pope john paul ii the encyclicals

8/16/2019 Pope John Paul II the Encyclicals

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JOHN PAUL II

THE ENCYCLICALS

IN EVERYDAY LANGUAGE

Definitive Edition ofAll Fourteen Encyclicals

Third Edition

Edited by

Joseph G. Donders

O


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Founded in 1970, Orbis Books endeavors to publish works that enlighten the mind,nourish the spirit, and challenge the conscience. The publishing arm of the MaryknollFathers and Brothers, Orbis seeks to explore the global dimensions of the Christian faithand mission, to invite dialogue with diverse cultures and religious traditions, and to servethe cause of reconciliation and peace. The books published reflect the opinions of theirauthors and are not meant to represent the official position of the Maryknoll Society. To obtain more information about Maryknoll and Orbis Books, please visit our websiteat www.maryknoll.org.

Third, definitive edition abridged version of John Paul II: The Encyclicals in Everyday Language , with all fourteen encyclicals of Pope John Paul II, a new epilogue by theauthor, and an enlarged index © 2005 by Joseph G. Donders.

First edition, abridged in sense lines copyright © 1996 by Joseph G. Donders. Second,updated edition with abridged version of Fides et Ratio, an epilogue by the author, andan enlarged index © 2001 by Joseph G. Donders.

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Definitive 3rd edition.

p. cm.Includes index.isbn 1-57075-631-7 (pbk.)1. Encyclicals, Papal. 2. Catholic Church – Doctrines – Papal documents. I. John

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1

Redeemer of HumankindRedemptor Hominis

March 4, 1979

John Paul II outlines his pontifical program. He refers to the great jubilee of Jesus’ birth in the year 2000. His pontificate will be like an Advent time, expecting Jesus. In the line of the Second Vatican Council he states that looking at Jesus Christ we see who we really are. We are created in

God’s image and sharers in God’s life. This is the good news the churchhas to preach and respect. It is the foundation of our human rights and of our work for justice and human development. It asks for the reimagining and the restructuring of the world as we know it. It is a truth that begs

for interreligious dialogue and Christian unity. It is this truth about the human person that indicates the way the church should go.

I. INHERITANCE

1. At the Close of the Second Millennium Jesus Christ is the center of the universe and of history. This time, in which God entrusted to methe universal service of the Chair of Saint Peter in Rome,is very close to the year 2000.2000 will be the year of the great jubilee,recalling that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1:14).

It is — in a way — a time of a new Advent,a season of expectation:“in these last days God spoke to us by his Son” (Heb 1:1–2)

who became man, born of the Virgin Mary.

2. The First Words of the New Pontificate

After the election, when I was asked,“Do you accept?”

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2 Redeemer of Humankind

I answered:“With obedience in faith to Christ, my Lord,

and with trust in the mother of Christ and of the church,in spite of the great difficulties, I accept,”making the link between the incarnationand my ministry.

In the spirit of my predecessor John Paul I,I chose the name John Paul IIto express my love for the unique inheritanceleft to the church by John XXIII and Paul VI.I wish to refer to that inheritance as a threshold,

from which I intend to continue into the future,guided by the Spirit Christ promised and sent to his church.

3. Trust in the Spirit of Truth and Love

Thanks to the Second Vatican Councilthis inheritance struck deep rootsin the consciousness of the church:

the “awareness” Paul VI chose as the themein his encyclical Ecclesiam Suam.

Let me link myself to Paul VI’s encyclicalin this, my first document.He showed us how the church is conscious of being

“a sacrament or sign and means of intimate union with Godand of unity of all humankind” (LG 1).

4. Reference to Paul VI’s First Encyclical

This awareness is open to all,so that all may find in the church“the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Eph 3:8).

It is this consciousness that gives the churchits apostolic, missionary dynamism,carrying on what Paul VI called the “dialogue of salvation.”

Paul VI knew how to show the true face of the church “ad extra”in spite of its various internal “ad intra” weaknessesin the postconciliar period.

