Gaudete et Exsultate

Spirituality, whether Christian or Muslim, frequently uses the language of battle, so it is not surprising that Pope Francis promotes the Christian equivalent of a spiritual jihad. 

Signs of the Times: The pope acknowledges that living the Beatitudes means "going against the flow" of the world. Francis urges us to let the Lord's words "unsettle us, to challenge us and to demand a real change in the way we live."

Signs of the Times: As a spiritual guide to those seeking to be better Christians, Pope Francis recognizes that many are tempted to follow the wrong paths to holiness. These are not bad people following the path of sin, but good people getting lost in the woods without a map.

Before he was pope, before he was archbishop of Buenos Aires, Francis spent much of his Jesuit life as a spiritual guide to young Jesuits. He was not a great theologian, although he was well read in theology. 

In Conversation: NCR's Joshua J. McElwee and theologian Brian Flanagan talk about Gaudete et Exsultate, Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation on holiness.

Many say Pope Francis' new exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate ("Rejoice and Be Glad"), is practical, accessible and applicable to the challenges in today's U.S. church and society. 

Grace on the Margins: Francis' new apostolic exhortation demonstrates that his limited understanding of women and the restrictions he places on women's vocations in the world and the church have serious spiritual ramifications.

Commentary: Like the Second Vatican Council itself, Pope Francis is most radical in being so traditional, in going back to the roots of our Christian tradition in his latest apostolic exhortation.

Distinctly Catholic: Pope Francis' new apostolic exhortation is an encouraging effort to urge all Christians on. Yet some passages appear directed at specific audiences or events in the recent life of the church.

While most folks have yet to dive into the pages of Pope Francis' new apostolic exhortation, Catholic Twitter is already abuzz with opinions and favorite quotes.

Christians cannot quest for holiness with prayer alone but must strive to serve those most in need, particularly migrants "who risk their lives to offer a future to their children," Pope Francis says in a new major teaching document.