"The concept of neighbor is universalized"

The facade of the house north of us above the retaining wall has something of a sweet if silly face. We captured it two winters ago on our Christmas card, featured in our first blog post December 12, 2003.

Extremists from various creeds hide their demented actions behind the facade of faith," writes Pierpaolo Barbieri in The Harvard Salient re Benedetto's first encyclical, "the instrument by which the pontiff instructs the Church's flock, as an expansion and explanation of a simple, fundamental concept advanced by the early Church and largely forgotten today":

Pope Benedict sublimely answers the challenges of the modern world by reminding the world of Christianity's prime, revolutionary dogma: love . . .

Socially, plummeting birth rates challenge the backbone of our polities, especially those in Europe, as well as the survival of our values in generations to come. At the same time, secular fanatics, in the world and on campus, irrevocably see religion as a form of stagnant literalism, a mere modern synonym of "alchemy." And economically, unruly welfare systems provide disincentives for work in certain societies.

Speaking of facades, check out the WSJ's "Why Cars Got Angry: Seeing Demonic Grins, Glaring Eyes? Auto Makers Add Edge to Car 'Faces . . . Car makers have long talked about the 'face' of a car -- headlights for eyes, grille for a mouth and the bumper as jaws -- and auto designers say the difference between a hit and a flop may come down to a vehicle's visage. Car makers used to strive for an inviting face, but lately they're pushing an edgier look: Car faces that look meaner, angrier and, at times, even downright evil." We happened to come upon a Mercedes C Class sedan in the Stop & Shop parking lot today that appeared to be bucking the tide. Pretty little silver model. We walked around to the front to check out its face:  A total sweetheart, friendly and engaging. It takes all kinds.

"Reaching the end of the first half of the encyclical, Benedict states that the Church is not against secular philosophy; citing the Jewish Torah, he justifies the existence of a philosophy of man springing from God's care for humanity," continues the Salient's Barbieri:

The spirit of a Kantian humanism seems to breathe in the Pope's lines. But once again, the meaning transcends abstract ideals: using the image of Jesus Christ, be it as a Messiah or a mere symbol, the encyclical addresses our personal duties for fellow human beings. "After Jesus," he writes, "the concept of neighbor is universalized."

This introduces yet another moment to clarify the Church's dogma: contrary to popular assumptions, the Pope is strictly against the overlapping of state and church. Opposing the extremists from a myriad of religions, Benedict stresses, just like Dante in his time, that temporal and spiritual power must remain separate in order to properly protect duties and prevent perversions. We could even add that this secures rights and responsibilities on both sides of the equation: "Fundamental to Christianity is the distinction between what belongs to Caesar and what belongs to God." [Haven't we always said? --ed] Reaching the end, we are reminded that, just like building a working society, the effort has to spring from ourselves, and not just our states.

We're no angels, but we love this pope, big time.

Comments

[Laura Lee Donoho]

So much richness here, so much sisu has given me to think about. The Pope who loves cats and understands God's love for humanity. The fact that houses and cars have faces. One interesting thing I like about The Sopranos is the face on Tony's house. Facades...faces. It's how we make our judgements and sometimes they are superficial but often they are not.

[Teresa]

While Pope Benedict expresses lovely sentiments and has some appealing writing... until he cleans up the upper echelons of the Catholic Church hierarchy - I have a difficult time being moved by his thoughts on humanity.

Dealing with lofty ideals is an excellent thing. Giving an over all mission statement of the church and how it fits into modern life... all well and good. But Cardinal Law still sits untouched by the laws of the US in the Vatican - protected by that same Pope... Priests who have preyed on their parishioners continue to hold positions of power in churches around the world.

I'm not sure which person is worse - the one who inflicts the harm directly or the one who has the power to stop it, yet does nothing. Anyone can be a deep thinker and espouse lofty ideals - the real trick is living up to them.

I guess if you want to look at the lovely overview, my objections seem petty. Yet if this was the leader of a country espousing lofty, flowery goals... we would certainly look at his treatment of the common people in his country and object strongly to outright abuse of them. His willingness to turn a blind eye to the "indiscretions" of his generals would not be given a pass because he has a way with words and says things that sound nice.

[MartiniPundit]

Yes another reason to be impressed with our new Pope. By their fruits ye shall know them indeed!

[goomp]

Persons of genuine goodwill are most important. They need to more than profess goodwill. Their actions must be a constructive demonstration of what they espouse. In addition they must allow room for discussion of the true merits of their ideas. Such men founded the the United States and other successful free societies of the world.

[GayleMiller]

I freely admit to being human. And being human means striving to be like the angels - doesn't mean we've arrived there or are even close. But the EFFORT is what counts. And, I believe, this Pope is making wonderful efforts minute-by-minute. I wasn't particularly impressed when he was first elected but again, day by day, minute-by-minute, I am feeling more connected to my Church than at any time in many, many years (and a hat tip to The Anchoress and Sissy for helping me on that spiritual journey as well) and more at peace with myself as a result. Not a bad thing by anyone's estimate, I would think.

And don't ever underestimate the power of loving cats! It is a very healing thing.