That is how the human family has become — it seems — more awareof how necessary the church,its mission, and its service are to humanity.

The growing criticism within the church was not always without a sincere love for the church.

One of its demands was to overcome the tendency to what has been called its “triumphalism.”


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Redemptor Hominis 3

Though it is true that the churchshould have humility as its foundation,

and be critical as regardsits human character and activity,criticism, too, should have its just limits.Otherwise it ceases to be constructive,

wishing to direct the opinion of othersin accordance with one’s own,in too thoughtless a manner.

Paul VI, respecting every particle of truth,preserved the providential balance

of the bark’s helmsman. Though not free of internal difficulties and tensions,the church is at the moment more strengthenedagainst excesses of self-criticism,more critical as regards thoughtless criticism,more resistant to various “novelties,”more mature in discernment,better in bringing out its everlasting treasure,more intent on its own mystery,

and — because of all this —more serviceable for its mission of the salvation of all.

5. Collegiality and Apostolate

This greater awareness of its unity and its servicesprings from the principle of collegiality,mentioned by the Second Vatican Council.

Christ himself made this principlea living part of the Apostolic College of the Twelve

with Peter at their head,renewing it in the ever growingCollege of Bishops over all the earth.

Fulfilling the Council’s wish for a permanent organ of collegiality,Paul VI founded the Synod of Bishops,giving a new dimension to his pontificate and that of his successors.

The principle of collegiality,chiefly displayed through the synod,helped to dissipate doubts

and to indicate ways for renewing the church.It found its expressionin the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi — so welcome a program for renewal —and in the last session of the Synod of Bishops on catechesis.

In this context mention must also be madeof the national episcopal conferences,


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the various diocesan, provincial, and national synods,the many councils of priests,

the old and new organizations for lay apostolate,and the lay people committing themselvesto collaborate with pastors and institutes of consecrated life.

This development is much strongerthan the symptoms of doubt, collapse, and crisis.

6. The Road to Christian Unity

Pope John XXIII declared the issue of Christian unity to be the consequence of Jesus’ will and prayer:

“I pray . . . Father . . . that they all may be one” ( Jn 17:21).Vatican II responded to this issue with its Decree on Ecumenism.Pope Paul VI, availing himself of the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity,took the first difficult steps on the road to unity.

We have made real and important advances,together with other Christian churches and communities.

The present historical situation

asks us to seek ways to draw ever closer. There are people who would like to turn back.Some even say that these efforts are harmfulto the cause of the Gospel,that they are leading to further rupture,causing confusion and ending up with indifferentism.

It is maybe good that these fears are expressed,but here, too, correct limits must be maintained.

To all who wish to dissuade the church

from seeking the unity of Christians,the question must be asked:“Have we the right not to do it?”Can we fail to have trustin our Lord’s grace?

What we have just saidmust also be applied — with due difference —to our drawing closerto the representatives of non-Christian religions,

through dialogue, contacts, prayer in common,and the investigation of the treasures of human spirituality,not lacking in the members of those religions.

Does not their firm belief — a belief that is also an effect of the Spirit of truthoperating outside the visible confines of the Mystical Body —make Christians often feel ashamed?


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Redemptor Hominis 5

It is a noble thing to try to understandpersons and systems,

recognizing in them what is right. This neither jeopardizesthe certitude about one’s own faith,nor weakens the principles of morality.

II. THE MYSTERY OF REDEMPTION

7. Within the Mystery of Christ

How should we continue what was begun?

What should we do to bring us closerto the “Everlasting Father” (Is 9:6)?

This is the question the new popemust ask himself,accepting the call Christ gave Peter:“Feed my lambs” (Jn 21:15).

The fundamental answer to this questionis to turn toward Christ, our Redeemer.

In him are “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col 2:3),the church being his Body. The church listens to his words,relives his death and resurrection in its daily lifeand unceasingly celebrates the Eucharist,the fountain of life and holiness.

