To finish Chapter Two and thus have covered all of Pope Francis' Gaudete et Exsultatae, in #60 the Pope tells us that we would do well to "keep reminding ourselves that there is a hierarchy of virtues that bids us seek what is essential. The primacy belongs to the theological virtues, which have God as their object and motive. At the center is charity. Saint Paul says that what truly counts is 'faith working through love' (Gal 5:6).
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61. "In other words, amid the thickest of precepts and prescriptions, Jesus clears the way to seeing two faces, that of the Father and that of our brother. ...He gives us two faces, or better yet, one alone: the face of God reflected in so many other faces. For in every on of our brothers and sisters, especially the least, the most vulnerable, the defenceless and those in need, God's very image is found....the Lord and our neighbor, these two riches do not disappear."
62. May the Lord set the Church free from these new forms of gnosticism and pelagianism that weigh her down and block her progress along the path to holiness! These aberrations take various shapes, according to the temperament and character of each person. So I encourage everyone to reflect and discern before God whether they may be present in their lives."
This is the end of Chapter Two so we have really covered all five chapters in this important document that is written for all of us. I encourage you to look back through the archives and reread at least some of the underlined parts that I thought were so pertinent for all of us who desire holiness.
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