"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."

This is a part of the preface from "Evangelli Gaudium," or, "The Joy of the Gospel," Pope Francis' first book, recently published by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea in Korean in February. The book contains messages delivered by the pope and is the first apostolic exhortation announced by the Catholic Church across the world in November. The book is now creating quite a sensation in Korea.



The book is full of details and is written in a simple style that has reportedly drawn empathy from believers. The book delivers messages by the pope, who puts forth his interest in serving the less privileged with love and the idea that the church should not be rich or luxurious and should work for the poor.

The pope wrote that we need to look to the poor first to feel joy, and that true Catholics are those who share in this joy and invite others to share their abundance.

"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. Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor," he wrote.

He also stressed social unification that embraces the weak and those who are abandoned and that taking care of the weak is everyone's calling.

"Our faith in Christ, who became poor and was always close to the poor and outcasts, is the basis of our concern for the integral development of society’s most neglected members. This demands that we be docile and attentive to the cry of the poor and to come to their aid," he wrote. "The Church has realized that the need to heed this plea is itself born of the liberating action of grace within each of us, and thus it is not a question of a mission reserved only for a few."


The book explains how the gospel needs to be promulgated and preached and how Catholics are integral to spreading the gospel. "An evangelizer must never look like someone who has just come back from a funeral," he wrote. "The Church is not a tollhouse. It is the house of the Father, where there is a place for everyone, with all their problems."

"The Church is to be the house of the Father, with doors always wide open. One concrete sign of such openness is that our church doors should always be open, so that if someone, moved by the Spirit, comes there looking for God, he or she will not find a closed door. There are other doors that should not be closed either," he also wrote.

Pope Francis has called for church reform and also wrote about such reforms in the book. "The Church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structure can be suitably channeled for evangelization in today’s world, rather than for her own self-preservation," the pope wrote.

"The individual church is the primary subject of evangelization. To make this missionary impulse ever more focused, generous and fruitful, I encourage each particular Church to undertake a resolute process of discernment, purification and reform," he wrote.

As head of the Catholic Church, he showed interest in improving relations between Catholics and other Christians, as well as between Christians and people of other religions.

"An attitude of openness in truth and in love must characterize dialogue with the followers of non-Christian religions, in spite of various obstacles and difficulties, especially forms of fundamentalism on both sides. Interreligious dialogue is a necessary condition for peace in the world, and so it is a duty for Christians as well as other religious communities," he wrote. "Our relationship with the followers of Islam has taken on great importance since Muslims are now significantly present in many traditionally Christian countries, where Christians cannot now freely worship or become fully part of society," he said.

The book ends with a prayer dedicated to the Virgin Mary. "Star of the new evangelization, help us to bear radiant witness to communion, service, ardent and generous faith, justice and love of the poor, that the joy of the gospel may reach to the ends of the earth, illuminating even the fringes of our world."

The original text and foreign language versions of the book can be found at the Vatican's website (http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/index.html).



By Limb Jae-un
Korea.net Staff Writer
jun2@korea.kr