To be missionaries of the good news

Two great events took place in the Church in July: the release of the encyclical Lumen Fidei on faith — the first encyclical written by two popes — and the gathering of the youth of the world in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the World Youth Day.

This event also marked the first journey of Pope Francis outside Italy since the beginning of his pontificate.

In the new encyclical on faith (see page 4), Pope Francis explains that faith is more necessary than ever for today's world, for it helps us understand the plan of God for His creation and mankind: that we are all God's children, and therefore brothers in Jesus Christ, that God is Love and that we must love one another, treat others like brothers and not like enemies, and respect the rules of charity, truth and justice in our relations with others and in life in society.

In his speeches to the youth in Brazil (see page 16), Pope Francis emphasized the same theme, and in a very direct way in his speech to the young people of Argentina on July 25: "I think our world civilization has gone beyond its limits, it has gone beyond its limits because it has made money into such a god" and he pointed out that in the Beatitudes (Blessed are the peacemakers, those who thirst for justice, etc.) and the Gospel according to St. Matthew, Chapter 25, on Judgment Day: ("I was hungry, and you did not feed me..."), there is all we need as plan of action.

The Holy Father also insisted on the need go out and meet people, to leave our comfort zone, not to remain observers in front of today's changes and injustices, but to get involved. Young people have a great thirst for justice; that is why we invite them to read and study the writings of Louis Even and others on economic democracy (see page 11), and even to become its missionaries, to bring this good news of liberation everywhere. This is what every reader of MICHAEL should do.