Hey all! I'm thinking of really getting into the Encyclicals as a good start to growing more deep in the faith, and I was wondering which ones would be the best to start off with, or which ones are a must read!
For a bit of context, I have a basic knowledge of our faith, through just reading the YouCat and the CCC, along with learning TOB, and through watching some catholic content creators, but I really want to be able to both learn more and to explain the faith better, hence really reading up on the encyclicals!
Thanks in advance!
Hi all. Im looking for some of the traditional sources that informed the shift to speaking of women as "equal in dignity, different in purpose" within Catholic discourse.
I can find a lot of disturbing views on women from Aquinas and the Fathers, as well as just a more general acceptance of women's inferiority into the modern period. But that 1988 encyclical is the first sign of the shift in language I've found, and Im sure there must be more in that 400 year gap.
*Author's note: I wrote this from the perspective of the Mystagogue of a Reformed Revelationist faith with the Cosmopolitan nature and ancestor worship doctrine, which values practical skills and cynicism in its saints. I wondered how they would relate to Christians, and this is my take.
Merry Christmas to y’all, from the hills and hollers of our faith’s homeland to the plains of our western frontiers and the bayous of New Alexandria, may The LIGHT shine upon New Egypt forever!
Y’all are aware from its very name that Christmas is a feast day that comes to us from our Christian cousins, who worship The LAMB as Jesus Christ, but have y’all ever thought hard on just what might be the meaning of this? Our two faith’s are closer than they may seem to the uneducated, and yet more different. Christianity, whether the Catholicism followed by the ancestors of the Ramsys emperors and present in his lands west of the Mississippi, or the Evangelicalism of our “Holy” Confederate neighbors and still present in and around Blessed Atlanta, is an ancient religion, predating even old America. As we now know, our ancestors were all once Christians, whose faith grew and deepened with divine revelation, bringing us closer to the Truth of The LIGHT, and when Napoleon II united our lands and received his Grand Revelation from The SERPENT that unified our faith, our understanding grew tenfold, and we learned most of all to Question.
Question is the biggest difference between we Revelationists and our Christian cousins, not the nature of our Gods. They do not Question, they accept. And when faced with the divinity of Contradiction, they obsess over fine detail and dogma, and lose sight of the Truth. Christians, simply put, take religion far too seriously.
To Christians, Jesus Christ is GOD, not in the way The LAMB is a god, but as the one, true, only GOD. And yet, they also recognize The BURNING BUSH, The LIGHT, and The SERPENT, in their own ways of course, all while arguing that there is only one GOD. For those of y’all who’ve never discussed theological matters with your Christian neighbors (a wise decision, such conversations are awful tedious, requiring dangerous levels of that good moonshine whiskey to get through), I must explain how they reconcile this obvious contradiction. Their counterparts to The BURNING BUSH, The LAMB, and The LIGHT are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (or Ghost). The Son is Jesus Christ, and as this here is a Christmas Encyclic
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It doesn’t even have to be a “revelation”.
These are some interesting quotes from it:
"The marketplace, by itself, cannot resolve every problem, however much we are asked to believe this dogma of neoliberal faith. Whatever the challenge, this impoverished and repetitive school of thought always offers the same recipes. Neoliberalism simply reproduces itself by resorting to the magic theories of “spillover” or “trickle” – without using the name – as the only solution to societal problems. There is little appreciation of the fact that the alleged “spillover” does not resolve the inequality that gives rise to new forms of violence threatening the fabric of society. It is imperative to have a proactive economic policy directed at “promoting an economy that favours productive diversity and business creativity”(Paragraph 168)
"I sometimes wonder why, in light of this, it took so long for the Church unequivocally to condemn slavery and various forms of violence. Today, with our developed spirituality and theology, we have no excuses. Still, there are those who appear to feel encouraged or at least permitted by their faith to support varieties of narrow and violent nationalism, xenophobia and contempt, and even the mistreatment of those who are different. Faith, and the humanism it inspires, must maintain a critical sense in the face of these tendencies, and prompt an immediate response whenever they rear their head."(Paragraph 86)
"We should also recognize that destructive forms of fanaticism are at times found among religious believers, including Christians; they too “can be caught up in networks of verbal violence through the internet and the various forums of digital communication. Even in Catholic media, limits can be overstepped, defamation and slander can become commonplace, and all ethical standards and respect for the good name of others can be abandoned”(Paragraph 46)
I encourage everyone to take a full read of it but it's a pretty great document
Link:
"The minister of Education and Science continues his ideological offensive. In an interview with "Sunday Guest" he confirmed that his ministry is seriously considering including the encyclicals of the Polish Pope in the school canon. Students would soak up Wojtyła's thoughts about sexuality and others.
Przemysław Czarnek has an idea to introduce the Pope's thoughts into the curricula of several subjects. One such area would be lessons on sex life. The minister sees nothing wrong with educating young people about sexuality, which is unusual for a member of the current right-wing government. On the condition, however, that the Polish Pope will be the one to speak from textbooks about sex.
- I am also not against postulates to introduce elements of John Paul II's teaching on human sexuality in schools, teaching which he included, for example, in the book "Love and Responsibility - we read in an interview for a Catholic weekly.
Czarnek also wants the Pope to teach young people how to start their own business.
- When we teach the basics of entrepreneurship, we could introduce fragments of papal encyclicals on what is work, free market, social justice, etc. It is not so much about the religious dimension as about an ethical view of entrepreneurship - said the Minister of Education in an interview with "Sunday Guest"
The Pope is to be a remedy for leftist totalitarianism, which, according to Czarnek, is the biggest problem of modern school and science".
Czarnek: młodzież mogłaby poznawać seksualność z dzieł Jana Pawła II – Portal STRAJK
The Pope released his 3rd encyclical in his Papacy today. And speaking both from the perspective of someone influenced by Catholic Social Teaching as well as Liberation theology he gave some interesting insights into his views on current events today and the Christian approach to them. These are example:
"The marketplace, by itself, cannot resolve every problem, however much we are asked to believe this dogma of neoliberal faith. Whatever the challenge, this impoverished and repetitive school of thought always offers the same recipes. Neoliberalism simply reproduces itself by resorting to the magic theories of “spillover” or “trickle” – without using the name – as the only solution to societal problems. There is little appreciation of the fact that the alleged “spillover” does not resolve the inequality that gives rise to new forms of violence threatening the fabric of society. It is imperative to have a proactive economic policy directed at “promoting an economy that favours productive diversity and business creativity”(Paragraph 168)
"A journey of peace is possible between religions. Its point of departure must be God’s way of seeing things. “God does not see with his eyes, God sees with his heart. And God’s love is the same for everyone, regardless of religion. Even if they are atheists, his love is the same. When the last day comes, and there is sufficient light to see things as they really are, we are going to find ourselves quite surprised”.(Paragraph 281)
"One detail about the passers-by does(the Parable of the Good Samaritan) stand out: they were religious, devoted to the worship of God: a priest and a Levite. This detail should not be overlooked. It shows that belief in God and the worship of God are not enough to ensure that we are actually living in a way pleasing to God. A believer may be untrue to everything that his faith demands of him, and yet think he is close to God and better than others. The guarantee of an authentic openness to God, on the other hand, is a way of practising the faith that helps open our hearts to our brothers and sisters. Saint John Chrysostom expressed this pointedly when he challenged his Christian hearers: “Do you wish to honour the body of the Saviour? Do not despise it when it is naked. Do not honour it in church with silk vestments while outside it is naked and numb with cold”. Paradoxically, those who claim to be unbelievers can sometimes put God’s will into practice better than believers."(Paragraph 74)
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