Holy Father Pope Francis while addressing the faithful gathered at Casa Santa Marta for the Holy Mass reflected on three aspects of evangelization present in the readings of the liturgy: proclamation, service and gratuitousness. The readings for the Memorial of St Barnabas (Acts 11:21-26; 12: 1-3 and Matthew 10:7-13) demonstrate that the Holy Spirit is the “protagonist” of the Gospel proclamation, His Holiness Pope Francis said.
As reported by Vatican news, Holy Father Pope Francis remarked that “It is not with an entrepreneurial attitude that Jesus sends us. No, it is with the Holy Spirit. This is courage. The true courage behind evangelization is not human stubbornness. No, it is the Spirit who gives us courage and who carries you forward.” Further, His Holiness added, “We can say good things but without service, it is not a proclamation. It may seem to be, but it is not, because the Spirit not only carries you forward to proclaim the truths of the Lord and the life of the Lord, but He also brings you to the service of the brothers and sisters, even in small things. It’s awful when you find evangelizers who make others serve them and who live to be served. They are like the princes of evangelization – how awful.”
The Pontiff concluded his homily by exhorting that “All of us have been saved gratuitously by Jesus Christ. Therefore, we must give gratuitously. Those who carry out the pastoral work of evangelization must learn this. Their life must be gratuitous, given in service, proclamation, borne by the Spirit. Their personal poverty forces them to open themselves up to the Spirit.”
