EVANGELII GAUDIUM - page 91

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must be a beacon which constantly illuminates
our reflections on evangelization.
113. The salvation which God has wrought,
and the Church joyfully proclaims, is for every-
one.82 God has found a way to unite himself to
every human being in every age. He has chosen
to call them together as a people and not as iso-
lated individuals.83 No one is saved by himself
or herself, individually, or by his or her own ef-
forts. God attracts us by taking into account the
complex interweaving of personal relationships
entailed in the life of a human community. This
people which God has chosen and called is the
Church. Jesus did not tell the apostles to form
an exclusive and elite group. He said: “Go and
make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19). Saint
Paul tells us in the people of God, in the Church,
“there is neither Jew or Greek... for you are all
one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28). To those who
feel far from God and the Church, to all those
who are fearful or indifferent, I would like to say
this: the Lord, with great respect and love, is also
calling you to be a part of his people!
the XIII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
(8 October 2012): AAS 104 (2012), 897.
82 Cf. Propositio 6; Second Vatican Ecumenical Council,
Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World
Gaudium et Spes, 22.
83 Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic
Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium , 9.