Fr. David Cinquegrani, C.P.
My trip home at Christmastime found me delayed in the Detroit Metro Airport for five long hours. Just enough time to read and ponder Pope Benedict XVI's new encyclical Spes Salvi (In Hope We Are Saved). The Latin title comes fromthe words in Romans 8:24 ("For in hope we are saved") and leads the reader into the understanding that without faith in God, the human race falls into despair and so can be capable of cruelty and injustice, but with hope, can be capable of almost any good and generous act. Benedict centers on the revelation of God in Jesus Christ but asserts that we put too much emphasis on personal salvation and not enough on the communal nature of redemption and what we must do for people around us as part of our moral obligation as Christians.
To bring these points home, the Pope, in this 76 page document, reviews the lives of saints from various times in history. Unfortunately, he did not include any lay persons in his examples of heroic Christians, though we all know many in our lives. As I sat in the airport, I watched intently as a family with three children, one of whom had Downs Syndrome, tried to pass the five hours in patient waiting. The love between and among them gave me a personal example of hope and reminded me that God is alive in each one of us and can be recognized easily by those who are searching.
My trip home at Christmastime found me delayed in the Detroit Metro Airport for five long hours. Just enough time to read and ponder Pope Benedict XVI's new encyclical Spes Salvi (In Hope We Are Saved). The Latin title comes fromthe words in Romans 8:24 ("For in hope we are saved") and leads the reader into the understanding that without faith in God, the human race falls into despair and so can be capable of cruelty and injustice, but with hope, can be capable of almost any good and generous act. Benedict centers on the revelation of God in Jesus Christ but asserts that we put too much emphasis on personal salvation and not enough on the communal nature of redemption and what we must do for people around us as part of our moral obligation as Christians.
To bring these points home, the Pope, in this 76 page document, reviews the lives of saints from various times in history. Unfortunately, he did not include any lay persons in his examples of heroic Christians, though we all know many in our lives. As I sat in the airport, I watched intently as a family with three children, one of whom had Downs Syndrome, tried to pass the five hours in patient waiting. The love between and among them gave me a personal example of hope and reminded me that God is alive in each one of us and can be recognized easily by those who are searching.
2 comments:
Having recently read Joel Osteen's book entitled "Your Best Life Now", I think that The Pope and Joel Osteen have a similar message. As difficult as it may be, trust in God is essential to right living. Joel talks about how we can influence others by decisions we make in our personal life. "Happiness is a choice" according to Joel, who says "Quit questioning God and start trusting Him".
I have not yet read the Pope's encyclical, but have read two different commentaries on it prior to Fr. David's. And, I have to agree with you...it all comes down to TRUSTING in God! Even in my own family I have to constantly remind them that we can only do so much and then there comes a time when we have to surrender the control and TRUST! I am also reminded that virtues imply action. If we are truly to have HOPE, we need to work towards the goal and at the same time know that it is not we who are in control, but God. Trust, Hope, Saved...they just seem like a natural fit!
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