| "This is the disciple who is bearing witness to these things, and who has written these things; and we know that his testimony is true." John 21:24 |
| "The Catholic Miscellany" February 9, 2006 “Pope’s encyclical, bishop’s book emphasize love” By Jeff Kirby |
After Pope Benedict XVI issued his first encyclical, “God is Love,” I asked a theologian here in Rome what he thought of the document. He
responded, “I loved it!” Although unintentional, it was an interesting pun because the encyclical’s principal subject is the Christian
understanding of love as inspired by I John, Chapter 3.
An encyclical, which comes from a Latin word meaning ”letter,” is one way for a pope to teach on a current issue in the church and the
world. A pope’s first encyclical is important because it demonstrates the chief interests and topics of the new pontiff. It can become a key to
understanding his teaching and governing of the Catholic Church.
In his opening paragraphs, Pope Benedict explains, “I wish in my first encyclical to speak of the love which God lavishes upon us and which
we in turn must share with others.”
As Catholics in South Carolina, the teaching of Christian love is still a fresh lesson, partly because of our spirit of hospitality, but also because
of the recent publication of “When Did We See You, Lord?” by Bishop Robert J. Baker and Father Benedict Groeschel. The book, like the
encyclical, gives a synthesis of Christian love.
Bishop Baker writes, “Belief in God should move us to empathize with the pain and suffering we often witness in real human beings,” and,
“We should reach out to those treated as though they were not fully human and do everything we can to restore their human dignity. Again,
we should realize that Our Lord is present in their person, crying out to us to save them.”
By choosing love as the starting point of his pontificate, Pope Benedict has demonstrated his keen awareness of the struggles with love in the
modern person and in society. He writes, “Today, the term ‘love’ has become one of the most frequently used and misused of words, a word
to which we attach quite different meanings.”
The pope attempts to present how a Christian should understand and order his love. He explains what a Christian should do when he realizes
that the way he loves someone or something is disordered, when it is immature, self-centered, or egotistical.
In similar fashion, Bishop Baker challenges the seven deadly sins, and exposes how they “prevent us from seeing and serving Jesus.” He
hopes that the meditations offered in his book can “help us recognize and overcome barriers to recognizing Jesus in our midst, so that we can
serve him.”
The pope likewise argues that Jesus Christ is the “flesh and blood” of love. He teaches that the cross, properly understood, is love in its most
radical form. Because the cross is the self-donation of Christ for humanity, the pope writes, “It is from there that our definition of love must
begin.”
Flowing from this understanding, the pope asserts that love must express itself in concrete acts of love to the poor and marginalized. Both
Pope Benedict and Bishop Baker are calling the church back to a greater identity as a community of disciples who love one another and seek
to selflessly serve others.
It was a surprise to many that Pope Benedict would begin his teaching office with the basic lesson of love. Some would have hoped for a
more specified religious subject, while others desired an assessment of complicated church issues. The pope wasn’t seeking to be simplistic,
nor dodge necessary subjects. Bishop Baker, in writing his book, wasn’t attempting to bypass diocesan problems or ignore essential issues.
Both men, as ministers of the Gospel, vehemently sought to give a concerted summons back to the heart of the Gospel. It is too easy for
many of the church’s ethical or pastoral positions to be misunderstood or confused.
By starting with love, Pope Benedict and Bishop Baker were returning to the first principle and foundation of the Christian faith. They were
giving the universal church as well as secular society a reminder of the meaning and purpose of life and its proper order. It is a reality and
message always in need of being clarified and repeated.
Jeff Kirby, is a seminarian of the Diocese of Charleston studying at the North American College in Rome.
responded, “I loved it!” Although unintentional, it was an interesting pun because the encyclical’s principal subject is the Christian
understanding of love as inspired by I John, Chapter 3.
An encyclical, which comes from a Latin word meaning ”letter,” is one way for a pope to teach on a current issue in the church and the
world. A pope’s first encyclical is important because it demonstrates the chief interests and topics of the new pontiff. It can become a key to
understanding his teaching and governing of the Catholic Church.
In his opening paragraphs, Pope Benedict explains, “I wish in my first encyclical to speak of the love which God lavishes upon us and which
we in turn must share with others.”
As Catholics in South Carolina, the teaching of Christian love is still a fresh lesson, partly because of our spirit of hospitality, but also because
of the recent publication of “When Did We See You, Lord?” by Bishop Robert J. Baker and Father Benedict Groeschel. The book, like the
encyclical, gives a synthesis of Christian love.
Bishop Baker writes, “Belief in God should move us to empathize with the pain and suffering we often witness in real human beings,” and,
“We should reach out to those treated as though they were not fully human and do everything we can to restore their human dignity. Again,
we should realize that Our Lord is present in their person, crying out to us to save them.”
By choosing love as the starting point of his pontificate, Pope Benedict has demonstrated his keen awareness of the struggles with love in the
modern person and in society. He writes, “Today, the term ‘love’ has become one of the most frequently used and misused of words, a word
to which we attach quite different meanings.”
The pope attempts to present how a Christian should understand and order his love. He explains what a Christian should do when he realizes
that the way he loves someone or something is disordered, when it is immature, self-centered, or egotistical.
In similar fashion, Bishop Baker challenges the seven deadly sins, and exposes how they “prevent us from seeing and serving Jesus.” He
hopes that the meditations offered in his book can “help us recognize and overcome barriers to recognizing Jesus in our midst, so that we can
serve him.”
The pope likewise argues that Jesus Christ is the “flesh and blood” of love. He teaches that the cross, properly understood, is love in its most
radical form. Because the cross is the self-donation of Christ for humanity, the pope writes, “It is from there that our definition of love must
begin.”
Flowing from this understanding, the pope asserts that love must express itself in concrete acts of love to the poor and marginalized. Both
Pope Benedict and Bishop Baker are calling the church back to a greater identity as a community of disciples who love one another and seek
to selflessly serve others.
It was a surprise to many that Pope Benedict would begin his teaching office with the basic lesson of love. Some would have hoped for a
more specified religious subject, while others desired an assessment of complicated church issues. The pope wasn’t seeking to be simplistic,
nor dodge necessary subjects. Bishop Baker, in writing his book, wasn’t attempting to bypass diocesan problems or ignore essential issues.
Both men, as ministers of the Gospel, vehemently sought to give a concerted summons back to the heart of the Gospel. It is too easy for
many of the church’s ethical or pastoral positions to be misunderstood or confused.
By starting with love, Pope Benedict and Bishop Baker were returning to the first principle and foundation of the Christian faith. They were
giving the universal church as well as secular society a reminder of the meaning and purpose of life and its proper order. It is a reality and
message always in need of being clarified and repeated.
Jeff Kirby, is a seminarian of the Diocese of Charleston studying at the North American College in Rome.