Gaudete et Exsultate

An Apostolic Letter
by Pope Francis
“Rejoice and be Glad”
(Mt. 5:12)
 Purpose:
(2) To repropose the call to holiness in a
practical way for our own time, with all its
risks, challenges and opportunities. For the
Lord has chosen each one of us “to be holy
and blameless before him in love” (Eph 1:4).

What does it mean to be Holy today?

 Chapter I: The Call to Holiness

…IT SPEAKS OF THE SAINTS WHO ENCOURAGE

AND ACCOMPANY US

…AND THAT EACH ONE OF US IS CALLED TO BE A

SAINT
 Chapter I: The Call to Holiness
(11) The important thing is that each believer
discern his or her own path, that they bring
out the very best of themselves, the most
personal gifts that God has placed in their
hearts, rather than hopelessly trying to imitate
something not meant for them.”

…Holiness means being yourself!

 Chapter I: The Call to Holiness
…holiness is attainable by all of us!

…it is nothing other than charity lived to the full!

…from a carpenter, to a prisoner, to a mother - all

can be saints in their own personal way!

…Their lives may not always have been perfect, yet

even amid their faults and failings they kept
moving forward and proved pleasing to the Lord.
Chapter II: Two Subtle Enemies of
Holiness

Challenges to Holiness:
…Gnosticism and
…Pelagianism
 Chapter II: Two Subtle Enemies of
Holiness
Gnosticism: an ancient heresy that reduced life
of faith to nothing more than just knowledge
and ideas, caring a little about action, and
believing that the physical world including our
bodies to be evil. It judges everyone based on
how much they knew.
 Chapter II: Two Subtle Enemies of
Holiness
(37) Thanks be to God, throughout the history of
the Church it has always been clear that a
person’s perfection is measured not by the
information or knowledge they possess, but
by the depth of their charity.
 Chapter II: Two Subtle Enemies of
Holiness
Pelagianism: once again, a renewed ancient
heresy. It is sort of the opposite Gnosticism.
While Gnosticism highlights that salvation
requires a special set of knowledge,
pelagianism claims that all we need to be
saved are charitable actions or good works.
Pelagianism asserts that it we work hard
enough and don’t sin, we can achieve our own
heaven.
 Chapter II: Two Subtle Enemies of
Holiness
For Pope Francis, we commit this heresy when
we lack an heartfelt and prayerful recognition
of our own limitations. Gather than realizing
that God is the only source of grace and
salvation, we live in such a way that we think
we can control everything and in essence
worship our own wills.
 Chapter II: Two Subtle Enemies of
Holiness
This is the case, the Pope says, in an obsession
of the law; absorption with social and political
advantages; a punctilious concern for the
Church’s liturgy, doctrine, and prestige; a
vanity about our ability to manage practical
matters, and an excessive concern with
program for self-help and personal fulfilment.
In each of these things, we rely more on
ourselves than on God.
Chapter III: In the Light of the Master
To combat these enemies of holiness, we need
have a clear sense of that it means to be holy
and a path to follow. For Pope Francis, there is
no better way than Christ’s way underscored
in the Beatitudes.

We need to have a life patterned in the

Beatitudes!
Chapter III: In the Light of the Master
(63) The Beatitudes are like a Christian’s identity
card. So if anyone asks: “What must one do to
be a good Christian?”, the answer is clear. We
have to do, each in our own way, what Jesus
told us in the Sermon on the Mount. In the
Beatitudes, we find a portrait of the Master,
which we are called to reflect in our daily lives.
Chapter III: In the Light of the Master

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the

kingdom of heaven.”

…wealth ensures nothing. Being poor of heart:

that is holiness.
Chapter III: In the Light of the Master

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the

earth.

…reacting with meekness and humility: that is

holiness.
Chapter III: In the Light of the Master

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be

comforted.”

…the world tells us exactly the opposite:

entertainment, pleasure, diversion and escape
make for the good life. The worldly person
ignores problems of sickness or sorrow in the
family or all around him. Knowing how to
mourn with others: that is holiness.
Chapter III: In the Light of the Master

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after

righteousness, for they will be filled.“

…while it is true that the word “justice” can be a

synonym for faithfulness to God’s will in every
aspect of our life, if we give the word too
general a meaning, we forget that it is shown
especially in justice towards those who are
most vulnerable. Hungering and thirsting for
righteousness: that is holiness.
Chapter III: In the Light of the Master

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be

shown mercy.”

