Adult Faith Formation

In this first chapter, Pope Francis names key challenges, or “dark clouds,” of our time: the rise of self-interest and exclusive nationalism, limitless consumption, lack of a shared vision for our human family, pursuing economic interests at the expense of ethical considerations, and cultivating fear and hostility instead of a community of belonging and solidarity. All of these are challenges for Christians and other people of good will to actively counter with love, justice, encounter, and hope.

Here, Pope Francis applies the Parable of the Good Samaritan to our contemporary experiences (Luke 10: 25-37). At the heart of the parable is a call to love all people as our neighbor, especially those from whom we would rather look away or ignore. Francis challenges us to recognize these tendencies towards indifference as signs of an unhealthy society—yet a society that we can change and re-orient towards love and compassion. In Francis’s words, “Let us seek out others and embrace the world as it is, without fear of pain or a sense of inadequacy, because there we will discover all the goodness that God has planted in human hearts” (78).

Francis challenges us on what authentic fraternity, social friendship, and solidarity rooted in love look like in lived practice. As individuals, families, communities, and nations, Francis calls us to consider to what extent our actions are expressions of love that knows no bounds—the love we receive from God. Of particular challenge to citizens of Western industrialized countries like ours, is Francis’ critique of self-serving decisions and policies made under the guise of “freedom.” He reminds us that the freedom God offers us is a freedom for the common good, freedom for loving and caring for one another.

Encountering Fratelli Tutti Recording from the Center for Mission on Feb. 24th, 2021. Chapter 3

Here, Pope Francis calls us as individuals, local communities, states, and nations to embody love for neighbor through just immigration and international policies. He highlights how when we encounter other cultures, we grow in love and appreciation of our own origins; there is mutual enrichment when sincere dialogue and exchange are sought.

Pope Francis highlights that though many of us shy away from politics and might even have been taught not to talk politics, political life is a way to act for the common good and is necessary! Individually we express charity through donating to causes or helping someone suffering; politically, we express charity through “working to change the social conditions that caused [the person’s] suffering” (186). “Good politics combines love with hope and with confidence in the reserves of goodness present in human hearts” (196).  

Pope Francis calls us to courageous and persistent commitment to dialogue—by which he means “approaching, speaking, listening, looking at, coming to know and understand one another, and to find common ground” in pursuit of the common good (198). As people of good will and of faith, he urges us individually, as families, communities, and nations to develop a heart for “meeting others, seeking points of contact, building bridges, planning project[s] that include everyone” (216).

In this chapter, Francis repeatedly calls for promoting peace in our individual lives, families, local communities, nations, and international relations. This is the hard work of the Gospel and is not merely an absence of violence or war. Francis means the active cultivation of healing, transformation, and peace that comes from seeking the common good in all our endeavors. In particular, he calls our world to renounce war and abolish the death penalty, two examples of how violence cannot stop the cycle of violence or achieve fullness of justice.

Francis names the goal of fraternity—living as brothers and sisters to all—as one that people of all faiths have a unique ability to live. While government organizations, the political sphere, and public institutions all might contribute to the common good, believers are uniquely grounded in the truth of the dignity of all people and creation. Pope Francis encourages all people of faith to live this truth in the entirety of their lives by growing into the call to become “artisans of peace” and bridge-builders through encounter and dialogue (284).

We close this bulletin series with one of the prayers with which Pope Francis concludes the encyclical:

Lord, Father of our human family, you created all human beings equal in dignity: pour forth into our hearts a fraternal spirit and inspire in us a dream of renewed encounter, dialogue, justice and peace. Move us to create healthier societies and a more dignified world, a world without hunger, poverty, violence and war. May our hearts be open to all peoples and nations of the earth. May we recognize the goodness and beauty that you have sown in each of us, and thus forge bonds of unity, common projects, and shared dreams. Amen.