The Content of Evangelii Gaudium

I will attempt to present some of the salient points Pope Francis conveys in his recent Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium. I pray the Lord gives me the perseverance to see this project through.

Following are the broad topics covered in the letter.

The Joy of The Gospel
CHAPTER ONE - THE CHURCH’S MISSIONARY TRANSFORMATION 
CHAPTER TWO - AMID THE CRISIS OF COMMUNAL COMMITMENT
CHAPTER THREE - THE PROCLAMATION OF THE GOSPEL 
CHAPTER FOUR - THE SOCIAL DIMENSION OF EVANGELIZATION 
CHAPTER FIVE - SPIRIT-FILLED EVANGELIZERS

In his opening paragraphs the Pope lays out the purpose of his letter.

1. The joy of The gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who ac- cept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew. In this Exhortation I wish to encourage the Christian faith- ful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization marked by this joy, while pointing out new paths for the Church’s journey in years to come.

3. I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day. No one should think that this invitation is not meant for him or her, since “no one is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord”.1 The Lord does not disappoint those who take this risk; whenever we take a step towards Jesus, we come to realize that he is already there, waiting for us with open arms.
 ... Let me say this once more: God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of seeking his mercy. Christ, who told us to forgive one another “seventy times seven” (Mt 18:22) has given us his example: he has forgiven us seventy times seven. Time and time again he bears us on his shoulders. No one can strip us of the dignity bestowed upon us by this boundless and unfailing love. With a tenderness which never disappoints, but is always capable of restoring our joy, he makes it possible for us to lift up our heads and to start anew. Let us not flee from the resurrection of Jesus, let us never give up, come what will. May nothing inspire more than his life, which impels us onwards!
10. Consequently, an evangelizer must never look like someone who has just come back from a funeral! Let us recover and deepen our enthusiasm, that “delightful and comforting joy of evangelizing, even when it is in tears that we must sow... And may the world of our time, which is searching, sometimes with anguish, sometimes with hope, be enabled to receive the good news not from evangelizers who are dejected, discouraged, impatient or anxious, but from ministers of the Gospel whose lives glow with fervour, who have first received the joy of Christ”. Quote is from Paul VI, Gaudete in Domino