EVANGELII GAUDIUM - page 14

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the fire of the Spirit, so as to inflame the hearts
of the faithful who regularly take part in commu-
nity worship and gather on the Lord’s day to be
nourished by his word and by the bread of eter-
nal life”.
11
In this category we can also include
those members of faithful who preserve a deep
and sincere faith, expressing it in different ways,
but seldom taking part in worship. Ordinary
pastoral ministry seeks to help believers to grow
spiritually so that they can respond to God’s love
ever more fully in their lives.
A second area is that of
“the baptized whose
lives do not reflect the demands of Baptism”
,
12
who lack
a meaningful relationship to the Church and no
longer experience the consolation born of faith.
The Church, in her maternal concern, tries to
help them experience a conversion which will re-
store the joy of faith to their hearts and inspire a
commitment to the Gospel.
Lastly, we cannot forget that evangeliza-
tion is first and foremost about preaching the
Gospel to
those who do not know Jesus Christ or who
have always rejected him
. Many of them are quietly
seeking God, led by a yearning to see his face,
even in countries of ancient Christian tradition.
All of them have a right to receive the Gospel.
Christians have the duty to proclaim the Gospel
without excluding anyone. Instead of seeming
to impose new obligations, they should appear as
11
 B
enedict
XVI, Homily at Mass for the Conclusion of
the Synod of Bishops (28 October 2012): AAS 104 (2102), 890.
12
 Ibid.
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