The following comes from Kevin Cotter at Focus:
Pope Francis has released his first encyclical along with some help from Pope Benedict XVI who completed most of the draft before he resigned from the Papacy.
First, this encyclical is fantastic. I think the Church will be thinking, praying, and quoting this one for a very long time. The Church, especially in the West, is hungry for a renewal of the faith. During this Year of Faith, this encyclical on faith is a tremendous addition to the conversation that is going on throughout the world.
Second, the purpose of this blog post is to give a summary of the encyclical. After its release, there will be plenty of news articles about the encyclical that will report a few of the major themes or quotes of the document.
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Others will want to read the entire document, but might not have the time to do so right away. My goal is to provide an outline and a summary of the document to help increase the interest in this great work and to provide motivation for people to read through and learn more about our faith and how they can apply it to their lives.
[To read the entire encyclical -- PDF version: http://ow.ly/mGnAd; Online version at vatican.vahttp://ow.ly/mGnCt]
Outline of the document
Chapter 1 – We Have Believed in Love (cf. 1 John 4:16)
Chapter 2 – Unless You Believe, You Will Not Understand (cf. Isaiah 7:9)
Chapter 3 – I Delivered to You What I Also Received (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:3)
Chapter 4 – God Prepares a City for Them (cf. Hebrews 11:16)
Two options
1. You can read the summary of each chapter of the encyclical. This part appears first.
2. You can read the summary of each chapter with quotes. This part appears second.
Summary of the introduction:
The encyclical starts with what the ancients put their faith in and proceeds to move directly to what our culture believes about faith – that it is something for the blind, those driven by emotion. But, at the same time, our culture is discovering that reason is not enough. Confusion has set in on what is good and evil, right and wrong. Faith in Jesus and love in Him gives us a new vision to see the world.
Summary of Chapter 1:
Chapter 1 reviews Salvation History—the story of God’s people—to see faith throughout history. It begins with Abraham who St. Paul often quotes and uses as an example in the New Testament. It is noted that God speaks and acts towards Abraham as one in a relationship, not as a god who is far away. Our faith in Him calls us to make a step forward—to go on a journey with Him, just like Abraham. In this journey, our relationships with God are not just about our faith in Him, but in His faith in us! We can jeopardize this relationship with idolatry. The story of Israel points to the temptation of idolatry—to worship that which we make with our own hands. Finally, the story of faith finds its summation in Jesus. He is the fulfillment of all of God’s promises and at the same time shows us why we can trust Him—He died for us! Because He came into our reality, we can now truly see reality. God is not something beyond us; He is someone who acts in the here and now.
Summary of Chapter 2:
Chapter 2 seeks to understand the relationship between faith and several other aspects—reason, love, truth, and theology. Lumen Fidei shows that truth is necessary for faith so that it can remain grounded. Faith is rooted in reality when it is rooted in truth. Similarly, our love for God has to have this truth as well or it be fleeting like emotions. Love is needed with faith so that truth does not become cold and impersonal.
Our culture often believes that truth that is meant for everyone is by its very nature like a dictator. But, truth for everyone can reveal a common good for everyone and when it is done in love it can be personalized to each individual.
In the end, truth in the Catholic faith possesses us; we do not possess truth. As we become more possessed by truth, we grow in humility and in the knowledge of the faith. By taking on knowledge and humility, we are more capable of sharing this truth with others who are seeking it. A truth that will truly fulfill what they are ultimately searching for.
Summary of Chapter 3:
Ultimately, faith and truth are received in community. The nature of our lives forces us to have faith in the truth others are giving us—from our names to our language. The same is for our Christian faith which is passed on from one generation to the next. We accept this faith in a community and in the communion of the Church.
Specially, the sacraments allow us to experience this faith. We are received into the community of the Church through Baptism and encounter the love and gift of Jesus in the Eucharist. In the Eucharist, we experience the past gift that God has given us while seeing the future of our eternal home. In addition to the sacraments, the Our Father and the Decalogue gives us a new vision and a new path to live while united to our community. This community stays unified through the apostolic tradition and apostolic succession which safeguards truth and allows our faith to be handed on. Believers must believe in all of what the Church teaches or they endanger unity.
Summary of Chapter 4
In this final chapter, Lumen Fidei shows how faith should be the foundation of our society. Faith is needed for the foundation of our society, marriage and family. In marriage, men and women have faith in a common good and a hope beyond themselves. In this faith and in this love, they provide a model of faith and a place with faith grows as children place their trust in their parents.
This foundation of family helps form our other relationships as well. Men and women cannot have true brotherhood without a common father. Faith in God provides this common faith so that our societies can endure. It also provides the dignity of the human person which is needed in our societies as well.
Faith also provides strength in suffering. Faith does not answer every question, but provides a lamp to help us navigate through the darkness and the presence of God who is with us personally in our suffering.
In the end, faith should provide us with joy. Just as Mary accepted Jesus with joy, we too should follow her example. The sign of our faith lives should be a joy in Jesus.
Introduction
Summary of this introduction:The encyclical starts with what the ancients put their faith in and proceeds to move directly to what our culture believes about faith – that it is something for the blind, those driven by emotion. But, at the same time, our culture is discovering that reason is not enough. Confusion has set in on what is good and evil, right and wrong. Faith in Jesus and love in Him gives us a new vision to see the world.
Some notable quotes from the introduction:
What our culture often believes about faith:
“Faith thus appeared to some as an illusory light, preventing mankind from boldly setting out in quest of knowledge.” (No. 2)
“Faith would thus be the illusion of light, an illusion which blocks the path of a liberated humanity to its future.” (No. 2)
“Faith was thus understood either as a leap in the dark, to be taken in the absence of light, driven by blind emotions” (No. 2)
The truth about faith and reason:
“Slowly but surely, however, it would become evident that the light of autonomous reason is not enough to illumine the future.” (No. 3)
“Yet, in the absence of light everything becomes confused; it is impossible to tell good from evil, or the goad to our destination from other roads which take us in endless circles, going nowhere.” (No. 3)
“The light of faith is unique, since it is capable of illuminating every aspect of human existence.” (No. 4)
“Transformed by this love, we gain fresh vision, new eyes to see” (No. 4)
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