8. Redemption as New Creation

In Jesus Christ the world — subject to futility because of its sin —

recovers its original link with God.Is the world of the new age, with its immense progress,but also with its threat of pollution of the environment,its armed conflicts,its prospect of atomic self-destruction,its lack of respect for the life of the unborn,its space flights,and its conquests of science and technology,

not “groaning in travail” (Rom 8:22),“waiting eagerly for the revealing of the children of God” (Rom 8:19)?

In its analysis of the modern worldthe Second Vatican Council expressed the depth of human consciousnessusing the word “heart.”Christ is the one who entered that heart.


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The mystery of the human beingtakes on light in the mystery of the Incarnate Word.

“Christ, the new Adam, fully reveals human beings to themselves,and brings to light their most high calling. . . .He who is the ‘image of the invisible God’ (Col 1:15)is himself the perfect human being

who has restored in the children of Adamthat likeness of God which had been disfiguredever since the first sin.By his incarnation the Son of God

united himself — in a way — with each human being” (GS 22).

9. The Divine Dimension of the Mystery of Redemption

Jesus Christ became our reconciliation with the Father. The redemption of the world is — at its deepest level —the fullness of justice in the heart of the firstborn Son,in order to become justice in the hearts of many human beings.

Jesus “leaving” this world on the cross

is a new manifestation of God’s fatherhood,in Jesus drawing near again to humanity and to each human being,giving them the holy “Spirit of truth” (Jn 16:13).

The God of creationis revealed as the God of redemption,— the God who is “faithful” (1 Thes 5:24) —and faithful to God’s love for humanity and the world.

God’s love and mercy,

taking the form and name of Jesus Christ,are greater than sin.

10. The Human Dimension of the Mystery of Redemption

A human being cannot live without love. That is why Christ fully reveals us to ourselves. We are “recreated” in the mystery of redemption.

If we really wish to understand ourselves we must appropriate and assimilate

the whole of the reality of the incarnation and redemptionand draw near to Christ. This process will lead not only to the adoration of God,but also to deep wonder at ourselves.

How precious must we be in the eyes of the Creator,if we “gained so great a redeemer” and if God “gave his only Son,”in order that we should have “eternal life” (Jn 3:16).


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Redemptor Hominis 7

The name for that deep amazementat our worth and dignity

is the Gospel, the good news.It is also called Christianity. This amazement determinesthe church’s mission in the world,and even more so in the modern world.

It vivifies authentic humanism;it fixes Christ’s place in human history,leading through cross and death to resurrection.

11. The Mystery of Christ as the Basis of the Church’s Mission

and of Christianity

The church comes to its self-awareness in dialogue,attentive to the ones it wishes to speak with.

The Second Vatican Council presented the globe to usas a map of various religions.

It also showed — superimposed on this map —layers of atheism, beginning with that atheismthat is organized, programmed, and structured

as a political system. The Council’s documents on non-Christian religionsare filled with deep esteem for the great spiritual values,and for the primacy of the spiritual,religiously, morally, and culturally expressed in the life of humankind.

The Council fathers saw in the various religions,and rightly so, many “Seeds of the Word” ( AG 11).

Though the routes taken may be different,

God is the one meaningful goal of human life. They paid special attention to the Jewish religionand to the believers of Islam,

whose faith also looks to Abraham (NA 3–4).

All Christians should meet and unite around Christ,getting to know each other and removing all obstaclesblocking the way to perfect unity.

We must display to the world our unity,proclaiming the mystery of Christ,revealing the divine and human dimensionof the redemption,struggling for the dignity that each human beinghas reached and can reach in Christ,the dignity of the grace of divine adoptionand the inner truth of humanity,


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to which the modern worldattaches such a fundamental importance.

We must all share in this mission,more necessary than ever.If this mission seems to encountergreater opposition than ever before,it is because it is more awaited than ever.

May we be like those “violent people of God”consciously joining in the great missionof revealing Christ to the world,helping everyone to get to know

“the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Eph 3:8)since they are meant for every individualand since they are everybody’s property.

