I read Deus Caritas Est (God
is Love) by Pope Benedict XVI. I highly recommend it.
The writing is clear and well-structured. I have read encyclicals that were hard to follow, so finding a well-written one like this was a real pleasure.
Pope Benedict's examination of the nature of various kinds of love was familiar but worth reviewing, and his examination of God's love for us was reassuring. His explanations about our obligations on a personal level to carry out charitable activities and to seek social justice through love prompted some self-reflection on my part. Charity should be done not simply out of obligations or guilt, but out of love for our brothers and sisters.
He also notes that we should not rely on the state to carry our charity; where possible and practical it should be local and personal. Otherwise, it loses those senses of love and the personal.
As he says:
“The State which would provide everything, absorbing everything into itself, would ultimately become a mere bureaucracy incapable of guaranteeing the very thing which the suffering person—every person—needs: namely, loving personal concern. We do not need a State which regulates and controls everything, but a State which, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, generously acknowledges and supports initiatives arising from the different social forces and combines spontaneity with closeness to those in need. The Church is one of those living forces.”
I totally agree.
I look forward to reading his Jesus of Nazareth.
No comments:
Post a Comment