THE FRANCIS EFFECT: LIVING THE JOY OF THE GOSPEL
Edited by Danielle Achikian, Peter Gates and Lana Turvey; Catholic Mission and Catholic Religious Australia; $15 (bulk discounts)
Reviewed by Br Brian Grenier CFC
POPE Francis chose to present Evangelii Gaudium (Joy of the Gospel) as an apostolic exhortation rather than as an encyclical.
This gave him scope to address the ordinary reader in language that is more engagingly familiar than is customary in papal statements. It is, in the words of journalist John Allen, the Pope’s “I Have a Dream Speech”; for it sets the tone for his whole papacy.
Perceiving the value of a commentary on some aspects of this lengthy document, Catholic Mission and Catholic Religious Australia invited a representative group of 12 gifted Catholics to reflect on the text from their personal ministerial perspective and to share their insights in a brief essay.
In the light of the Holy Father’s insightful and challenging presentation, the writers consider a range of topics which include: a theology of leadership for mission (Fr Noel Connolly SSC’s excellent introductory essay), evangelisation, church governance, social services, health and the aged, asylum seekers, missionary discipleship, indigenous issues, young people and education.
Each essay is introduced by a pertinent quotation from the Pope’s exhortation.
Readers will appreciate the foreword by Divine Word Missionary Father Stephen Bevans, the brief biographies of the contributors at the end of the volume and the suggestions for further reading.
This book would be an excellent choice for use by a parish discussion group. The four or five relevant questions appended to each of the essays would assist this process.
Particular essays could also be considered for discussion in the context of staff meetings in schools and other agencies.
Needless to say, it would be well to have read Evangelii Gaudium first.
Orders for the book may be placed on the Catholic Mission website: https://www.catholicmission.org.au