12. The Church’s Mission and Human Freedom

Before their full communion is achievedChristians must first find what unites them.So that we together can come closeto the magnificent heritage of the human spirit

manifest in all religions (NA 1–2).It will enable us to approach with esteemall cultures,all ideological concepts,all people of good will.

It is this esteem, respect, and discernment,that since the time of the apostles— think of Saint Paul at Athens! —has marked the missionary attitude,

an attitude that always begins with a feeling of deep appreciationfor “what is in the human being” (Jn 2:26),respecting everything that has been brought aboutby the Holy Spirit, “which blows where it wills” (Jn 3:8).

Mission is never destruction! That is why we attach such great importanceto the Second Vatican Council’sDeclaration on Religious Freedom.

When Christ and, after him, the apostlesproclaimed the truth that came from God,they preserved a deep esteem for the people they met,their intellect, will, conscience, and freedom.

The human person’s dignity was part of their proclamation,an attitude that seems to fit the special needs of our time.

The church is the guardian of this freedom!


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Redemptor Hominis 9

Jesus Christ meets everyone with the same words:“You will know the truth

and the truth will make you free” (Jn 8:32), words containing botha requirement and a warning:the requirement of an honest relationship to truthand a warning against every illusory freedom.

Standing before Pilate Jesus said:“I was born to bear witness to the truth” (Jn 18:37).

All through the centuries he has been standing with thosecondemned for the sake of truth.

III. REDEEMED HUMANITY’S SITUATIONIN THE MODERN WORLD

13. Christ United Himself with Each Human Being

The church wishes to serve this single end:that each person may be able to find Christ,so that Christ may walk with each one the path of life.

Jesus Christ is the chief way for the church,our way to the “Father’s House” (Jn 14:1),and the way to each person.

Nobody can halt the churchon this way on which each person unites with Christ.

The church cannot remain insensitiveto whatever serves a person’s true welfare,any more than it can remain indifferentto what threatens it.

It is the church’s fundamental solicitude that“life should conform more to a person’s surpassing dignity” (GS 91),so as to make life ever more human (GS 38).

And all this not in the abstract,but concretely, dealing with each human being,because all are included in the mystery of the redemption.

“The human being is the only one on earththat God willed for itself” (GS 24),destined for grace and glory.

This is true of each concrete and real human being,each one of the four billion human beings living on our planet,all sharing in the mystery of Jesus Christ.

14. For the Church All Ways Lead to the Human Person

As human beings are so closely linked to Christthe church cannot overlook any of them.


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Because they are “persons”they all have their own history of their soul,

through numerous bonds, contacts, situations, and social structuresas regards family, people, and the whole of humanity. The human person is the primary routethe church must travel in fulfilling its mission:the human person is the primary and fundamental way

for the church,the way traced out by Christ himself.

Christ is united to human beings,even when people are unaware of it.

It is human beings in their situationsthat the church should be interested in,aware of their possibilities, but also of the threatsthat oppose the task of “making human life more human” (GS 38).

15. What Modern Humanity Is Afraid Of

If we read the “signs of the times” we see that people are afraid of the result of the work of their hands,

the work of their intellects,and the tendencies of their wills. What all this activity yieldsis not only simply taken away from them,but it even turns against them.

Consequently people live increasingly in fear. They are afraid that part of what they producecan become the means of an unimaginable self-destruction.

This state of menace shows itself

in various ways.It shows in the threat to our natural environment. Yet it was the Creator’s willthat we should communicate with natureas intelligent and noble guardiansand not as exploiters and destroyers.

The development of moral ethicsseems not to keep in step with the progress of technology and the development of civilization,

a progress that cannotfail to give rise to disquiet on many counts.Does such progress make human life really more human?

Are we really becoming better, more spiritually mature,more aware of the dignity of humanity, more responsible,more open to others, especially the neediest and the weakest,and ready to give and to aid all?


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Redemptor Hominis 11

These are questions that must be asked by all. Are we developing and progressing,

or are we regressing and being degraded?Does good prevail over evil? The issue of development is on everybody’s lips,it fills newspapers all over the world,but next to all affirmations and certainties,it is a subject that also contains questionsand anguished disquiet.

