Lumen Fidei Digest

This is probably the best report on Pope Francis' Encyclical. here it is printed and in mp3:


This is Philippa Hitchen's report: 
Announcing the forthcoming publication of his first encyclical, Pope Francis described it as a work of “four hands”, begun by his predecessor, Benedict XVI, who passed on his draft for the new pope to complete. The document certainly continues many of Benedict’s favourite themes, from the complementarity of faith and reason, to the joy of a personal encounter with Christ. Firmly situated in the Year of Faith, it’s also set in the context of the 50^th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council, which re-established the central role of Faith at the heart of all human relationships.
Divided into four chapters and a short introduction, the encyclical sets out to show how Faith in the Risen Christ can lead us beyond the narrow confines of individual existence into the all-inclusive community of God’s love. Rather than the notion of ‘blind faith’, which impedes scientific progress and must be kept to the private sphere of personal convictions, we’re called to rediscover the light that can guide all people from the darkness of selfish desires towards a more just and fraternal world, grounded in the faithful promises of God the Creator.
The first chapter takes the reader on a whirlwind tour of the Old and New Testaments, from Abraham, who first hears God’s call, through the Israelites travelling towards the light of the Promised Land, to Jesus’ death on the Cross, the ultimate act of God’s love for humanity. The more we are touched by the transforming power of that love, writes the Pope, the better we are able to understand our relationship to all our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Chapter two insists on the essential link between Faith and Truth, without which our beliefs seem nothing more than a fairy story, an illusion of happiness, unable to sustain us when the going gets tough. Contemporary society, the encyclical says, tends to see technological progress and individual pleasure as the only objective truth, viewing any broader questions about the origins of our existence with deep suspicion. Without love in our hearts, truth becomes cold, impersonal, oppressive, unable to transform the lives of others. But by listening, seeing and believing in Christ’s presence in our lives today, we can broaden our horizons and find better ways of serving the common good. The light of our faith in Christ can also contribute to a more fruitful dialogue with non-Christians and non-believers, showing how all those who search for God or seek for truth will be welcomed and illuminated by that light.
The third chapter of the encyclical centres on the Church as the place where the light of faith is safeguarded and transmitted from one generation to the next. Through the sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist, through profession of the Creed, praying the Our Father and obeying the Ten Commandments, the Church teaches the language of faith and draws us into the Trinitarian relationship of love, so that ‘whoever believes is never alone’. The final chapter focuses on Faith and the common good and shows how the light of faith can promote peace and reconciliation, and teach respect for God’s creation. The encyclical also considers those areas illuminated by Faith, starting with the family based on marriage, understood as a stable union between man and woman. Faith, writes the Pope, cannot eliminate suffering in our world, but it can accompany us and bring a new sense of hope in God’s love. The encyclical ends with a prayer to Mary, Mother of Jesus and icon of faith, who can lead us into the light of God’s love. (Reprinted from http://www.news.va/en/news/the-light-of-faith, 7/6/13).

Here are some great links to accompany your read through the Pope's First Encyclical!


The Actual Encyclical, Lumen Fidei 
The Official Summary from the Vatican
First Things
Jimmy Akin

Lumen Fidei: Faith and Reason

The first encyclical of Pope Francis is out. Lumen Fidei, theLight of Faith, was released on Friday on the internet in various languages. It is a rich document, and as the Catholic Church continues its Year of Faith, we will be gnawing on it through November (and onward) until we reach the marrow.

What once was called light has now become associated with darkness (Lumen Fidei 3). Since the 18th century, when the Enlightenment took off and placed Reason as a god, or replaced God with human reason. Reason was the only light. Faith what what kept us in the "Dark Ages", whatever that was supposed to mean. Reason and faith became asunder. Faith was darkness. Reason was the light.

What's the result? Reason, instead of being freed from faith's chains to seek truth, limits itself now believes that truth is subjective, and the only truth we agree on is how technology can make our life more comfortable and easier (LF 25). Reason no longer aspires to great heights of thought. And Faith, instead of being the light that shines forth, becomes the dark cave that Neanderthal men still crawl back into when faced with life's difficult questions like "Who am I? How am I supposed to live? What gives my life meaning?" Now we are all in the dark.

Pope Francis calls to us:  "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" (LF 4). Faith is a light, as well as reason. They both shine out to aid man make sense of this life. Faith and Reason were never meant to be at odds. St. Peter wrote "Always be ready to give a reason for your hope (1 Peter 3:15)" and like the great saint/philosophy St. Anselm wrote, we have a faith that seeks understanding. I believe, and I seek to understand what I believe. Only Faith, "I just believe" is not good enough. And only reason: I don't have any use for church, is just as bad. We need both if faith and reason are to brighten our way as human beings searching for truth in the material world and in the transcendental.

