Published yesterday, July 5th, 2013 and signed on June 29th of the
same year.
Lumen fidei – The light of faith (LF) is the first Encyclical signed
by Pope Francis. Divided into four chapters, plus an introduction and a
conclusion, the Pontiff explains that the Letter supplements Benedict
XVI’s Encyclicals on charity and hope, and takes up the “fine work”
carried out by the Pope Emeritus, who had already “almost completed” the
Encyclical on faith. The Holy Father has now added “further
contributions” to this existing “first draft”.
The introduction (nos. 1-7) of LF illustrates the motivations at the
basis of the document: firstly, it reiterates the characteristics of
light typical of faith, able to illuminate all man’s existence, to
assist him in distinguishing good from evil, especially in this modern
age in which belief is opposed to searching and faith is regarded as an
illusion, a leap into the void that impedes man’s freedom. Secondly, LF –
precisely in this Year of Faith, 50 years following the Second Vatican
Council, a “Council on faith” – seeks to reinvigorate the perception of
the breadth of the horizons faith opens so that it might be confessed in
unity and integrity. Indeed, faith is not a condition to be taken for
granted, but rather a gift from God, to be nurtured and reinforced. “Who
believes, sees”, the Pope writes, since the light of faith comes from
God and is able to illuminate all aspects of man’s existence: it
proceeds from the past, from the memory of Jesus’ life, but also comes
from the future as it opens up vast horizons.
Chapter One (nos. 8-22): We have believed in love (1 John 4: 16).
Referring to the biblical figure of Abraham, in this chapter faith is
explained as “listening” to the word of God, the “call” to come out from
the isolated self in order to open oneself to a new life and the
“promise” of the future, which makes possible the continuity of our path
through time, linked so closely to hope. Faith also has a connotation
of “paternity”, because the God who calls us is not a stranger, but is
God the Father, the wellspring of the goodness that is at the origin of
and sustains everything. In the history of Israel, faith is opposed to
idolatry, which man is broken down in the multiplicity of his desires
and “his life story disintegrates into a myriad of unconnected
instants”, denying him the time to await the fulfilment of the promise.
On the contrary, faith is trust in God’s merciful love, which always
welcomes and forgives, and which straightens “the crooked lines of our
history”; it is the willingness to allow oneself to be transformed anew
by “God’s free gift, which calls for humility and the courage to trust
and to entrust; it enables us to see the luminous path leading to the
encounter of God and humanity, the history of salvation” (no. 14). And
herein lies the “paradox” of faith: constantly turning to the Lord gives
humanity stability, liberating us from idols.
LF then turns to the figure of Jesus, the mediator who opens to us to
a truth greater than ourselves, the manifestation of God’s love that is
the foundation of faith: “in contemplating Jesus’ death … faith grows
stronger”, as in this He reveals His unshakeable love for mankind. His
resurrection renders Christ a “trustworthy witness”, “deserving of
faith”, through Whom God works truly throughout history, determining its
final destiny. But there is a “decisive aspect” of faith in Jesus:
“participation in His way of seeing”. Faith, indeed, looks not only to
Jesus but also from Jesus’ point of view, with His eyes. The Pope uses
an analogy to explain that, just as how in our daily lives we place our
trust in “others who know better than we do” – the architect, the
pharmacist, the lawyer – also for faith we need someone who is reliable
and expert “where God is concerned” and Jesus is “the one who makes God
known to us”. Therefore, we believe Jesus when we accept his Word, and
we believe in Jesus when we welcome Him in our life and entrust
ourselves to Him. Indeed, his incarnation ensures that faith does not
separate us from reality, but rather helps us to grasp its deepest
meaning. Thanks to faith, man saves himself, as he opens himself to a
Love that precedes and transforms him from within. And this is the true
action of the Holy Spirit: “The Christian can see with the eyes of Jesus
and share in His mind, His filial disposition, because he or she shares
in his love, which is the Spirit” (no.21). Without the presence of the
Spirit it is impossible to confess the Lord. Therefore “the life of the
believer becomes an ecclesial existence”, since faith is confessed
within the body of the Church, as the “concrete communion of believers”.
Christians are “one” without losing their individuality and in the
service of others they come into their own. Thus, “faith is not a
private matter, a completely individualistic notion or a personal
opinion”, but rather “it comes from hearing, and is meant to find
expression in words and to be proclaimed”.
At this point, the Pope begins a broad reflection on the “dialogue
between faith and reason”, on the truth in today’s world, in which it is
often reduced to a “subjective authenticity”, as common truth inspires
fear, and is often identified with the intransigent demands of
totalitarianism. Instead, if the truth is that of God’s love, then it is
not imposed violently and does not crush the individual. Therefore,
faith is not intransigent, and the believer is not arrogant. On the
contrary, faith renders the believer humble and leads to co-existence
with and respect for others. From this, it follows that faith lead to
dialogue in all fields: in that of science, as it reawakens the critical
sense and broadens the horizons of reason, inviting us to behold
Creation with wonder; in the interreligious context, in which
Christianity offers its own contribution; in dialogue with non-believers
who ceaselessly search, who “strive to act as if God existed”, because
“God is light and can be find also by those who seek him with a sincere
heart”. “Anyone who sets off on the path of doing good to others is
already drawing near to God”, the Pope emphasizes. Finally, LF speaks
about theology and confirms that it is impossible without faith, since
God is not a simple “object” but rather the Subject who makes Himself
known. Theology is participation in the knowledge that God has of
Himself; as a consequence theology must be placed at the service of
Christian faith and the ecclesial Magisterium is not a limit to
theological freedom, but rather one of its constitutive elements as it
ensures contact with its original source, the Word of Christ.
