The Joy of Believing: The Vision and Relevance of Lumen fidei and Evangelii gaudium in Indian Context

Religion and theology became an occult science for many; and belief in the values of life that religions proclaim turned to be useless and void. The handing on of the faith¿ has become a deep crisis and a problematic today and has turned to be a burning issue for the contemporary Church. What is necessary in the contemporary culture is to develop a counter-culture that passionately understands the love of God and sharing it passionately and joyfully with the fellow humans and the world around us. We need a counter-culture of sharing the truth and love which is God. Pope Francis¿ message is none other than this. He exhorts for a missionary renewal in the Church and to have a new theological outlook that leads the Church to be a Church of the poor ¿ a counter culture of compassionate and tender love.When it comes to India, the Church, a minority in number, faces a lot of challenges in its practice and proclamation of faith. Globalization and the new economic reforms badly affected the Indian culture which is turning to be secular, as well as fundamentalist. With a weak presence in many areas the Church in India is struggling to make its presence felt in the nation. Here the author is making an attempt to understand the joyful sharing of the Gospel in the Indian context in the light of the first two documents of Pope Francis.The author discusses the challenges and ways to face the challenges to be truthful by being in love and faith. It will provide a clear understanding to live the faith relying upon God¿s providence and mercy, and will enable the Church to work for the holistic development of humanity.