When the Church loses courage, the Church enters into a ‘lukewarm’ atmosphere. The lukewarm, lukewarm Christians, without courage … That hurts the Church so much, because this tepid atmosphere draws you inside, and problems arise among us; we no longer have the horizon, or courage to pray towards heaven, or the courage to proclaim the Gospel. We are lukewarm … We have the courage to get involved in our small things in our jealousies, our envy, our careerism, in selfishly going forward … In all these things, but this is not good for the Church: the Church must be courageous! We all have to be courageous in prayer, in challenging Jesus!.
Mary Victrix
Mary Victrix 
His Holiness must mean challenging Jesus by volunteering or asking for opportunities to be courageous? This makes sense, I think. As for the lukewarmness, and tepidity, it has become an epidemic. There are many more cultural Catholics than there are committed, practicing ones, I think we can safely say this, particularly here in the States… and in Europe, from what I’ve read and heard, it is actually worse. The march of secularism in places formerly known for their Christian character can only take place if this lukewarmness that Pope Francis identifies is entrenched. Let’s hope the Holy Father’s encouragement, and the Year of Evangelization can combine to rekindle some passion in places beset by this lukewarmness, and colonized by atheism and its intellectual and spritual grist, relativism.