“Faith is no refuge for the fainthearted, but something which enhances our lives,” says Pope Francis in his first encyclical, Lumen Fidei (The Light of Faith).
“It makes us aware of a magnificent calling, the vocation of love,” he says. “It assures us that this love is trustworthy and worth embracing, for it is based on God’s faithfulness which is stronger than our every weakness.”
The encyclical celebrates Christian faith as the guiding light of a “successful and fruitful life”, inspiring social action as well as devotion to God, and illuminating “every aspect of human existence”, including philosophy and the natural sciences.
The encyclical was begun by Pope Benedict XVI, before his resignation, and completed by Pope Francis, who referred to the document as the work of “four hands”.
Pope Francis writes that anyone who shows love for others is taking the first steps toward faith: “Anyone who sets off on the path of doing good to others is already drawing near to God, is already sustained by his help, for it is characteristic of the divine light to brighten our eyes whenever we walk towards the fullness of love.”
The Pope emphasises that faith is “not a private matter, a completely individualistic notion or a persona opinion”.
“It is impossible to believe on our own,” he writes. “By its very nature, faith is open to the ‘we’ of the church; it always takes place within her communion.”
He also insists that faith without truth “does not provide a sure footing”, but is only “something capable of satisfying us to the extent that we are willing to deceive ourselves”.
The truth of faith, however, shouldn’t make believers “presumptuous” or “inflexible”. Reiterating one of his favourite themes, the Pope stresses that the “security of faith sets us on a journey; it enables witness and dialogue with all”.
In the family, he says, children grow in faith as they learn to trust in the love of their parents. “This is why it is so important that within their families parents encourage shared expressions of faith which can help children gradually to mature in their own faith.”
Sources:
Lumen Fidei text (The Holy See)
Image: Yahoo! News
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