{"id":24438,"date":"2013-07-05T08:49:12","date_gmt":"2013-07-05T12:49:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/deaconsbench\/?p=24438"},"modified":"2016-09-30T16:03:23","modified_gmt":"2016-09-30T20:03:23","slug":"pope-francis-releases-light-of-faith-first-encyclical","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/deaconsbench\/2013\/07\/pope-francis-releases-light-of-faith-first-encyclical\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope Francis Releases “Light of Faith,” First Encyclical"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Reaction and analysis is pouring in.<\/p>\n

From John Allen:\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

In what Pope Francis has referred to as a document written by \u201cfour hands,\u201d meaning his and those of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, the new pope\u2019s first encyclical insists that Christian faith \u201cmust be professed in all its purity and integrity,\u201d but also\u00a0strikes a\u00a0\u00a0pose of\u00a0open arms to all the \u201cseekers\u201d of the post-modern world.<\/p>\n

Anyone who is \u201copen to love,\u201d the document says, is \u201calready, even without knowing it, on the path leading to faith.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a sense, the document amounts to a synthesis of the spirit of \u201caffirmative orthodoxy\u201d under Benedict, which is now seemingly being extended into the papacy of Francis: Tenacity in defending the content of orthodox belief, but a determination to phrase that content in the most positive and outward-reaching fashion possible.<\/p>\n

The 90-page encyclical letter, titled\u00a0Lumen fidei<\/em>, or \u201cLight of Faith,\u201d was released today in a Vatican news conference.<\/p>\n

The text is marked by striking outreach towards people open to God who have not yet arrived at the fullness of Christian belief.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo the extent that they are sincerely open to love and set out with whatever light they can find, they are already, even without knowing it, on the path leading to faith,\u201d it says.<\/p>\n

It suggests that a genuine concern for others, even among non-believers, represents the stirring of faith.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnyone who sets off on the path of doing good to others is already drawing near to God,\u201d it says.<\/p>\n

While insisting that Christian faith reflects objective truth, the encyclical also says that Christians must not be arrogant about it.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne who believes may not be presumptuous,\u201d it says. \u201cOn the contrary, truth leads to humility.\u201d<\/p>\n

Noted American spiritual writer Fr. James Martin, a member of Francis\u2019 Jesuit order, said the encyclical could help \u201cthe seeker, the doubter, the agnostic and even the atheist.\u201d<\/p>\n

Martin called the document \u201ca heartfelt attempt to speak to anyone still searching for God.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

From Drew Christiansen in America<\/em><\/a>:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

With a bow to the religious sensibility of searchers who lack explicit faith, the letter recognizes that \u201cReligious man strives to see signs of God, in the daily experiences of life, in the cycle of the seasons, in the fruitfulness of the earth and in the movement of the cosmos\u201d (no. 35). It continues, \u201cTo the extent that they are sincerely open to love and set out with whatever light they can find, the popes tell us, \u201c[searchers] are already, even without knowing it, on the path leading to faith.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the letter, moreover, faith illumines the whole of life, including scientific inquiry. \u201cFaith encourages the scientist to remain constantly open to reality in all its inexhaustible richness,\u201d the popes write. \u201cFaith,\u201d they continue, \u201cawakens the critical sense by preventing research from being satisfied with its own formulae and helps it to realize that nature is always greater. By stimulating wonder before the profound mystery of creation, faith broadens the horizons of reason, to shed greater light on the world which discloses itself to scientific investigation\u201d (no. 34). While in fundamental theology these dynamics propelling the advance of science may be interpreted as manifestations of implicit faith apart from Christ, when viewed the eyes of faith, by a believing scientist like Teilhard de Chardin, they gain a Christic depth. It is to that greater depth of life lived in faith that the two popes want to draw our attention.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Also blogging about this: Kathy Schiffer<\/a>. \u00a0<\/strong>And you can read the document online at the Vatican website.\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reaction and analysis is pouring in. From John Allen:\u00a0 In what Pope Francis has referred to as a document written by \u201cfour hands,\u201d meaning his and those of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, the new pope\u2019s first encyclical insists that Christian faith \u201cmust be professed in all its purity and integrity,\u201d but also\u00a0strikes a\u00a0\u00a0pose of\u00a0open arms […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[1413],"class_list":["post-24438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pope","tag-pope-francis"],"yoast_head":"\nPope Francis Releases "Light of Faith," First Encyclical<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Reaction and analysis is pouring in. 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