…the yardstick we use for understanding and

forgiving others will measure the forgiveness
we receive. Seeing and acting with mercy: that
is holiness.
Chapter III: In the Light of the Master

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see

God.”

…a heart that loves God and neighbor, genuinely

and not merely in words, is a pure heart; it can
see God. Keeping a heart free of all that
tarnishes love: that is holiness.
Chapter III: In the Light of the Master

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be

called the sons of God.”

…it is not easy to “make” this evangelical peace,

which excludes no one but embraces even
those who are a bit odd, troublesome or
difficult, demanding, different, beaten down
by life or simply uninterested. It is hard work.
Yet, sowing peace all around us: that is
holiness.
Chapter III: In the Light of the Master
“Blessed are those who are persecuted because
of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.”

…whatever weariness and pain we may

experience in living the commandment of love
and following the way of justice, the cross
remains the source of our growth and
sanctification. Accepting daily the path of the
Gospel, even though it may cause us
problems: that is holiness.
Chapter III: In the Light of the Master
“Blessed are you when people insult you,
persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil
against you because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
because great is your reward in heaven, for in
the same way they persecuted the prophets
who were before you.”
 For the Youth!
Hedonism and consumerism can prove our
downfall, for when we are obsessed with our
own pleasure, we end up being all too
concerned about ourselves and our rights, and
we feel a desperate need for free time to
enjoy ourselves. We will find it hard to feel
and show any real concern for those in need,
unless we are able to cultivate a certain
simplicity of life, resisting the feverish
demands of a consumer society,
 For the Youth!
which leave us impoverished and unsatisfied,
anxious to have it all now. Similarly, when we
allow ourselves to be caught up in superficial
information, instant communication and
virtual reality, we can waste precious time and
become indifferent to the suffering flesh of
our brothers and sisters. Yet even amid this
whirlwind of activity, the Gospel continues to
resound, offering us the promise of a different
life, a healthier and happier life.
Chapter III: In the Light of the Master
The Beatitudes call us, as the Pope says, to
against the flow of an unjust society;
renouncing our dependence on wealth;
sympathizing with those in pain; forgiving as
God does; recognizing gossip the destructive
act that it is; and remaining patient when the
world doesn’t accept us.
Chapter III: In the Light of the Master
When these actions flow from a personal
relationship with the Lord, we are confronted
by a constant and healthy unease. Above all
else, these acts are the marks of a holy man
and woman, because they do not grow
complacent with themselves or the world, and
never rely on themselves. Instead, they
completely and constantly see God in their
weakness. And these saints exist all around us.
Chapter III: In the Light of the Master

The Beatitudes lead us to see and act with

mercy!
 Chapter IV: Signs of Holiness in
Today’s World
Holiness is alive in our day! It is seen in acts of:

…perseverance, patience and meekness

…joy and a sense of humour
…boldness and passion
…in constant prayer

Do we have these attributes?

 Chapter IV: Signs of Holiness in
Today’s World

Holiness and prayer are not only for the

ordained and the religious. As Christians, we
need to spend time alone with Jesus.
 Chapter IV: Signs of Holiness in
Today’s World
(114) Are there moments when you place yourself
quietly in the Lord’s presence, when you calmly
spend time with him, when you bask in his gaze?
Do you let his fire inflame your heart? Unless you
let him warm you more and more with his love
and tenderness, you will not catch fire. How will
you then be able to set the hearts of others on
fire by your words and witness? If, gazing on the
face of Christ, you feel unable to let yourself be
healed and transformed, then enter into the
Lord’s heart, into his wounds, for that is the
abode of divine mercy.
 Chapter IV: Signs of Holiness in
Today’s World

Through prayer we will be able to endure the

demands of our daily lives, we will be able to
carry our own crosses, and be able to fight the
battle against the evil!
Chapter V: Spiritual Combat, Vigilance
and Discernment

The importance of an ongoing discernment

which calls for daily self-examination.

How are we answering the call to holiness?

Chapter V: Spiritual Combat, Vigilance
and Discernment
Ultimately, when we speak about holiness, we
are not talking about who we are and what we
do. We are recognizing the presence and
workings of Jesus in our own lives in a world
that seeks to control its own fate, that wishes
to put itself above others, that tries to
separates itself from the virtue, humility,
patience, justice, and obedience.
Chapter V: Spiritual Combat, Vigilance
and Discernment
Answering the call to holiness will not make us
popular! It is certainly not easy. But are being
challenged to be BOLD!

We are called to love and serve the Lord

through others.