The latter are of no less importancethan the former.

16. Progress or Threat Approaching the end of the second millennium of the Christian era, we must follow the present-day progress attentively.

What is in questionis not just the multiplying of things,but the advancement of persons.It is not so much an issue of having more,but of being more.

The danger is that while making advancesin its dominion over things,humanity might be subjected to the world,becoming the slave of things,of the economic system and of production.

A purely materialistic civilizationcondemns humanity to such slavery,even though it might not have been the intention.

If we describe humanity’s situation

as far removed from the demands of the moral order,the exigencies of love, and still more from social love,then we do that because all this is confirmedby well-known facts.

The actual situation is marked by many differences,historically explicable, but ethically uncontrolled.

The rich, highly developed societies have a surplus of goods, while many other societies are suffering from hunger. The freedom of one group limits the freedom of others.

We all know this gigantic developmentof the parable of the rich banqueterand the poor man Lazarus.

So widespread is this occurrence that it brings into questionthe financial, monetary, and other mechanismsthat support the world economy.

We have here before us a drama that can leave no one indifferent.


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The one who profits on one handand suffers on the other hand

is always the human person. Add to this the misuse of goods by the rich,the fever of inflation,and the plague of unemployment.

They are further symptomsof the moral disorder in the worldrequiring daring creative steps to preservepeople’s authentic dignity.

This task is not impossible.

The principle of solidarity asks for appropriate institutions and mechanisms, whether in trade — where healthy competition may lead the way —or on the level of a redistribution of riches,in order that developing peoples may satisfy their needs,and advance gradually and effectively.

It is a road that will not be easy without a true conversion of mind, will, and heartof people who are free and linked in solidarity.

Economic developmentmust be constantly programmed within the context of the development of each individualand each people,otherwise it gets entangled in its own tensions and excesses.

It is possible to undertake this duty,a duty that is evident when we recall— as we always should —the scene of the last judgment (Mt 25:31–46):

“I was hungry and you gave me no food,naked, and you didn’t cloth me,in prison and you did not visit me.”

These words become even more charged when we consider that new states are often offeredmeans of destruction instead of bread and aid.

We all know what would happen to misery and hunger,if the investments in arms

would be changed into investments for food.

This consideration may be seen as “abstract,”it might lead to misunderstandings by both “sides,”it might provoke new accusations against the church,but it is our duty — in season and out of season —to continue demanding:

“Do not kill,respect each one’s dignity and freedom.”


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17. Human Rights: Letter and Spirit

This century has been full of great calamities,

not only material ones, but above all moral ones. Yet it also gave birth to the United Nations Organization with its definition and establishment of human rights.

Human rights are closely linked to the church’s mission in the world. They are the basis of social and international peace.

What social, economic, political, or cultural programthat describes itself as “humanistic”could fail to bring “the human person” to the fore?

Yet human rights are violated,

undermining these humanistic premises. The Declaration of Human Rightshas as its aim to preventthe horrible experiences of the last world war,but also to enable the revisionof programs, systems, and regimes.from the point of view of the human person.

If this does not happen, human life is condemned to suffering,and the peaceful living together of the nations is threatened.

In the first half of this century the church took a standas regards totalitarian states denying their citizensthose inviolable human rights.

Sharing the joy of all people of good willthat those rights have been acknowledged and formulated,the church remains aware that the letter can killand only “the spirit gives life” (2 Cor 3:6).

We are often still far from their realization. The church has always taught states and citizensthe duty to act for the common good:

a common good that is brought to full realizationonly when all citizens are sure of their rights.

The principle of human rights is bound up with social justiceand it is the measure to test political policies.

These rights includereligious freedom and freedom of conscience,considered by the Second Vatican Council,in the document Dignitatis Humanae,not only from a “theological”but also from a “purely human” point of view.

The curtailment of those rightsare in contrast with human dignity.

