Pope Francis’ Encyclical Lumen Fidei for summer reading lists
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis’ first Encyclical letter, Lumen Fidei or Light of
Faith, published in July, is an essential staple for any Catholic’s summer reading
list. Begun by Benedict XVI and finished by Pope Francis, Lumen Fidei is a key tool
for understanding our faith, ourselves and these two popes of the second millenium.
Speaking to pilgrims in Rome just days after the release of the Encyclical,
Pope Francis said, “For the Year of Faith, Pope Benedict XVI had started this Encyclical,
which follows on from those on charity and hope. I picked up this project and I have
finished it. I offer it with joy to the whole People of God: in fact, especially today,
we need to go to the essentials of the Christian faith, to deepen it, and to measure
current issues by it. But I think that this encyclical, at least in some parts, can
also be useful to those who are searching for God and for the meaning of life. I put
it in the hands of Mary, the perfect icon of faith, that it may bring in the fruits
that the Lord wants.”
In part one of a five part series, Monsignor John Kennedy,
an official at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, breaks down the encyclical
for us in easy to understand segments. In today's program, he begins by explaining
to Tracey McClure just what an encyclical is…. Listen to the conversation:
Msgr. Kennedy:
Like everyone, we have been listening for the last few weeks and months to Pope Francis
at his weekly audiences and the Angelus prayer on Sundays from Saint Peter’s Square.
The younger generations are following him on Facebook and Twitter, and the media in
general, including especially the Vatican Radio website, have been covering his various
visits and comments on world events.
We are here today because, as you rightly
say, his first encyclical has been published recently. The word encyclical is one
that we might not be too familiar with. In fact I only heard it for the first time
when I was training for the priesthood.
Let’s explain what it is. According
to its etymology, the word encyclical comes from Greek and means a circle and so it
is best described as a circular letter.
In the past it was rather difficult
for most people to know that the Pope had even written an encyclical because they
did not appear so easily in the public forum. It wasn’t for sale in most bookshops,
perhaps only in religious book stores, and there was no on-line version.
With
the modern means of communication it is now extremely easy to know all about what
the Pope writes because everything he says or does is available instantaneously and
on-line in a multitude of different languages. If you go to the Vatican website,
www.vatican.va you will see a link to the new encyclical by clicking on the image
of Pope Francis or by putting in the word encyclical or Light of Faith into the search
engine at the top right hand corner of the opening page. There you will see the text
very quickly.
Another thing might be especially interesting for our listeners.
I wondered might there be an audio book version of the encyclical available on-line
and I was fortunate to find one by simply by inserting the words lumen fidei audio
into a search engine. In this way busy people could listen to it while they are on
the move.
Question: Who has the Pope generally got in mind when he writes
an encyclical?
An encyclical letter has a wide readership. Generally when
the Pope writes an encyclical he is saying that he is concerned with matters which
affect the welfare of the Church at large. The timing of some encyclicals sometimes
coincides with great world events or sometimes marks an anniversary of some important
event.
If you look directly under the title of this or any encyclical letter
you will see to whom it is addressed. Usually this is to Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops
and Bishops. They can also be addressed to priests and members of the lay faithful.
However, it is really important to say that any person can read an encyclical, even
if you are not baptized or not Catholic.
Pope Francis’ first encyclical, dated
29th June, the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, is addressed as is traditional
to the Bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons and the lay faithful.
The
title of the letter is short and snappy: Lumen fidei. The light of faith. The theme
of the encyclical grabs our attention really quickly because we all know and appreciate
what light is. Our planet cannot survive without sunlight, for instance. Faith is
something that we need to know about as followers of Christ. The Pope wants to tell
us how faith is like light and address this question and to encourage us to deepen
our faith.
Question: This is the Year of Faith and so the timing and title
of the encyclical are very good. What can you tell us about this?
This
encyclical, by the fact that it contains the word faith, is tied in a very close way
to the Year of Faith which was inaugurated on the fiftieth anniversary of the opening
of the Second Vatican Council. This is itself a clear indication that Vatican II
was a Council on faith, inasmuch as it asked us to give first place to God in our
lives, both as a Church and as individuals. In some ways it is retelling the commandments
to love God as the first most important thing in our lives.
One reason why
the Church often looks back as it prepared to look forward is that, in recalling things
from the past, the Church is saying that it never takes faith or anything it has received
for granted, but knows that this gift of God needs to be nourished and reinforced
so that it can continue to guide the faithful on their pilgrim way.
In many
ways it is like making your way through a forest and checking the map from time to
time to make sure that you know where you have come from, where you are and where
you are going. The Second Vatican Council was like a light, something like a
light that you have on the roof on the inside of your car. The light of faith illumines
our human experience from within, and accompanies the men and women of our time on
their journey. Another thing that we can say about Vatican II is that it clearly
showed how faith enriches life in all its dimensions, especially in the modern world.
Question: If you have not read any of the documents of Vatican II, perhaps
this is the year to start. Many people are amazed to find how relevant the texts
are today, and would almost imagine that they had been written only recently. Would
you agree? Yes, completely. Moving ahead to our own time, and 50 years after
Vatican II, we know that Pope Benedict XVI wanted to make a link with what happened
50 years ago and for this reason he inaugurated the Year of Faith. In tying these
two moments in history together, Pope Benedict was showing that here we also have
an element of continuity. For this reason, in this encyclical we can see the handprints
of Benedict XVI and the pen of Pope Francis.
The encyclical supplements what
Benedict XVI has written in his encyclical letters on charity and hope. Benedict
XVI himself had almost completed a first draft of an encyclical on faith. For this
Pope Francis is deeply grateful to him, and as his brother in Christ and has taken
up his fine work and added a few contributions of his own.
Question: As
Catholics, are we obliged to read this encyclical or any of the documents of Vatican
II?
It is good to remember that there is no obligation on us to read this
or any encyclical letter. We are free to do so if we wish. Perhaps there is also
another connection between our freedom in this regard and the meaning of the Pope’s
name. Francis, in fact, means a free man.
My advice this is: there is something
quirky in the make-up human person to the effect that, when told to do something,
we will most likely want to do the opposite. Read it if you wish is my advice. You
won’t be sorry if you do.
Question: What is the structure of the encyclical
letter?
Before we speak about the encyclical, might I suggest to our listeners
that at some stage they download it and read it for themselves. In this way they
can take their time and ponder over a particular word or phrase which might help them.
Even to read a paragraph or two every day as spiritual reading might be very beneficial.
Let’s
speak about the structure now. The letter has sixty paragraphs devoted to the fundamental
religious question of our age such as “How are we to understand faith in a world which
dismisses it as mere sentiment or personal choice and, moreover, does not even understand
the concept of universal truth?”
The Pope begins to answer this question in
the first section by tracing the history of man’s response to faith to the present
moment.
Then there are four chapters, each drawn from a passage in sacred
Scripture: 1. We have believed in love. (1 Jn 4:16) 2. Unless
you believe, you will not understand. (Is 7:9) 3. I delivered to you what
I also received. (1 Cor 15:3) 4. God prepares a city for them. (Heb 11:16)
So
there are four key words: believing, understanding, handing on and Christian hope. *************** Look
out next week for part II of this five part series when Msgr Kennedy examines Chapter
I of Lumen Fidei....