Denver Catholic

CATHOLIC LIFE I 3 Denver Catholic Register I July 17, 2013 Faith is a light that guides, gives hope, pope says in first encyclical By Cindy Brovsky Pope Francis' priorities of faith serving the common good and giving hope to those who suffer, along with marriage being a union between one man and one woman, are emphasized in a document considered the highest form of papal teaching that was released on July 5. The first encyclical of his papacy, titled "Light of Faith," was signed by Pope Francis but Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI began the four chapters before he resigned in February. Pope Emeritus Benedict also previously published two encyclicals—considered an open letter to the entire Church—on charity and hope. This release coincides with the Church's Year of Faith and the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council. "We live in a culture that constantly questions the reasonability of faith," said Ben Akers, director of Denver Catholic Biblical School and Catechetical School. "This encyclical takes that challenge head on and gives good reasons to believe." Akers encourages all Catholics to read the document and share the message with non-Catholics. "Overall, the message that speaks to both Catholics and non-Catholics is that God has revealed himself and he wants to have a relationship with us," Akers said. "That relationship is what Christian faith is all about. The more we live our faith, the more the world will want to have that faith." In Chapter One, "We Have Believed in Love" the pope writes that faith should be shared and Catholics should open themselves to the love that transforms from within. "Faith is not a private matter, a completely individualistic notion or a personal opinion: it comes from hearing, and it is meant to find expression in words and to be proclaimed," the pope writes. Chapter Two, "Unless You Believe, You Will not Understand" reminds people to trust God, Akers said. "Without thinking, we trust that the architect's building won't fall on our heads, we trust the pharmacist who gives us medicine, and we trust the lawyer defending us in court. These are sinful people like us," Akers said. "So, why don't we trust the God who created us and loves us? This is a good question to examine our hearts." Chapter Three, "I Delivered to You What I Also Received" focuses on the importance of evangelization and the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and the Eucharist. The pope writes that faith should be considered "we" and not a private REAL LIFE CATHOLIC Christopher Stefanick What's natural law got to do with it? Photo by Jeffrey Bruno Five points of 'Lumen Fidei' Ben Akers, director of Denver Catholic Biblical School and Catechetical School, reflects on the following five points of the encyclical, which was released by Pope Francis on July 5. 1. aith is illuminating. Faith is a light that shines on all aspects F of our life. In the dark we can't see anything but in the light we can. Faith is not something we "do" just on Sunday mornings at Church but a gift that enlivens everything in our life especially our marriage and family life. 2. aith is transformative. We will be transformed into the man F or woman God created us to be through faith, hope and love. We will begin to see the world as Jesus sees the world. We can only understand ourselves by including a good and loving Creator in the equation. 3. aith is personal. Faith is a gift given to us as individuals by F the Holy Spirit. We need to accept that gift personally and grow in our faith journey. 4. aith involves the Church. We receive the gift of faith from F others in the Church. We don't come to the faith through our own but through others sharing that gift with us. Through faith we participate in the faith the Church has professed for more than 2,000 years. In the Church's sacraments, we are able to reach out and touch Jesus in our life today. 5. aith is a journey. The gift of faith is not the end but the F beginning of our journey with God.  It should grow along the path of this life. Faith is a great adventure with Jesus through life. Pope Francis encourages us to take Mary, the mother of Jesus, as our role model and help in this adventure. "Faith is not a light which scatters all our darkness, but a lamp which guides our steps in the night and suffices for the journey," writes Pope Francis. relationship with God. "It is impossible to believe on our own. Faith is not simply an individual decision," he writes. In the final chapter "God Prepares a City for Them," the pope writes about marriage and the importance of children. "This union is born of their love, as a sign and presence of God's own love, and of the acknowledgement and acceptance of the goodness of sexual differentiation, whereby spouses can become one flesh and are enabled to give birth to a new life," the pope writes. Pope Francis also focuses on the need to be of service to the poor, a benchmark of his papacy, and imparting faith to the young. He cites his namesake, St. Francis of Assisi, and Blessed Mother Teresa as examples of faithful who have ministered to the suffering. "Faith is not a light which 'Lumen Fidei' To read the encyclical "Lumen Fidei" scan the QR code or visit http://www.vatican.va/holy_ father/francesco/encyclicals/ documents/ papa-francesco_20130629_ enciclica-lumen-fidei_ en.html scatters all our darkness, but a lamp which guides our steps in the night and suffices for the journey," he writes. "To those who suffer, God does not provide arguments which explain everything; rather his response is that of an accompanying presence, a history of goodness which touches every story of suffering and opens up a ray of light." Article 3 of DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act), which affirmed the federal definition of marriage as a union between one man and one woman, was overturned last month, further paving the way for "gay marriage" to become the law of the land. Here's the catch, and why I'm not overly distressed: the gay marriage movement can't really "win." That's because the definition of marriage isn't rooted in bigotry or in some antiquated religious ideal. It's rooted in natural law, and natural law isn't going anywhere. To clarify, "natural law" is not "the stuff we see occurring in nature." If we were to take animal behavior as the gold standard for human ethics we might find ourselves in a bit of trouble. Natural law refers to the moral code written on the human heart. It enables us to "read" the law that can be found in the very nature and design of things. Marriage, as we've always known it, wasn't invented by a group of bishops. It arose from the nature of our procreating bodies. Long before it was etched into legal documents or canon law, marriage was etched into our flesh. At the risk of over-simplifying this: one can almost imagine, tens of thousands of years ago, cavemen "discovering" that the sex drive is ordered, by its nature, to the union of man and woman so that they can carry on the human race. Since children come from sex and demand so much responsibility, a caveman probably had to swear to commit to that woman before the other people in the cave, lest the cave chief hit him with a club for turning cave life into chaos—and marriage was born! It's no accident that marriage has been between a man and woman and has involved a public ritual in virtually every culture throughout history. (Even in ancient Sparta where homosexual activity wasn't considered taboo, men didn't marry one another.) That's not because all cultures have been in intolerant or homophobic. It's because marriage arose from the nature of our procreating bodies. As important as the affection a couple shares is, that's not why marriage has been enshrined and protected by public vows, rituals and laws throughout history—as if marriage were some glorified form of dating. Affection doesn't require a lifelong, legally binding commitment. That's overkill. Children do. The institution of marriage is about them. The reason the act that consummates a marriage speaks volumes isn't because of strong feelings, it's because, by its nature, it is ordered to new life which requires no less than the lifelong commitment of the parents. (And that "body language" between husband and wife remains, even if by some genetic accident conception is impossible.) Gay marriage is a final severing of that ideal. It's the lifeless fruit of the sexual revolution. It's all about us adults now. Of course it's easier for the proponents of gay marriage to overlook discussions of natural law or the good of children, label us "bigots" and be done with it. According to Justice Scalia, that's exactly what the Supreme Court has done. "It is one thing for a society to elect change," he said, "it is another for a court of law to impose change by adjudging those who oppose it hostis humani generis, 'enemies of the human race.'" Though we fail to live up to that label. In the 2,000-year history of the Church you won't find a single bishop on record calling for physical violence against gays. I don't "hate" or "fear" people with same-sex attraction. Nor does any Catholic clergyman I've ever met. I've had close friends who were living a gay lifestyle. While I disagree with some of their choices, judging their souls is above my pay grade. What we take issue with is the idea of gay marriage, not "gay" people. What we take issue with is a redefinition of marriage, not things like hospital visitation rights. Those who fight for gay marriage tell us all they want is equality, and some of them are well-intentioned people who mean that sincerely. But equality isn't how this See Stefanick, Page 4

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