“Will it ever be possible to obtain this brotherhood by human effort alone? As society becomes ever more globalized, it makes us neighbors but does not make us brothers. Reason, by itself, is capable of grasping the equality between men and of giving stability to their civic coexistence, but it cannot establish fraternity. This originates in a transcendent vocation from God the Father, who loved us first…” (Pope Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate, 11)
It’s really a simple truth, and logic would lead us to it if we could just step outside of ourselves and away from the din of the modern world for a time. Have we forgotten that we are not the Creator, but the creature in this vast and beautiful universe? Have we forgotten our ultimate destiny, of which the restlessness within us is always a reminder? Man is not “a lost atom in a random universe: he is God’s creature, whom God chose to endow with an immortal soul and whom he has always loved.” (CV 29)
Only through an encounter with God are we able to see in the other something more than just another creature, to recognize the divine image in the other, thus truly coming to discover him or her and to mature in a love that “becomes concern and care for the other.”
– CV 11
“At the heart of liberty is the right to define one’s own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life.”
– Planned Parenthood of Southeastern PA v. Casey (1992)
This is the general invitation in CV; for man to humbly accept his place in the universe as creature, but to rise up and recognize at the same time that man is the pinnacle of creation! The Pope states in CV18: “…the humility of those who accept a vocation is transformed into true autonomy, because it sets them free.” This freedom on our part plants our feet squarely on the ground where man encounters man; in the family, at church, in the marketplace, and the meeting spaces of the world. In the face to face encounter of every day life, love must be lived in truth, and that truth is ultimately this: God is our Father and we are His Children, and the human family is called to come home to Him, drawing in love our brothers and sisters along the way. “The Christian vocation to this development therefore applies to both the natural plane and the supernatural plane; which is why, “when God is eclipsed, our ability to recognize the natural order, purpose and the ‘good’ begins to wane.” (CV 18)
Charity in truth places man before the astonishing experience of gift. Gratuitousness is present in our lives in many different forms, which often go unrecognized because of a purely consumerist and utilitarian view of life. The human being is made for gift, which expresses and makes present his transcendent dimension. Sometimes modern man is wrongly convinced that he is the sole author of himself, his life and society. This is a presumption that follows from being selfishly closed in upon himself… (CV 34)
Pope Paul VI noted in his work that “the world is in trouble because of the lack of thinking” (Populorum Progressio 85). Thinking, pondering, and making space within us for that deep and loving gaze at reality is essential if we are to discern our purpose and place in the world. Benedict’s encyclical invites us into this wonderful and forgotten art of contemplation. As the holy season of Lent dawns upon us again, perhaps we should allow ourselves this time for peaceful reflection on those deeper questions of our existence, our purpose, and our call to authentic human development. With the help of the Holy Spirit, perhaps we will see things, all things, in a new light. Maybe our darkness is simply the edge of night, and the sun will soon rise over the human family. I believe with the help of Pope Benedict’s words, things are definitely looking up.
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