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The Joy of the Gospel amid the Crisis of Communal Commitment
Author(s) -
Kudiyiruppil Mary John
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
international review of mission
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.118
H-Index - 11
eISSN - 1758-6631
pISSN - 0020-8582
DOI - 10.1111/irom.12091
Subject(s) - plea , gospel , encyclical , duty , courage , sociology , generosity , individualism , environmental ethics , law , political science , theology , philosophy
Abstract Chapter Two of Evangelii Gaudium constitutes a major portion of the encyclical in terms of the significant concerns it raises in the area of evangelization. This article summarizes the key teachings of Chapter Two and highlights the dominant themes and salient features together with some personal reflections. In Chapter Two of the encyclical, the pope clearly elaborates on the individual and communal factors that can weaken the spirit of evangelization and warns all to beware of the danger of falling prey to the consumerist, profit‐driven, and individualistic economy and culture. He attacks the exclusive economy, globalized indifference, and the idolatrized attitude to money, and asserts that the church is duty‐bound to show that there is a new and better way of relating to God, others, and the world. This responsibility, first and foremost, rests with evangelizers, who must be witnesses of the good news through their lives of generosity, courage, commitment, and community consciousness. The heart of the second chapter's message is a plea to all pastoral workers to come out of their private spheres, to recognize their place in the larger human family, and to engage in pastoral activities as a community in a revolution of tenderness.