Lumen Fidei

I love this picture, don't you?

Have you read Lumen Fidei, the encyclical written with four hands, yet?  I confess that I was a bit distracted trying to figure out which part was written by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and which was written by our current pontiff, Francis.  I decided that the last chapter was completely Francis because it seemed so easy to read and I found so much inspiration in it, although the whole document was fabulous.  Here's what I loved the most:

"Faith is no refuge for the fainthearted, but something which enhances our lives. It makes us aware of a magnificent calling, the vocation of love. It assures us that this love is trustworthy and worth embracing, for it is based on God’s faithfulness which is stronger than our every weakness." 

"Faith teaches us to see that every man and woman represents a blessing for me, that the light of God’s face shines on me through the faces of my brothers and sisters."

"Faith is not a light which scatters all our darkness, but a lamp which guides our steps in the night and suffices for the journey. To those who suffer, God does not provide arguments which explain everything; rather, his response is that of an accompanying presence, a history of goodness which touches every story of suffering and opens up a ray of light." 

You can read the whole thing here.