Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
The EditorsApril 20, 2018
Pope Francis greets the crowd during his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican April 11. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

On April 9, Pope Francis released a new apostolic exhortation, “Gaudete et Exsultate,” which joyfully re-proposes the universal call to holiness, renewing and reinforcing a significant theme of Vatican II.

The exhortation is, above all, a practical guide. The pope tells us that holiness is not a goal that is out of reach for the people of God but is something we can find in abundance “next door.”

Pope Francis emphasizes the importance of discernment, “small gestures” and daily attention to the task of holiness. His distinctively Jesuit approach is both programmatic and personal, challenging all Catholics, especially those already in tune with his papacy, to consider how they might deepen their cooperation with God.

“Do not be afraid to set your sights higher, to allow yourself to be loved and liberated by God,” he writes. “Holiness does not make you less human, since it is an encounter between your weakness and the power of God’s grace” (No. 34).

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

In this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell and host Colleen Dulle discuss the Pope's health, his message on climate change and his decision to cut Cardinal Raymond Burke's salary.
Inside the VaticanDecember 06, 2023
A Homily for the Second Sunday of Advent, by Father Terrance Klein
Terrance KleinDecember 06, 2023
Depressingly, 40 years since Cardinal Bernardin first proposed the consistent ethic of life, the ethic remains mired in the same senseless, polarized partisanship that Bernardin proposed the ethic to overcome.
Steven P. MilliesDecember 06, 2023
Dominic Sessa and Paul Giamatti star in a scene from the movie “The Holdovers.” (OSV News photo/Seacia Pavao, Focus Features)
“The Holdovers” is a character-driven drama about unlikely friendships born of shared proximity.
Amanda Bergeman December 06, 2023