Pope’s Keen Look at Love Would Make a Good Start for Lent

While the Christmas season seems to have just ended and while we are still in the grip of the throes of winter very soon we will be reminded that spring is nearly upon us. That reminder of spring is not necessarily the appearance of robins and crocuses but rather the coming of Lent. As we know it begins on Ash Wednesday and it is not too soon to begin our remote preparation for that day. I hope that the preparation for Ash Wednesday is far more spiritual and far more consistent with Lent than the traditional Mardi Gras parties and celebrations. To be honest, that is one tradition which never made a lick of sense to me. An evening of prayer and reflection, as one made final preparations for entry into this sacred time with our Lord, would be far more consistent with the dignity of the days and the seriousness of the season. Whether you engage in Mardi Gras type parties or not, I suggest that we need not exclude a proper preparation for Ash Wednesday.

I might suggest as a part of this year's Lenten practice the taking up and reading of Pope Benedict XVI's first Encyclical, Deus Caritas Est (God is Love). I was privileged to have been in Rome when it was released on January 25 and immediately acquired a copy. I was very taken by the firm and gentle style of this Pastor of the People of God. Allow me to comment on just a couple of sentences from the encyclical.

I made a very brief visit this morning to the local St. Vincent de Paul Society Social Service Center. The Holy Father references such work in the encyclical: “Significantly, our time has also seen the growth and spread of different kinds of volunteer work, which assume responsibility for providing a variety of services. I wish here to offer a special word of gratitude and appreciation to all those who take part in these activities in whatever way.” (30)

There are two other significant comments in the Encyclical which speak very much to the good work of St. Vincent de Paul Societies and which are likewise representative of the overall theme of the Encyclical. “Yet, while professional competence is a primary, fundamental requirement, it is not of itself sufficient. We are dealing with human beings, and human beings always need something more than technically proper care. They need humanity. They need heartfelt concern. Those who work for the Church's charitable organizations must be distinguished by the fact that they do not merely meet the needs of the moment, but they dedicate themselves to others with heartfelt concern, enabling them to experience the richness of their humanity.” (31) This, I believe, is something in which St. Vincent members excel. The Holy Father reiterates this theme: “Practical activity will always be insufficient, unless it visibly expresses a love for man, a love nourished by an encounter with Christ. My deep personal sharing in the needs and sufferings of others becomes a sharing of my very self with them: if my gift is not to prove a source of humiliation, I must give to others not only something that is my own, but my very self; I must be personally present in my gift.” (34) This, we can and must apply to every form of service and every gift we give to the Church.

The Holy Father points out the source of this genuinely other-centered and deeply personal love. “Consequently, in addition to their necessary professional training, these charity workers need a “formation of the heart”: they need to be led to that encounter with God in Christ which awakens their love and opens their spirits to others. As a result, love of neighbor will no longer be for them a commandment imposed, so to speak from without, but a consequence deriving from their faith, a faith which becomes active through love (cf. Galatians 5:6).” (31)

Finally, he warns against an excessive kind of secularism which can all too readily invade good, Christ-centered works of mercy unless that primary relationship with Christ is recognized and fostered as essential to the charitable mission. “It is time to reaffirm the importance of prayer in the face of activism and the growing secularism of many Christians engaged in charitable work. Clearly, the Christian who prays does not claim to be able to change God's plans or correct what he has foreseen. Rather, he seeks an encounter with the Father of Jesus Christ, asking God to be present with the consolation of the Spirit to him and his work.” (37)

I believe a thorough and reflective reading of this encyclical during the season of Lent could be a source of the kind of “conversion” we all need. Not only is the content of the encyclical most rewarding; there is also a sense of truly getting to meet and to know our present and dear Holy Father, Benedict XVI. His gentle pastoral concern for the People of God is readily evident. His deep faith in and commitment to a personal relationship with Christ is likewise clearly evident. His call for all to foster a genuine and authentic personal love for God and for neighbor is most touching. While the initial two or three sections may prove a bit challenging, for which reason reading them at the beginning of Lent when our resolve is strong is recommended, they are not so erudite as to exceed our capacity. There we get a glimpse of the excellence of the Holy Father's intellect and even if we fail to completely understand, we can grow in our admiration for the gift he is to our Church. So perhaps, instead of a Mardi Gras party, one could propose the purchase or downloading and printing of the encyclical in preparation for a reading of one section per day. Since there are 42 sections, some not longer than a single paragraph, the conclusion of the encyclical would nearly match the conclusion of Lent.

I hope that these few brief excerpts from this first encyclical of Pope Benedict and the clear application of that encyclical to our daily charitable and spiritual lives serves as a bit of an incentive, a bit of Lenten grace, to be moved to seek it out, take it up and read and study it. Perhaps by doing so we can make sure that this Lent is not only about what we hope to give up and lose but more fittingly about what we hope to receive and win.

I think this encyclical could serve as a wonderful gift to ourselves, a gift from the Holy Father to us, a gift, I am sure, he wants us all to receive. May your Mardi Gras truly prepare you for Lent.

Subscribe to CE
(It's free)

Go to Catholic Exchange homepage

MENU