Gaudete et Exsultate: Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis

If we realize that God exists, we cannot help but worship him, at times in quiet wonder, and praise him in festive song.  We thus share in the experience of Bl. Charles de Foucauld who said, “As soon as I believed that there was a God, I understood that I could do nothing other than to live for him.” In the life of God’s pilgrim people, there can be many simple gestures of our adoration, as when “the gaze of a pilgrim rests on an image that symbolizes God’s affection and closeness. Love pauses, contemplates the mystery and enjoys it in silence.”

The prayerful reading of God’s word, which is “sweeter than honey” yet a “two edged sword” enables us to pause and listen to the voice of the Master. It becomes a lamp for our steps and a light for our path. As the bishops of India have reminded us, “devotion to the word of God is not simply one of many devotions, beautiful but somewhat optional. It goes to the very heart and identity of Christian life. The word has the power to transform our lives.”