CHURCH IN FOCUS:
Caritas in Veritate -18
09 October 2011

Pope Benedict XVI in the Encyclical Caritas in Veritate says that All our knowledge, even the most simple, is always a minor miracle, since it can never be fully explained by the material instruments that we apply to it. In every truth there is something more than we would have expected, in the love that we receive there is always an element that surprises us. We should never cease to marvel at these things. In all knowledge and in every act of love the human soul experiences something “over and above”, which seems very much like a gift that we receive, or a height to which we are raised. The development of individuals and peoples is likewise located on a height, if we consider the spiritual dimension that must be present if such development is to be authentic. It requires new eyes and a new heart, capable of rising above a materialistic vision of human events, capable of glimpsing in development the “beyond” that technology cannot give. By following this path, it is possible to pursue the integral human development that takes its direction from the driving force of charity in truth.
Without God man neither knows which way to go, nor even understands who he is. In the face of the enormous problems surrounding the development of peoples, which almost make us yield to discouragement, we find solace in the sayings of our Lord Jesus Christ, who teaches us: “Apart from me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5) and then encourages us: “I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Mt 28:20). As we contemplate the vast amount of work to be done, we are sustained by our faith that God is present alongside those who come together in his name to work for justice. Paul VI recalled in Populorum Progressio that man cannot bring about his own progress unaided, because by himself he cannot establish an authentic humanism. Only if we are aware of our calling, as individuals and as a community, to be part of God's family as his sons and daughters, will we be able to generate a new vision and muster new energy in the service of a truly integral humanism.
The greatest service to development, then, is a Christian humanism that enkindles charity and takes its lead from truth, accepting both as a lasting gift from God. Openness to God makes us open towards our brothers and sisters and towards an understanding of life as a joyful task to be accomplished in a spirit of solidarity. On the other hand, ideological rejection of God and atheism of indifference, oblivious to the Creator and at risk of becoming equally oblivious to human values, constitute some of the chief obstacles to development today. A humanism which excludes God is an inhuman humanism. Only a humanism open to the Absolute can guide us in the promotion and building of forms of social and civic life — structures, institutions, culture and ethos — without exposing us to the risk of becoming ensnared by the fashions of the moment. Awareness of God's undying love sustains us in our laborious and stimulating work for justice and the development of peoples, amid successes and failures, in the ceaseless pursuit of a just ordering of human affairs. God's love calls us to move beyond the limited and the ephemeral, it gives us the courage to continue seeking and working for the benefit of all, even if this cannot be achieved immediately and if what we are able to achieve, alongside political authorities and those working in the field of economics, is always less than we might wish. God gives us the strength to fight and to suffer for love of the common good, because he is our All, our greatest hope.
Development needs Christians with their arms raised towards God in prayer, Christians moved by the knowledge that truth-filled love, caritas in veritate, from which authentic development proceeds, is not produced by us, but given to us. For this reason, even in the most difficult and complex times, besides recognizing what is happening, we must above all else turn to God's love. Development requires attention to the spiritual life, a serious consideration of the experiences of trust in God, spiritual fellowship in Christ, reliance upon God's providence and mercy, love and forgiveness, self-denial, acceptance of others, justice and peace. All this is essential if “hearts of stone” are to be transformed into “hearts of flesh” (Ezek 36:26), rendering life on earth “divine” and thus more worthy of humanity. All this is of man, because man is the subject of his own existence; and at the same time it is of God, because God is at the beginning and end of all that is good, all that leads to salvation: “the world or life or death or the present or the future, all are yours; and you are Christ's; and Christ is God's” (1 Cor 3:22-23). Christians long for the entire human family to call upon God as “Our Father!” In union with the only-begotten Son, may all people learn to pray to the Father and to ask him, in the words that Jesus himself taught us, for the grace to glorify him by living according to his will, to receive the daily bread that we need, to be understanding and generous towards our debtors, not to be tempted beyond our limits, and to be delivered from evil (cf. Mt 6:9-13).
At the conclusion of the Pauline Year, I gladly express this hope in the Apostle's own words, taken from the Letter to the Romans: “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honour” (Rom 12:9-10). May the Virgin Mary — proclaimed Mater Ecclesiae by Paul VI and honoured by Christians as Speculum Iustitiae and Regina Pacis — protect us and obtain for us, through her heavenly intercession, the strength, hope and joy necessary to continue to dedicate ourselves with generosity to the task of bringing about the “development of the whole man and of all men”.
Caritas in Veritate is a challenging and wide-ranging document in which long passages of theological reflection and social analysis alternate with short sections on practical issues, which are already part of people’s experience. It encapsulates and reflects a living tradition, affirming much of what is already being done, and urging people to live out their faith in society with confidence. It raises interesting questions about how the Church’s social teaching is disseminated. Until the text is more accessible it is unlikely to be widely read; it is more likely to filter down through local teaching. The English and Welsh Bishops’ statement in March, for example, choosing the Common Good, develops the insights of Caritas in Veritate, particularly in relation to civil society. The encyclical will continue to shape and inform the work of the Church’s social and development agencies.
Development is a journey, and Benedict, echoing the words of Paul VI, invites us to travel the path with all our hearts and intelligence, with the ardour of charity and the wisdom of truth, seeking development which takes people from less human to more human conditions. “The current crisis obliges us to re-plan our journey, to set ourselves new rules and discover new forms of commitment, to build on positive experiences and reject negative ones. The crisis therefore becomes an opportunity for discernment, in which to shape a new vision for the future.” (CV21) Pope Benedict has surveyed the decades from Populorum Progressio, developed his thinking and that of his predecessors, and offered us a sobering but ultimately optimistic assessment of where we are, and the direction in which we need to go. We are all invited to join him.
Walker summarized the practical outcomes of Pope Benedict's teaching: “When authentic charity and the pre-eminence of individual human dignity, based on an authentic understanding of God and of man, is not included in any human equation—whether it is a corporate, charitable, political, environmental, social or economic consideration— then some level of destruction of innocent life and of society follows.” She also noted Pope Benedict’s emphasis on gratitude as a response to the gift of human life and the gift of God to us. “Caritas in veritate could be described as providing universal, undeniable, fundamental criteria against which we must test and evaluate business, corporate, political, social, economic, family, and charitable activities and decisions.” This encyclical deals with the human situations such as global, social, political, ethical and economic and directs individuals to conceptualise the doctrine of the Church. The encyclical takes great care to provide the total understanding of man in his daily ordinary activities of life and leads them to their spiritual fulfilment. It is a guide to every person to live fully their responsibility and duty to lead others to Christ. Caritas in Veritate is a magnificent gift to the world from the point of view of Catholic Social Teaching and gives a descriptive account of the activities and perspectives found in the spheres of social action in the church.

Fr. Eugene Lobo, SJ