I appeal to all those who organize social and public lifeto respect those human rights.


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IV. THE CHURCH’S MISSION AND HUMAN DESTINY

18. The Church as Concerned for Humanity’s Vocation in Christ

If Christ “united himself with each human person” (GS 22),the church will find its nature and missionby entering this mystery, being itself Christ’s body and sharing this mystery with each human person.

This union with Christ is a mystery,by which people are called

to become partakers of God’s life (2 Pet 1:4),and “children of God” (Jn 1:12).It is humanity’s “divine destiny.”

The church, living these realities,looks beyond time but at the same timeis full of care for all that affects human life in time.

Aware of the never-ending restlessness all this implies,the church is the guardian of a great treasure,gathering and not scattering (cf. Mt 12:30),

united with the Spirit of Christ,praying with ever growing insistence:

“Come, Holy Spirit,heal our wounds,our strength renew,on our dryness pour your dew,

wash the stain of our guilt away,bend our stubborn heart and will,melt the frozen,

warm the chill,guide the steps that go astray.”

This appeal to the Spirit is the answerto the “materialisms” of our age.

Is the church alone in this appeal,expressed so clearly by the Council,

when it called the church“a sacrament or sign and means of intimate union with God,and of the unity of all humankind” (LG 16)?

No, it is not.Our time is particularly hungry for the Spirit,because it is hungry for justice, peace, love,goodness, fortitude, responsibility, and human dignity.

The human being is the way for the church’s daily life,in its triple office of priest, prophet, and king (LG 31–36).


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19. The Church as Responsible for Truth

The church is responsible for the revealed truth,

which is the property of God.Even the Son living “in the bosom of the Father” (Jn 1:18)felt the need to stress this himself saying:

“The word which you hear is not mine,but the Father’s who sent me” (Jn 14:24).

Christ, concerned for the church’s fidelity promised the assistance of the Holy Spirit,the gift of infallibility to those mandated to teach that truth (LG 25)and a special sense of faith to the whole people of God (LG 12, 35).

We are sharers in mission of the prophet Jesus,responsible for the truth, loving it, and seeking to understand it.

Seeking that understanding we need theology. Theologians are the servants of the divine truth,functioning correctly when they seek to servethe magisterium entrusted to the bishopsin communion with Peter’s successor,

when they place themselves at the service of their solicitudein teaching and pastoral care and of apostolic commitmentsof the whole people of God.

More than ever before theologians and all people of learningare called to unite faith with learning and wisdom in all sciences.

Though this work should be done in manifold ways,it can never depart from the fundamental unity of faith and morals.

That is why collaboration with the magisteriumis indispensable.Nobody can make of theology a simple set of personal ideas.

A particular share in this prophetic officebelongs to the pastors of the church

who teach and help to assemble the people of Godaround Christ, eucharistically and sacramentally.

In 1977 the Synod of Bishopspaid special attention to catechesis.

Witnessing and teaching go hand in hand. This is true in the case of priests,but also of religious men and womenand the many lay people sharing in this responsibility,beginning with the catechesisgiven by parents to their children.

The whole people of God sharesin this prophetic responsibility:scientists, jurists, artists, technicians,


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and teachers at all levels,according to Jesus’ words when he said:

“As the Father has sent me,even so I send you. . . .Receive the Holy Spirit” (Jn 20:21–22).

20. Eucharist and Penance

The entire sacramental life of the church and of each Christianreaches its summit and fullness in the Eucharist.

By celebrating and partaking of the Eucharist, we unite ourselves with Christ

interceding for us with the Father,through the redeeming act of his sacrifice,through which he has redeemed us.

By becoming “children of God” (Jn 1:12) we also became “a kingdom of priests”and obtain a “royal priesthood” (Rev 5:10).

The Eucharist is the sacramentin which Christ bears witnessthat each of us has access to the fruits

of filial reconciliation with God. The Eucharist builds the churchas the authentic people of God,commemorating his death on the cross,the price with which Christ redeemed us.In it we touch the very Body and Blood of the Lord,as attested by the words he used at its institutionand we use celebrating the Eucharist.

