439. What does the Joy of the Gospel Mean to Tom, Dick and Harry?

I’ll not take notes, let's see what remains at the end of the evening, I said to myself as the speaker who came to enlighten our Pastoral Unit on "Gaudium Evangelum" (The Joy of the Gospel) took the stage.

After a slow and subdued start, slowly; as he was speaking, little by little... I do not know how, but without even noticing, the news, the good news, I would say, came to us, straight from Pope Francis himself from his first "thesis" written by his own hand in which he announced "You are missionaries, because you are the People."

But how come? Didn’t I say there was good news! What was special about this one completely unspectacular sentence? The fire in the blood, the energy in the veins, a people aware that they are important and is there anyone who does not want to be considered important?

We all care about being important. But the importance that is given to us here, is not the importance that comes from an array of titles and honours; does not come from being called Lady, Knight, Professor, Honourable, Excellency, Highness and so on, but from the simple, important title of being not only creatures of God, but His children, because after all, is it not God He whom we call Our Father?

However, to many, this means little or nothing, and that is why God in his "shrewdness" tries to use each one of us to carry out His plan for humanity. I say, He tries, because not even God can do everything- He uses you, me and each one of us, only if we allow ourselves to be used by Him. And how many of us lets God use us? Few I think since not many jump for joy when they hear the gospel nor does being called the children of God makes us put out the flags in celebration nor the fire run in our blood or the energy in our veins.

Despite this, the Pope insists ... we are missionaries because we are the People and this is a source of happiness!

And US? Well...