杏MAP导航

By Benedict Mayaki, SJ

In his video message for his prayer intention for August, 杏MAP导航 Francis reminds the faithful that 鈥渢he vocation of the Church is evangelization,鈥� and even more, 鈥渢he Church鈥檚 identity is evangelization.鈥�

In this month, the Holy Father reflects on the situation of the Church, its vocation and its identity, and calls us to renew it 鈥渂y discerning God鈥檚 will in our daily life,鈥� and 鈥渆mbarking on a transformation guided by the Holy Spirit.鈥�

鈥淥ur own reform as persons is that transformation,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 said. This allows the 鈥淗oly Spirit, the gift of God in our hearts, to remind us what Jesus taught and helps us to put into practice.鈥�

Evangelization and a more missionary option

杏MAP导航 Francis begins with the specific vocation of the Church, which is to evangelize. The Holy Father dreams of an even more missionary option: "one that goes out to meet others without proselytism and transforms its structures for the evangelization of today鈥檚 world.鈥�

He emphasizes that he is not talking about proselytism but rather a reform of the Church through 鈥渁 reform of ourselves, without prefabricated ideas, without ideological prejudices and rigidity.鈥�

To make progress in this regard, 杏MAP导航 Francis invites all to move forward based on spiritual experience: 鈥渁n experience of prayer, an experience of charity and an experience of service.鈥�

Reforming the Church

鈥淟et us remember that the Church always has difficulties,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 said, explaining that the Church goes through crises because she is alive; not like the dead who do not go through crises.

In a statement accompanying the 杏MAP导航鈥檚 prayer intention, the 杏MAP导航鈥檚 Worldwide Prayer Network, which prepares 鈥淭he 杏MAP导航 Video鈥� each month, explains that in the recent letter 杏MAP导航 Francis wrote to Cardinal Reinhard Marx, in which he refused his offer of resignation, the Holy Father acknowledged the crisis in the Church brought about by abuse cases, emphasizing the need for reform.

鈥淎 reform... does not consist in words but in attitudes that have the courage to face the crisis, to assume reality whatever the consequences may be. And every reform begins with oneself. The reform in the Church was made by men and women who were not afraid to enter into crisis and let themselves be reformed by the Lord,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 said.

Concluding the video message, the Holy Father invited all to pray for the Church, 鈥渢hat she may receive from the Holy Spirit the grace and strength to reform herself in the light of the Gospel.鈥