Today the new encyclical on faith (completing the set with Pope Benedict's two on charity and one on hope) is released in English. I'll put a link in the side-bar, as well. Here's the clear theme:
4. There is an urgent
need, then, to see once
again that faith is a light,
for once the flame of faith
dies out, all other lights
begin to dim. The light of
faith is unique, since it is
capable of illuminating
every aspect of human
existence. A light this
powerful cannot come from
ourselves but from a more
primordial source: in a
word, it must
come from God. Faith is born
of an encounter with the
living God who calls us and
reveals his love, a love
which precedes us and upon
which we can lean for
security and for building
our lives. Transformed by
this love, we gain fresh
vision, new eyes to see; we
realize that it contains a
great promise of fulfilment,
and that a vision of the
future opens up before us.
Faith, received from God as
a supernatural gift, becomes
a light for our way, guiding
our journey through time. On
the one hand, it is a light
coming from the past, the
light of the foundational
memory of the life of Jesus
which revealed his perfectly
trustworthy love, a love
capable of triumphing over
death. Yet since Christ has
risen and draws us beyond
death, faith is also a light
coming from the future and
opening before us vast
horizons which guide us
beyond our isolated selves
towards the breadth of
communion. We come to see
that faith does not dwell in
shadow and gloom; it is a
light for our darkness.
Dante, in the Divine Comedy,
after professing his faith
to Saint Peter, describes
that light as a "spark,
which then becomes a burning
flame and like a heavenly
star within me glimmers".
It is this light of faith
that I would now like to
consider, so that it can
grow and enlighten the
present, becoming a star to
brighten the horizon of our
journey at a time when
mankind is particularly in
need of light.
More on this encyclical when I can.
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