19 THE JOY OF THE GOSPEL POPE FRANCIS was elected to the See of Saint Peter in 2013. Jesus gives the answer. He said to his disciples then and he says it to us now: Go forth! Proclaim! The joy of the Gospel is something to be experienced, something to be known and lived only through giving it away, through giving ourselves away. The spirit of the world tells us to be like everyone else, to settle for what comes easy. Jesus said: Go out and tell the Good News to everyone. Go out and in my name embrace life as it is, and not as you think it should be. Go out to the highways and byways, go out to tell the Good News fearlessly, without prejudice, without superiority, without condescension, to all those who have lost the joy of living. Go out to proclaim the merciful embrace of the Father. Go out to those who are burdened by pain and failure, who feel that their lives are empty, and proclaim a loving Father who wants to anoint them with the oil of hope, the oil of salvation. Go out to proclaim the Good News that error, deceitful illusions, and falsehoods do not have the last word in a person’s life. Go out with the ointment which soothes wounds and heals hearts.
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