Pope Francis &
The Dominicans
The Joy of Evangelization!
“When I see in the eyes of someone to whom I have
been preaching that he truly grasps, that he really
embraces this extraordinary news that Jesus is near
to him, more than near, that he is present to him
and to each one of us, I cannot help but rejoice.”
On September 9th, the Master of the
Order, Fr. Bruno Cadoré, O.P., met
with Pope Francis; and he imparted “the Order’s desire to place its
charism at the service of the Church
particularly in the work of evangelization.” The following is an abridged
version of Fr. Cadoré’s homily given
to members of the Dominican Order
(Friars, Sisters, and Laity) at St. Vincent Ferrer Church in New York City
on October 5, 2013.
P
ope Francis will soon publish
the apostolic exhortation,
following the Synod on the new
evangelization. I believe that
it will be entitled “The Joy of
Evangelization.” It is the same joy
that the Gospel speaks about this
morning. My brothers and sisters
in the Dominican family, since we
are devoted to this wonderful task
of evangelization, we are invited to
live this joy and to reflect upon it
together...
Our holiness, our path to
sanctification, is based on the
invitation that we the members
of the Dominican family have
received. To announce the Gospel
to all people. When we hear this
invitation and respond to it by
proclaiming the Good News of
Jesus Crucified and Risen to others,
we attain holiness. And this is the
reason for our joy...
When I meet with the brothers, here and in other parts of the
world, I like to ask them to share
with me some of the joys of their
ministry. A few days ago, a brother
answered my question by saying:
“When I see in the eyes of someone
to whom I have been preaching
that he truly grasps, that he really
embraces this extraordinary news
that Jesus is near to him, more than
near, that he is present to him and
to each one of us, I cannot help but
rejoice.” The joy of this brother can
be found in his recognition, in his
contemplation of the intimacy that
exists between Christ and the men
and women to whom we preach...
A joy which echoes the joy of the
Son of God himself: to see the eyes
of someone illuminated by faith,
the pain of a dying person shared,
the shame of evil overcome and
reversed, because the Lord has
been preached and made present
through such unworthy instruments as ourselves...
The joy of evangelization! Joy of
being, as preachers, mysteriously
associated to this mystery, when we
open our words and our acts, our
conversation and our friendship
with the world, to the work of the
Word, who comes to each of us.
Dominican Foundation • Dominican Friars, Province of Saint Joseph • 1