There is, however, “a special means” by which faith may be
transmitted: the Sacraments, in which an “incarnate memory” is
communicated. The Pope first mentions Baptism – both of children and
adults, in the form of the catechumenate – which reminds us that faith
is not the work of an isolated individual, an act that may be carried
out alone, but instead must be received, in ecclesial communion. “No-one
baptizes himself”, explains LF. Furthermore, since the baptized child
cannot confess the faith himself but must instead be supported by
parents and godparents, the “cooperation between Church and family” is
important. Secondly, the Encyclical refers to the Eucharist, “precious
nourishment for faith”, an “act of remembrance, a making present of the
mystery”, which “leads from the visible world to the invisible”,
teaching us to experience the depth of reality. The Pope then considers
the confession of the faith, the Creed, in which the believer not only
confesses faith but is involved in the truth that he confesses; prayer,
Our Father, by which the Christian learns to see through Christ’s eyes;
the Decalogue, understood not as “a set of negative commands” but rather
as “concrete directions” to enter into dialogue with God, “to be
embraced by His mercy”, the “path of gratitude” towards the fullness of
communion with God. Finally, the Pope underlines the there is one faith
because of the “oneness of the God who is known and confessed”, because
it is directed towards the one Lord, who grants us “a common gaze” and
“is shared by the whole Church, which is one body and one Spirit”.
Therefore, given that there is one faith alone, it follows that is must
be confessed in all its purity and integrity: “the unity of faith is the
unity of the Church”; to subtract something from faith is to subtract
something from the veracity of communion. Furthermore, since the unity
of faith is that of a living organism, it is able to assimilate all it
encounters, demonstrating itself to be universal, catholic, illuminating
and able to lead all the cosmos and all history to its finest
expression. This unity is guaranteed by the apostolic succession.
Fourth chapter (nos. 50-60): God prepares a city for them (Heb 11:16)
This chapter explains the link between faith and the common good, which
leads to the creation of a place in which men and women may live
together with others. Faith, which is born of the love of God,
strengthens the bonds of humanity and places itself at the service of
justice, rights and peace. This is why it does not distance itself from
the world and is not unrelated to the real commitments of contemporary
man. On the contrary, without the love of God in which we can place our
trust, the bonds between people would be based only on utility,
interests and fear. Instead faith grasps the deepest foundation of human
relationships, their definitive destiny in God, and places them at the
service of the common good. Faith “is for all, it is a common good”; its
purpose is not merely to build the hereafter but to help in edifying
our societies in order that they may proceed together towards a future
of hope.
The Encyclical then considers those areas illuminated by faith: first
and foremost, the family based on marriage, understood as a stable
union between man and woman. This is born of the recognition and
acceptance of the goodness of sexual differentiation and, based on love
in Christ, promises “a love for ever” and recognises love as the creator
that leads to the begetting of children. Then, youth; here the Pope
cites the World Youth Days, in which young people demonstrate “the joy
of faith” and their commitment to live faith solidly and generously.
“Young people want to live life to the fullest”, writes the Pope.
“Encountering Christ … enlarges the horizons of existence, gives it a
firm hope which will not disappoint. Faith is no refuge for the
fainthearted, but something which enhances our lives”. And again, in all
social relations, by making us children of God, indeed, faith gives new
meaning to universal brotherhood, which is not merely equality, but
rather the common experience of God’s paternity, the comprehension of
the unique dignity of each person. A further area is that of nature:
faith helps us to respect it, to “find models of development which are
based not simply on utility and profit, but consider creation as a
gift”. It teaches us to find just forms of government, in which
authority comes from God and which serve the common good; it offers us
the possibility of forgiveness that leads us to overcome all conflict.
“When faith is weakened, the foundations of humanity also risk being
weakened”, writes the Pope, and if we remove faith in God from our
cities, we will lose our mutual trust and be united only by fear.
Therefore we must not be ashamed to publicly confess God, because faith
illuminates social life. Another area illuminated by faith is that of
suffering and death: Christians are aware that suffering cannot be
eliminated, but it may be given meaning; it can be entrusted to the
hands of God who never abandons us and therefore become “a moment of
growth in faith”. To he who suffers, God does not give reasons to
explain everything, but rather offers His presence that accompanies us,
that opens up a threshold of light in the shadows. In this sense, faith
is linked to hope. And here the Pope makes an appeal: “Let us refuse to
be robbed of hope, or to allow our hope to be dimmed by facile answers
and solutions which block our progress”.
To download "Lumen fidei" click here : The light of faith
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