Faith is a light. But as we see in our own lives, faith will not answer every question. It is not this bright light that reveals all secrets. At least not in this life. But neither will reason alone. When Faith and Reason are joined, we set out to discover new horizons, and this light penetrates our whole life. And this light is not so much like the powerful shining Sun, but more like a lantern light that guides our steps through the darkness.

Pope Francis makes this analogy when talking about how faith will not explain everything, especially not the mystery of pain and suffering:

Faith is not a light which scatters all our darkness, but a lamp which guides our steps in the night and suffices for the journey. To those who suffer, God does not provide arguments which explain everything; rather, his response is that of an accompanying presence, a history of goodness which touches every story of suffering and opens up a ray of light (LF57).

No, faith is not darkness. It is light. A small light, but still brilliant and strong enough to lead us to truth, to "the One who is Truth." And this light "is capable of illuminating every aspect of human existence (LF 4). Not as a blazing Sun, but as a lantern light that is shared by all who believe, which is passed on, and must be passed from generation to generation. Mary is our model for passing on the light. When she said yes in faith, she conceived faith and joy. And just like the Mother of God, when our own spiritual lives bear fruit we become filled with joy, which is the clearest sign of faith’s grandeur (LF 58). 

May our lives be filled with the faith that illumines our path.

An apropos poem by Blessed John Henry Newman:

The Pillar of the Cloud

{156} LEAD, Kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom

Lead Thou me on!

The night is dark, and I am far from home—

Lead Thou me on!

Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see

The distant scene—one step enough for me.

I was not ever thus, nor pray'd that Thou

Shouldst lead me on.

I loved to choose and see my path, but now

Lead Thou me on!

I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,

Pride ruled my will: remember not past years.

{157} So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still

Will lead me on,

O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till

The night is gone;

And with the morn those angel faces smile

Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile.

At Sea. June 16, 1833.

Wholly Love

I struggle to love God as much as I should. Even at points of my life when my prayer life is thriving, I’m going to mass, and I’m loving others, I still sense there is something more. I still lack loving Him completely, with my whole self. There are days that all those actions I just mentioned are extremely easy to do, and there are days when I fail to do any of them because it simply seems more difficult. But then there are days when it seems difficult and I still do one or two of those things, and those are the days in which I love the most. Those are the days that I’m reminded of what loving God truly means.

The Bible tells us the greatest way in which we can show love, “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” –John 15:13. Before, I read this passage and I understood that Jesus’s love for us is the greatest because He laid down His life for us; which is completely true. Jesus did show the greatest love for us by dying on the cross. But today, I read this passage and God spoke to my heart by putting my name in place of where I typically place Jesus’. The greatest love I can show God is by laying down MY life for him. That’s big.

What does that mean to lay down my life for Jesus? It means total self-sacrifice and surrender. It means letting go of my plans, my comforts, and my selfishness. It means totally emptying myself. Which sounds pretty painful and difficult, right? I think so. But that’s what makes the process so beautiful. In our efforts to totally empty ourselves, God watches lovingly while we show Him how much we truly do love Him by doing things that are not easy for us to do. And then even more beautiful, is what happens as a result of our self-emptying, we become filled with Him. In emptying ourselves of the things that fill us up and chain us down, we become free to love God and others with our whole heart. At this point “it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” –Galatians 2:20. Which is amazing! This is our goal of discipleship! To do what Christ does and become more and more like Him. This is where discipleship begins; we must first lay down our lives to follow and love Him.

In Mass, about a week ago we read in the Gospel about the “would-be followers of Jesus.” These men could not follow Jesus or love him fully. Why? They could not lay down their lives and give everything away. One of the men had an obligation to burry his dead father. Burial was a sacred duty in ancient Judaism, and is still today, very important! But Jesus uses this importance of burial to display an even greater importance on following Him. He tells the man, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.” –Matthew 8:22.

Following Jesus is the most important thing. Even more important than our family and friends! The “would-be follower” couldn’t do it, but Jesus’s apostles could. Were these men any greater than the would be follower? It’s doubtful. The apostles were typical fisherman, nothing special or holy about them. But because of their immediate “yes’” to Jesus and emptying of themselves, they became filled with Him, special and holy. These are the men that gave everything to Jesus, their families, plans, and jobs. And because of this gift of self, they were able to love Jesus completely with their whole selves. These are the people who I look up to and strive to be like. I can’t wholly love God until I fully give Him my whole self. Will it be hard? Extremely. But that’s why it’s so beautiful. Will it be worth it? Absolutely.

“Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and all my will—all that I have and possess. You, Lord, have given that all to me. I now give it back to you, O Lord. All of it is yours. Dispose of it according to your will. Give me love of yourself along with your grace, for that is enough for me. “

–St. Ignatius of Loyola