Pope
Francis is an evangelist, someone who spreads the good news about God’s
love for us in Jesus Christ.
Francis’ humble, compassionate style and
direct, yet thoughtful, manner of speaking has won him an audience among
Catholic and non-Catholic alike.
In his The Joy of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium),
Pope Francis challenges all Christians to participate in the work of
evangelizing — of sharing Christ’s love with others. This book is
Francis’ first Apostolic Exhortation, a teaching document on a
particular theme to encourage and challenge people.
The Joy of the Gospel
addresses the key subjects of the recent Synod of Bishops, which
focused on the New Evangelization, an essential topic for the recent
popes.
Ignatius Press is slated to release the book as a high-quality, hardcover, deluxe edition in December.
“Pope Francis is an evangelist extraordinaire,” said Ignatius Press
President Mark Brumley.
“He challenges us to grow in faith and to share
our faith with others. That’s what the ‘joy of the Gospel’ is all about.
Ignatius Press is honored to make available Pope Francis’ first
apostolic exhortation in this special deluxe edition.”
The highly anticipated The Joy of the Gospel will
answer a number of evangelization-related questions, including: How to
foster conversion in the Church in order to make her people more
faithful and effective in communicating God’s love to others?
Why is the
place of missions in the modern world?
What are the obstacles
believers’ own lives sometimes place in the way of others’ coming to
faith? What are the questions people have about faith?
What attitudes
make it hard for people to be receptive to the Christian message?
How
does Jesus answer the most fundamental questions of human existence?
Is
there a difference between evangelizing and proselytizing, between
proposing faith and imposing it?
Pope Francis’ presentation of the Gospel is both timeless and timely.
He proclaims the perennial Christian message in ways that engage the
contemporary world.
He calls upon all followers of Jesus to be humble
and yet bold in sharing the Gospel with others and to embody that
teaching in their own lives.