishops' Conference, Reinhard Cardinal Marx , did not fail to convey his assessment:

“The letter is an authentic invitation from Pope Francis, full of joy, optimism and openness to God's Word, to leave all mediocrity behind and to set out. He makes it clear that this is only possible in cooperation and in approaching fellow human beings. Anyone who tries to analyze Gaudete et exsultate from an ecclesiastical point of view is certainly ignoring the Holy Father's intention. On the other hand, those who let themselves be infected, rethink their own life and search for holiness anew, are on the right path. "

- Reinhard Cardinal Marx

Michael Böhnke describes the exhortation as a "great theology ". It is about theology that addresses holiness as a lifestyle. It is a theology that does not misunderstand the pneumatological and pastoral core of dogmatics, but rather brings it to bear in a new way.

Rita Süssmuth writes: “The apostolic letter of the Pope is a moving text that we should refer to again and again, because it reminds us of the core Christian concerns and the basic human needs. Pope Francis encourages us to move from word to action, and it does not have to be the very big thing, rather it begins with the everyday smallest. "

Jan-Heiner Tück emphasizes that the document focuses on a “democratization of the concept of holiness”, since it does not reserve holiness for a certain class of clergy or ascetics and virtuoso piety, but extends it to all people in the church.

Commenting on katholisch.de Benjamin Leven was critical to Gaudete et Exsultate .

See also

  • Maiorem hac dilectionem Apostolic Exhortation in the form of a motu proprio on additions to beatification and canonization, July 11, 2017

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Pope Francis explains the term with an introduction to the paragraph: “Christians who want to go a different way: those of justification through their own strength, those of the worship of human will and their own ability; this translates into an egocentric and elitist complacency without true love ”( Gaudete et exsultate , no. 57).
  2. ↑ All of the following subtitles after the Beatitude ( Mt 5 : 1–12  EU )
  3. ↑ Gaudete et Exsultate no. 4.7.
  4. ↑ Press release of the German Bishops' Conference: Cardinal Marx acknowledges Apostolic Letter Gaudete et exsultate from Pope Francis "on the call to holiness in the world today" , April 9, 2018, accessed on February 12, 2019.
  5. ↑ Michael Böhnke: Holiness as a "lifestyle". Retrieved April 15, 2018 .
  6. ↑ Rejoice and rejoice - Gaudete et exsultate. Apostolic Letter on the Call to Holiness in Today's World. With contributions by Thomas Andonie, Friedrich Barkey, Malu Dreyer, Frank Johannes Hensel, Dieter Puhl, Rita Süssmuth and Jan-Heiner Tück. Edition Art + Culture, Bergisch Gladbach 2018, ISBN 978-3-9819850-0-9 .
  7. ↑ Trouble on Pope's letter: “Rejection of the elite program” . In: religion.ORF.at . April 10, 2018 ( orf.at [accessed April 16, 2018]). (more detailed: book contribution by Jan-Heiner Tück, see the footnote to the quote from Süssmuth)
  8. ↑ Position: No holiness without liturgy. Retrieved April 16, 2018 .