Denver Catholic

I n his new Encyclical, Pope Francis invites us to reflect on our universal fraternity. Its title – Fratelli Tutti – comes from an advice of St. Francis of Assisi: "Let us all, brothers (Fratelli Tutti), consider the Good Shepherd who to save His sheep bore the suf- fering of the Cross" (Admonitions, 6.1). Transformed by Christ, St. Francis was filled with a love that "transcends the barriers of geography and distance" (n. 1). He felt himself a brother to the sun, the sea and the wind, yet he knew that he was even closer to those of his own flesh (n. 2), especially the most vulnerable. Although there is a universal fra- ternity, in Christ we discover a deeper bond. We need to distinguish, there- fore, between our universal fraternity as God's creatures, and our fraternity in Christ as Christians. The former is fulfilled in the latter. In his encyclical, Pope Francis dis- cusses the parable of the Good Samar- itan, a stranger who helped another stranger without any consideration of race, nation, religion or color. He stopped, approached the man and cared for him personally. "He also gave him something that in our frenetic world we cling to tightly: he gave him his time" (n. 63). Like the saint of Assisi, the good Samaritan was able to recog- nize his brother in the stranger and to risk his life and goods for him. Finally, he brought him to the inn, which according to St. John Chrysostom and other Church Fathers, represents the Church. His attention for his neighbor was not completed until he brought him to Christ. Which is the brotherhood that exists among us? Sometimes we see ourselves as surrounded by wolves. This would seem to be the lesson of the first couple of brothers, Cain and Abel. However, universal fraternity is possible because we all come from the hands of God. Without him we would not be brothers but orphans. A universal fraternity without God is the one we find in the political and revolu- tionary program of the Enlightenment and of Marxism. In "The Meaning of Christian Brotherhood" (1960), Joseph Ratzinger described these non-Chris- tian versions of fraternity. The French Revolution proclaimed liberty, equality and fraternity, but differentiated rad- ically and bloodily between revolu- tionaries and non-revolutionaries. A similar deception is manifested today in masonry and its differentiated inner fraternal groups. Marxism likewise makes us "comrades," but not "broth- ers," because there is no common Father, there is no God. There is only the battle between capital and prole- tariat toward a classless society. In order to understand the truth of our universal fraternity and the proposal of Pope Francis, I believe we need to consider three important steps. First, our universal fraternity comes from God and the order he established in creation. We cannot be brothers without a father. As Pope Francis puts it, equality is not achieved "by an abstract proclamation that all men and women are equal" (n. 104). "Fraternity necessarily calls for some- thing greater, which in turn enhances freedom and equality" (n. 103). This is not just an idea or an energy, but a real person: God the Father of Jesus Christ. Secondly, because of our sin, such fra- ternity can only be recovered through the death and resurrection of Christ. Pope Francis declares that "for us the wellspring of human dignity and fra- ternity is in the Gospel of Jesus Christ" (n. 277). Finally, this universal bond is not yet complete until baptism, when we will be brothers in Christ. "You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers" (Mt 23:8). Like the Good Samaritan, we are not called to remain passive, but to go out and evangelize. The Holy Father closes his encyclical talking about blessed Charles de Foucauld, who wanted to be a "universal brother" to all who drew close to him. The mis- sionary fell in love with the mystery of the Incarnation. His greatest desire became to follow Christ with humility and poverty, and bring many to him: "I would like to be sufficiently good that people would say, 'If such is the servant, what must the Master be like?'" Fratelli Tutti: True fraternity is found in Christ G I F T N A M E S C I E L N O A H I L I A D A N T E A N N E C O L T S R H E A T I C B E N D A M A S S C Y R E N E C A L E B O L E I T A L I C L A V A L P Y R E S T O B D E A D P E A C E D E M I S O L A L A P A J A D E D N E A R E R D O M N U M B S J O S E P H P A T S Y V I C E I A M A M I S C H A N T M E G A R A N I A M I G O S T A R T H E E D O N O R G A R Y m o c . s c i l o h t a c r o f s e m a g d r o w . w w w BY FATHER LUIS GRANADOS Academic Dean and Associate Professor at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary I N - D E P TH 48 OCTOBER 2020 | DENVER CATHOLIC

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