I will not let some old man from Rome tell me...

...what to do.  So went one of my rants against the Catholic Church before my reconversion back to Christianity and conversion to Catholicism.  What I used to consider it's greatest weakness, I now consider to be it's greatest strength.  Now I embrace the fact that there is a pastoral leader who is able to shepherd Jesus' universal flock.  In particular, I love how the last two Popes have been great teachers.

Case in point, the Holy Father's latest encyclical Caritas in Veritate (Love in Truth).  You can get it at these locations.

• PDF at  New Advent dot org
• Text at New Advent dot org
• Vatican Link

It is a letter that touches on many things that I've thought about over the last couple of years.  I think it could be best summarized as:  "It's not about you."  A post at Fathers for Good has a great summary.

 

I've only been able to read bits and parts, but I can already say that it is well worth the time.  Here is a snippet from the conclusion.

Without God man neither knows which way to go, nor even understands who he is. In the face of the enormous problems surrounding the development of peoples, which almost make us yield to discouragement, we find solace in the sayings of our Lord Jesus Christ, who teaches us: “Apart from me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5) and then encourages us: “I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Mt 28:20). As we contemplate the vast amount of work to be done, we are sustained by our faith that God is present alongside those who come together in his name to work for justice. Paul VI recalled in Populorum Progressio that man cannot bring about his own progress unaided, because by himself he cannot establish an authentic humanism. Only if we are aware of our calling, as individuals and as a community, to be part of God's family as his sons and daughters, will we be able to generate a new vision and muster new energy in the service of a truly integral humanism. The greatest service to development, then, is a Christian humanism[157] that enkindles charity and takes its lead from truth, accepting both as a lasting gift from God. Openness to God makes us open towards our brothers and sisters and towards an understanding of life as a joyful task to be accomplished in a spirit of solidarity. On the other hand, ideological rejection of God and an atheism of indifference, oblivious to the Creator and at risk of becoming equally oblivious to human values, constitute some of the chief obstacles to development today. A humanism which excludes God is an inhuman humanism. Only a humanism open to the Absolute can guide us in the promotion and building of forms of social and civic life — structures, institutions, culture and ethos — without exposing us to the risk of becoming ensnared by the fashions of the moment. Awareness of God's undying love sustains us in our laborious and stimulating work for justice and the development of peoples, amid successes and failures, in the ceaseless pursuit of a just ordering of human affairs. God's love calls us to move beyond the limited and the ephemeral, it gives us the courage to continue seeking and working for the benefit of all, even if this cannot be achieved immediately and if what we are able to achieve, alongside political authorities and those working in the field of economics, is always less than we might wish[158]. God gives us the strength to fight and to suffer for love of the common good, because he is our All, our greatest hope.

Blessings to you.

Tim