August 11, 2009

I was away last week for a little r&r and used some of the time to catch up on my reading. My goal included some fairly heavy and intense material beginning with Benedict XVI's latest encyclical Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth).
From there I moved on to Dignitas Personae (The Dignity of the Person). which was issued in September 2008 and treats certain Bioethical Questions. For ligher fare, which actually wasn't as light as I thought, I wanted to fulfill the desire of reading a life of the Cure of Ars - St. John Vianney, as we begin this "Year of the Priest". Father George Rutler's book was anything but light reading. But, focusing my powers of concentration, I did it and finished the biography a day or two after the August 4 feast day of John Vianney.

Raeding the encyclical and the Dignity of the Person made me reflect on my Catholic faith and also made me proud of my Church and her leadership. The Pope lays it out quite clearly - no gray areas . Benedict frequently cites the encyclical letter of Pope Paul VI, viz., Populorum Progressio (The Progress of Peoples). It was written some forty years ago and the present Holy Father shows how Paul VI addressed important ethical questions without giving in to the cultural weaknesses of the time. Benedict reinforces what Paul VI wrote about the urgent need for reform in the face of great problems of injustice in the development of peoples. Courageous actions need to be taken without delay.

Papa Ratzinger uses the term "the current crisis" saying it presents an opportunity for discernment in which to shape a new vision for the future. He writes that the world's wealth is growing but so are inequalities and the emergence of new forms of poverty.

In other words, I feel the good Pope is challenging all of us to be honest. Corruption, Illegal ventures and greed have sown the seeds for "the current crisis".

There is much in Caritas in Veritate. Give it a shot. Be patient, it's not an easy read. Benedict does not water down the truth nor does he seek popularity. True charity comes in speaking the truth.

Finally, one thought today on Vianney. While I never really paid a lot of attention to this saint - I think the pictures and statues of him always put me off - in spite of certain eccentricities - there is a human-ness about him that I rather like. He told it like it is. He would have liked Benedict.