Friday, July 13, 2018

On the Call to Holiness in Today's World

We continue to share excerpts from Gaudete et Exsultate

"Holiness is also parrhesia: it is boldness, an impulse to evangelize and to leave a mark in this world. . . . Boldness, enthusiasm, the freedom to speak out, apostolic fervor, all these are included in the word parrhesia" (129).

"Blessed Paul VI, in referring to obstacles to evangelization, spoke of a lack of fervor (parrhesia) that is 'all the more serious because it comes from within.'  How often we are tempted to keep close to the shore!  Yet the Lord calls us to put out into the deep and let down our nets (cf. Lk 5:4)" (130).

"Let us acknowledge our weakness, but allow Jesus to lay hold of it and send us on mission.  We are weak, yet we hold a treasure that can enlarge us and make those who receive it better and happier.  Boldness and apostolic courage are an essential part of mission" (131).

"Parrhesia is a seal of the Spirit; it testifies to the authenticity of our preaching.  It is a joyful assurance that leads us to glory in the Gospel we proclaim" (132).

"We need the Spirit's prompting, lest we be paralyzed by fear and excessive caution, lest we grow used to keeping within safe bounds.  Let us remember that closed spaces grow musty and unhealthy" (133).

"Like the prophet Jonah, we are constantly tempted to flee to a safe haven.  It can have many names: individualism, spiritualism, living in a little world, addiction, intransigence, the rejection of new ideas and approaches, dogmatism, nostalgia, pessimism, hiding behind rules and regulations.  We can resist leaving behind a familiar and easy way of doing things" (134).

"God is eternal newness. . . . Unafraid of the fringes, he himself became a fringe.  So if we dare to go to the fringes, we will find him there; indeed, he is already there.  Jesus is already there, in the hearts of our brothers and sisters, in their wounded flesh, in their troubles and in their profound desolation.  He is already there" (135).

"We need to open the door of our hearts to Jesus, who stands and knocks.  Sometimes I wonder, though, if perhaps Jesus is already inside us and knocking on the door for us to let him escape from our stale self-centeredness" (136).

"Let us allow the Lord to rouse us from our torpor, to free us from our inertia.  Let us rethink our usual way of doing things; let us open our eyes and ears, and above all our hearts, so as not to be complacent about things as they are, but unsettled by the living and effective word of the risen Lord" (137).

"The saints surprise us, they confound us, because by their lives they urge us to abandon a dull and dreary mediocrity" (138).

"Let us ask the Lord for the grace not to hesitate when the Spirit calls us to take a step forward.  Let us ask for the apostolic courage to share the Gospel with others and to stop trying to make our Christian life a museum of memories.  In every situation, may the Holy Spirit cause us to contemplate history in the light of the risen Jesus.  In this way, the Church will not stand still, but constantly welcome the Lord's surprises" (139).

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