The Joy of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium)

A clear, joyous statement of what our world can be if we truly follow the words of Christ. Popes have said many of these things before, but I think people are paying attention to Francis for two reasons: 1) He "practices what he preaches," e.g., visits the homeless, embraces a seriously disfigured man, and washes the feet of prisoners (not other Cardinals) on Holy Thursday. 2) He is a good communicator, who writes in accessible, understandable, and friendly language. And he writes for all Christians--not just Catholics. Actually, he writes for all people. I especially wish our policymakers and politicians would read this.

He's the Pope, after all--what can one say? I'm a "former" Catholic, but even for non-Catholics, the new pope's message is a call to all Christians to get back to the bedrock of the Good News. Republicans may squirm in Chapter 4, and non-Catholics may discount the "Mary" stuff at the end of Ch 5, but overall it's a call to action for complacent Christians everywhere, with even an olive branch extended to non-Christians.I got the Kindle version to use on my iPad in a study group with other who had the print version. Since both versions were marked with paragraph numbers, it was no problem finding the same passage in different editions. The Kindle TOC is very thorough which also facilitates jumping around. And multi-color electronic underlying on my iPad makes study notes a breeze.

Pope Francis speaks a remarkable language that is direct and insightful . He is amazingly confident of his understanding of this world, of its beauty and its tragedy. For him, religion is empty if it does move toward the world and to one's neighbor. We would be blind if we thought our prayer was enough and failed to go to help our neighbor. With a kind of gentle amazement he beholds every person with infinite respect. "Appearances not withstanding every person is immensely holy and deserves our love." n.274 He sees the many good people who go to help their neighbor: "All around us we begin to see nurses with soul, teachers with soul, politicians with soul, people who have chosen deep down to be with others and for others." n. 273"We do not live better when we flee, hide, refuse to share, stop giving and lock ourselves up in our own comforts. Such a life is nothing less than slow suicide." n. 272Fr. Robert L. McCreary OFM Capuchin.

I thought this was a very important read, however, I had difficulty with some of the terminology.I feel it was meant for the Priests, Pastors, or lay people who give the sermons or Spiritual retreats.It is certainly true that a meaningful presentation of the Gospel depends on the delivery in order tobenefit from the message, so I am sure this will be a valuable read for many. .Shirley Johnsrud

Pope Francis writes with such an endearing style, warm and gracious words, and faithfulness to gospel values, you have to keep reminding yourself, "This is the Pope speaking!" I felt as though he was my own dear friend reminding me of why I still have faith in God and the Church despite the many scandals of these recent years. I pray he has a long and blessed reign as Pope and continues to have time to write to us of his own joy in living the Christian faith.

THIS little book has to be the best and most inspiring read in a long, long, time. If you want to know what POPE FRANCIS is saying and thinking , you have to read this book, IT is so filled with HOPE, He writes a lot about what we are to do as Catholics, we can no longer sit in our pews and only pray, we are to hit the streets. He is not asking of us, anything he is not doing himself.. A MUST READ FOR ALL CATHOLICS, even non Catholics might enjoy this one.

As with everything written and spoken by Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium - The Joy of the Gospel is no exception. However the format of this publication is lacking: font is small with lots of white space around the edges, so the font could have been larger and still kept to the same number of pages.I highly recommend the document, just choose another version.

This is what Catholics and many Christians had been hoping for - a Pope who understands catholic as meaning inclusive, open and compassionate - a church with a wide embrace for all. The rhetoric is inspiring but, of course, action is what matters. Good news and good works go together. Read this book but then examine if the Church puts the Pope's good words into good actions.

To a Christian brought up on the Hell Fire and Damnation approach, this is a breath of fresh air. It feeds my hope for renewal within the Roman Catholic world. There are plenty of words directed at the clergy, but it is also a call for every member to become fully active and responsible and to experience the joy and let go unnecessary burdens. It is sympathetic to difference. I am reading it quite slowly, because there is a lot to think about, even if the language is relatively simple, but sometimes though I understand the words I am not completely clear about the intended meaning. I bought the kindle version; in hindsight I would have preferred the paper back

This is the American edition of this Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis. It says nothing new but the style is a revolution. It is personal to Pope Francis and filled with joyous optimism expressed in an accessible style and language; for that reason it will be read by many inside the Church and outside it.it.Some sections of the Catholic press have hailed it as a 'return' to the spirit of Vatican II which may be overstating it somewhat. The Church is always in need of reform but that does not mean that its past is done away with, the Gospel is as always interpreted for the present time. Evangelii Gaudium is filled with faith, optimism and encouragement.

Plenty of tough medicine that will shake many clerics - and 'practising' christians and lay folk. This is truly inspirational, and pretty shaming too.The messages hit so many nails on the head and cast rays of light onto the sorry state of mankind and the global culture. To anyone who considers the vatican to be self centred and self serving, this uncompromising foray will give great hope that there's going to be one huge shake-up. I hope Pope Francis lives to see significant progress towards his inspirational vision.

The book is well worth reading many times. It is simple and straightforward without difficult words and can be understood by people not steeped in theology. The price makes it easy on most pockets

This is what Catholicism is about. It is a call to put all our petty differences aside and to follow Christ.

Brilliant and inspiring. We have waited a long time for a work such as this. Written in an easy and approachable manner. It is also very non-denominational so that it can appeal across the board to seekers of the truth whatever their denomination or even if they have none at all.

Very interesting to read the Pontiffs views. There is a lot of plain speaking intermingled with thought provoking sentiments. Difficult to follow in places but a good read nevertheless.

A brilliant call to return to the teachings of Christ. While the Church is right to warn us of those thing which are destrutive to our wellbeing its may aim is to evangelise, to call us back to things that are wholesome, virtuous and healthy spiritually, physically and mentally. In Evangelii Guadium there is a recipe to achieve all this.

Dellighted to have this easily accessible at any time

good

A must for all who take the mission of Jesus Christ. Consistant with Francis theme that the Gospel is a gift to all and not a secret to be reserved by a few

A refreshing look into the spreading of the Good News of the Gospels. Would recommend that all Catholics read it and reflect on it.

Las obras del papa Francisco convulsionan a la Iglesia. De ahí la importancia de poder leerlas una y otra vez,

Am still reading it very slowly. From what I have read it is very faith-building and invites me to examine my own response to Christ.

キリストの福音の本質が愛と慈しみにあること、その観点から私達の陥りがちな過ちを指摘しておられ、生き方の根本を見直す上で、心が洗われる思いで読み進んでいます。一方世界には多くの問題があり、その本質的な解決は愛による他ないこと、そこに福音宣教の責任があることを、時に厳しい表現で説明しておられます。日本語訳の出版を待てないので、英語のキンドル版で読んでいますが、このおかげでキンドルの使用頻度が上がっています。