How perfectly this was scheduled. On our third "Holy Father Friday" the new Encyclical on Hope was officially released by the Vatican.
To read it direcly from the Vatican's official website go HERE.
To read a summary of the Encyclical on the Catholic News Agency website you can go HERE.
My favorite quote:
Under the heading:
Eternal Life: What is it?
The Holy Father says:
I would like to begin with the classical form of the dialogue with which the rite of Baptism expressed the reception of an infant into the community of believers and the infant's rebirth in Christ. First of all the priest asked what name the parents had chosen for the child, and then he continued with the question: “What do you ask of the Church?” Answer: “Faith”. “And what does faith give you?” “Eternal life”. According to this dialogue, the parents were seeking access to the faith for their child, communion with believers, because they saw in faith the key to “eternal life”. Today as in the past, this is what being baptized, becoming Christians, is all about: it is not just an act of socialization within the community, not simply a welcome into the Church. The parents expect more for the one to be baptized: they expect that faith, which includes the corporeal nature of the Church and her sacraments, will give life to their child—eternal life.
To read it direcly from the Vatican's official website go HERE.
To read a summary of the Encyclical on the Catholic News Agency website you can go HERE.
My favorite quote:
Under the heading:
Eternal Life: What is it?
The Holy Father says:
I would like to begin with the classical form of the dialogue with which the rite of Baptism expressed the reception of an infant into the community of believers and the infant's rebirth in Christ. First of all the priest asked what name the parents had chosen for the child, and then he continued with the question: “What do you ask of the Church?” Answer: “Faith”. “And what does faith give you?” “Eternal life”. According to this dialogue, the parents were seeking access to the faith for their child, communion with believers, because they saw in faith the key to “eternal life”. Today as in the past, this is what being baptized, becoming Christians, is all about: it is not just an act of socialization within the community, not simply a welcome into the Church. The parents expect more for the one to be baptized: they expect that faith, which includes the corporeal nature of the Church and her sacraments, will give life to their child—eternal life.
His Holiness has made a very strong appeal to those who have chosen the gods of science and progress. It's heavy reading in parts, but that's what you might expect from a German philosopher.
For my part, being a German non-philosopher somewhat jaded by the extraordinary form of Catholicism I grew up with in the 60's and 70's, I took a look at the new encyclical in the way I look at the mainstream media. One way to uncover the affinities of the media is to observe the adjectives they use in their reports. For example, they'll call Hillary intelligent, but her opponent right-wing.
Looking at the present encyclical, then, see who in history receives words of praise from the Pope. Of whom does the Pope say, "his incisive language and intellect," "with great precision," "with great analytical skill," "the acuteness of his analysis and his clear indication," and "the writings of the master?" Is there more than one person who receives such accolades? On the other hand, of whom does the Pope say, "his introverted temperament?" Choices: A) St. Thomas Aquinas, B) St. Augustine, C) St. Ambrose, D) Karl Marx. Enjoy your reading.
I wonder if the Pope is categorizing St. Augustine as "introverted" and Karl Marx as "intellectual" to show that the charisma of a public figure (some say Hillary has this quality)can be in complete contrast to the truth of their beliefs. Conversely, Marx was intelligent and wrote well but he was a godless atheist responsible for the deaths of millions at the hands of Stalin, his disciple.
Remember the scene in Brideshead Revisited when a catechumate is being asked to explain how the Pope's infallibility does not make him inerrant in predicting the weather? Very comically the student says that if the Pope says it is raining, but it is not, then the Pope must be speaking metaphorically and he is too sinful to see the "rain".
I don't believe for a minute that the Holy Father is an admirer or proponent of Karl Marx. I think there must be a reason for his description of Marx as intelligent. The devil is said to be intelligent; intelligent enough to quote and twist scripture. But it was the devil's pride that was his downfall. And even his intelligence could not save him from eternal failure.