Spe Salvi (Saved by Hope)

It's Here! Papa Benedetto's 2nd Encyclical Spe Salvi (Saved by Hope) is out. & I am anxiously looking forward to reading it. The Vatican website doesn't have it up yet. But, The Catholic News Agency does have the text posted on its website. (here)

Here is the introductory section:

1. “SPE SALVI facti sumus”—in hope we were saved, says Saint Paul to the Romans, and likewise to us (Rom 8:24). According to the Christian faith, “redemption”—salvation—is not simply a given. Redemption is offered to us in the sense that we have been given hope, trustworthy hope, by virtue of which we can face our present: the present, even if it is arduous, can be lived and accepted if it leads towards a goal, if we can be sure of this goal, and if this goal is great enough to justify the effort of the journey.

Now the question immediately arises: what sort of hope could ever justify the statement that, on the basis of that hope and simply because it exists, we are redeemed? And what sort of certainty is involved here?

From my scanning of the rest of it it looks like Papa Benedetto has written a document that will not only teach, but challenge its readers to live out the hope we are called to. It starts out with a solidly scripturally based reflection on the relation of faith & hope. Then he goes on to discuss what Christian hope is & isn't.

Next he goes on to give some practical suggestings for "learning & practicing hope". The 1st is, no surprize, prayer. Then he challenges us to put our hope into action. He talks about the role suffering plays in growing in hope. Modern man wants to avoid suffering & even totally eliminate it. & there are times when it is right to do so. However he points out that "It is when we attempt to avoid suffering by withdrawing from anything that might involve hurt, when we try to spare ourselves the effort and pain of pursuing truth, love, and goodness, that we drift into a life of emptiness, in which there may be almost no pain, but the dark sensation of meaninglessness and abandonment is all the greater. It is not by sidestepping or fleeing from suffering that we are healed, but rather by our capacity for accepting it, maturing through it and finding meaning through union with Christ, who suffered with infinite love."

Papa Benedetto goes on to remind us that some day we will all stand before God & be judged. He reminds us that The Last Judgement is "but an image of hope; for us it may even be the decisive image of hope." Again he goes on to challenge us in living out this fact.

Finally he talks about The Blessed Virgin Mary & her role as "a star of hope for us".

Like I said, I just picked up all this from scanning the text. I can hardly wait to feast on all that is in the encyclical. God has used Papa Benedetto in a powerful way here give us an aide in growing in living our faith. & I don't think it is any coincidence that the encyclical has come out 2 days before the start of Advent. In fact, it looks like it will be an excellent tool to use as a part of our Advent preparation for Christmas. Advent is a season of hope where we reflect on not only the hope that the Jewish people had in awaiting the Messiah, but also on the hope of Christ's return at the end of time. We are called to respond to the challenge of John the Baptist to "Prepare ye the way of the Lord!" (Matthew 3:3, Mark 1:2, Luke 3:4).

It is also appropriate that the encyclical was issued on the feast of St. Andrew. Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist. & when John pointed out Jesus as the "Lamb of God", Andrew was the 1st to become 1 of Jesus' disciples. (John 1:35-40)

As an aside, usually an encyclical has been announced on the date of signing & then released several days to weeks later. This time arround it has been handled differently. The texts were prepared in advance so it could be issued the same day as the Pope' officially signing off on it. Again, I don't see this as coincidence, but God's plan to see that we have this tool to help us in our preparing for Christmas this Advent.

Added 2 December 2007 3:29 AM

Spe Salvi is now available on the Vatican website. & Zenit has it here.