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Paul Vadakumpadan, Shillong says,

THINKING OUT OF THE BOX WITH POPE FRANCIS

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Shillong, Jun. 7. It is seldom that a papal document is an interesting read, even an entertaining one. Over and above its immense spiritual wealth. Evangelii Gaudium of Pope Francis is one such. Read on:

God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of seeking his mercy (EG 3).

``My child, treat yourself well, according to your means... Do not deprive yourself of the day`s enjoyment`` (Sir14:11, 14). What tender paternal love echoes in these words!(EG 4).

It is not by proselytizing that the Church grows, but ``by attraction`` (EG 14).

...We cannot passively and calmly wait in our church buildings (EG 15).

...All of us are asked to obey his call to go forth from our own comfort zone in order to reach all the ``peripheries`` in need of the light of the Gospel (EG 20).

Evangelizers thus take on the ``smell of the sheep`` ... (EG 24).

I want to remind priests that the confessional must not be a torture chamber...(EG 44).

...Our church doors should always be open (EG 47).

I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets... (EG 49).

Money must serve, not rule!(EG 58).

Today we are seeing in many pastoral workers, including consecrated men and women, an inordinate concern for their personal freedom and relaxation...(EG 78).

Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of missionary enthusiasm!(EG 80).

Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of hope!(EG 86).

Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of community!(EG 92).

God save us from a worldly Church with superficial spiritual and pastoral trappings! (EG 97).

How many wars take place within the people of God and in our different communities!... (EG 98).

It always pains me greatly to discover how some Christian communities, and even consecrated persons, can tolerate different forms of enmity, division, calumny, defamation, vendetta, jealousy and the desire to impose certain ideas at all costs, even to persecutions which appear as veritable witch hunts. Whom are we going to evangelize if this is the way we act?(EG 100).

Indeed, a woman, Mary, is more important than the bishops (EG 104).

Jesus did not tell the apostles to form an exclusive and elite group. He said: ``Go and make disciples of all nations`` (Mt 28:19) (EG 113).

... Saint Paul, after his encounter with Jesus Christ, ``immediately proclaimed Jesus`` (Acts 9:20; cf. 22:6-21). So what are we waiting for? (EG 120).

The homily cannot be a form of entertainment like those presented by the media... it should be brief and avoid taking on the semblance of a speech or a lecture (EG 138).

... I want a Church which is poor and for the poor (EG 198).
Business is a vocation, and a noble vocation, provided that those engaged in it see themselves challenged by a greater meaning in life (EG 203).

Politics, though often denigrated, remains a lofty vocation and one of the highest forms of charity, inasmuch as it seeks the common good (EG 205).

...Our ethnic diversity is our wealth (EG 230).

What is not helpful is a diplomatic openness which says ``yes`` to everything in order to avoid problems...(EG 251).

Intellectuals and serious journalists frequently descend to crude and superficial generalizations in speaking of the shortcomings of religion, and often prove incapable of realizing that not all believers - or religious leaders - are the same (EG 256).

Let us not say, then, that things are harder today; they are simply different (EG 263).

A person who is not convinced, enthusiastic, certain and in love, will convince nobody (EG 266).

If we want to advance in the spiritual life, then, we must constantly be missionaries (EG 272).

We do not live better when we flee, hide, refuse to share, stop giving and lock ourselves up in own comforts. Such a life is nothing less than slow suicide (EG 272).

Sometimes it seems that our work is fruitless, but mission is not like a business transaction or investment, or even a humanitarian activity. It is not a show where we count how many people come as a result of our publicity; it is something much deeper, which escapes all measurement (EG 279).

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