"GREAT GIFT"

The light of Faith: this is how the Church's tradition speaks of the great gift brought by Jesus... Christ says of Himself: "I have come as light in the world, that whoever believes in Me may not remain in darkness" (Jn 12:46). (1)

CONTEMPORARY OBJECTIONS

Yet in speaking of the light of faith, we can almost hear the objections of many of our contemporaries. In modernity, that light might have been considered sufficient for societies of old, but was felt to be of no use for modern times ... (2)

"URGENT NEED"

There is an urgent need ... to see once again that faith is a light, for once the flame of faith dies out, all other lights begin to dim. (4)

POWERFUL AND UNIQUE

The light of faith is unique since it is capable of illuminating every aspect of human existence. A light this powerful cannot come from ourselves ... It must come from God. (4)

IN NEED OF LIGHT

It is this light of faith that I would now like to consider. so that it can grow and enlighten the present, becoming a star to brighten the horizon of our journey at a time when mankind is particularly in need of light. (4)

"GOD'S FREE GIFT"

Faith is God's free gift, which call for humility, and the courage to trust and to entrust; it enables us to see the luminous path leading to the encounter of God and humanity: the history of salvation. (14)

"A PERFECT LOVE"

Christian faith is ... faith in a perfect love, in its decisive power, in its ability to transform the world and to unfold its history... In the love of God revealed in Jesus, faith perceives the foundation on which all reality and its final destiny rest. (15)

SEE LIKE JESUS

Faith does not merely gaze at Jesus, but sees things as Jesus Himself sees them, with His own eyes; it is participation in His way of seeing. (18)

REALITY'S DEEPEST MEANING

Far from divorcing us from reality, our faith in the Son of God made man in Jesus of Nazareth enables us to grasp reality's deepest meaning and to see how much God loves this world and is constantly guiding it towards Himself. This leads us, as Christians, to live our lives in this world with ever greater commitment and intensity. (18)

(Encyclical Lumen Fidei, issued 6/29/2013)