This book examines the central elements of Francis' vision of the Church as it sets out to preach the gospel to people of every nation and every walk of life. In four chapters, it examines the heart of his message and the focus of his vision for the future of Catholicism, Christianity, and the world. Central to that vision is his call to continue the new evangelization. He writes: "Each individual Christian and every community is called to be an instrument of God for the liberation and promotion of the poor, and for enabling them to be fully a part of society" (EG 187). The pope admits that neither he nor the Church has "a monopoly on the interpretation of social realities or the proposal of solutions to contemporary problems" (EG 184). He wishes, however, to contribute some constructive insights concerning our present situation. For Pope Francis, the joy of the gospel is simple: God wishes to live in our hearts. When we let God do so his Spirit dwells there, purging our imperfections and slowly divinizing us so that as free and faithful disciples we follow the way of the Lord Jesus.

This book seeks to respond to the challenge put forth by the late Pope John Paul II to all the Catholic faithful to "put out into deep water" (Duc in altum) by contemplating the face of Christ as they navigate the waters of the new millennium. It brings the discussion about the relationship between spirituality and morality to a deeper level of theological discourse by looking at the common ground shared by the action of contemplation and the spiritual moral life. Its aim is to incorporate a contemplative attitude toward life into the methodology, discourse, and way of thinking of Catholic moral theology. After developing a contemplative methodology for the Catholic spiritual moral life, it applies this approach to moral discernment to the Eternal Word, the Incarnate Word, Jesus' life and ministry, his suffering and death, and his risen life. It then offers concrete guidelines for the spiritual moral life that flow directly from this contemplative approach to the mysteries of Christ. To engage its readers at a still deeper level, it offers a series of reflection questions and practical exercises at the end of each chapter. The book emphasizes the close bond between contemplation and action for Christian living and highlights how immersing oneself in the mystery of Christ affects the way a person thinks about the nature and scope of his or her action in the world.

The book is divided into two parts: The first, entitled "Alphonsian Prayer", focuses on the general characteristics of Alphonsus's approach to prayer and the relevance of his method of mental prayer. The second part, entitled "Alphonsian Classics", examines in chronological order of their appearance some of the more important spiritual treatises and devotional works coming from Alphonsus's pen.