Though the church’s magisterium

has been expressing the fullness of this sacramentfrom the most distant time to our own days, we are but at the thresholdof grasping and expressing it.

It is at the same timea Sacrifice-Sacrament,a Communion-Sacramentand a Presence-Sacrament.

It is the most profound revelation

of the human brother/sisterhood of Christ’s disciples.It is not a mere “occasion” for manifesting this relationship.Christ is really present and received,the soul is filled with grace,and the pledge of future glory is given (SC 47).

The liturgical rules should be rigorously adhered to.Every member of the church should be vigilant


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in seeing this sacrament of loveat the center of the life of the people of God,

truly becoming “the life of our souls” (Jn 6:51, 57; 14:6; Gal 2:20). And let us never forget Paul’s words,to examine ourselves before eating the breadand drinking the cup (1 Cor 11:28).

This call links the Eucharist and Penance. The first words of the Gospel of good news was:“Repent and believe in the Gospel” (Mk 1:15).

The same Christ who calls us to the eucharistic banquetcalls us to penance.

Without this conversionthe Eucharist would lack its full redeeming effectiveness.Christ’s self-giving to the Fatherraises in us the need to turn to God

with a constant, ever more profound conversion.In recent years much has been doneto highlight the community aspect of penancein conformity with the most ancient tradition of the church.

We cannot, however, forgetthat conversion is an act of the individual,in which that individual cannot be replacedby anyone else.Defending individual confession,the church is protecting an individual right,the right to a more personal encounter

with the crucified forgiving Christ,saying, through the minister:

“Your sins are forgiven” (Mk 2:5);“Do not sin any more” (Jn 8:11). This is also Christ’s right with regard to every human beingredeemed by him.

The sacrament of penancefits in with the desires of the human consciencehungering and thirsting for righteousness (Mt 5:6).

The church gathering in the Eucharist

should have a felt need for penance,both as regards the sacrament,but also for what concernspenance as a virtue.

The church of the New Adventmust be the church of the Eucharist and of Penance,the church of the Divine Mission.


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21. The Christian Vocation to Service and Kingship

Among other characteristics of the Christian vocation

the Second Vatican Council highlighted this one:the sharing in Christ’s “kingly function.”

This dignity is expressed in readiness to serve:Christ “came not to be served, but to serve” (Mt 20:28).

This is not a question of a mere “social membership”;it is a question of “vocation.”It is a question of responding to Christ’s call:“Follow me” (Jn 1:43).It shows the “personal” aspect and dimension of this new society,

which — notwithstanding deficiencies — is a community formed together with Christ,

a community that — even from a “human” point of view —should become more aware of itself,of its own life and activity,and of how each of its members builds up the Body of Christ.It is the principle of “kingly service”that the pope, bishops, priests, religious,married people, parents, women and menin their different professions,from the highest to the simplest,should apply to themselves.

Each member has a “special gift” (1 Cor 7:7),serving others, building the churchand the communities in the various spheres of human life on earth.

Fidelity to one’s vocation,persevering readiness for “kingly service,”has just as much a particular significancefor married people, faithful to their marriage,as for priests faithful in their commitment to celibacy.

By basing ourselves on Christ’s example we are able to be “kings,”producing a mature humanity in each one of us,a maturity that means full use of the gift of freedom.

This gift finds its full realization in the unreserved givingof the whole of one’s person to Christ,and with Christ to all.

This is the ideal of religious lifeundertaken by religious orders, congregations,and secular institutes of men and women.

Freedom is not an end in itself;it is a great gift only when we use it for our true good;and the best use of freedom is charity,taking form in self-giving and service.


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It is for this freedom that Christhas set us free.

22. The Mother in Whom We Trust

At the beginning of the new pontificate I want to enterthe deepest rhythm of the church’s life drawn from Christ,so that we should have life and life abundantly ( Jn 10:10).

That is why the church is a motherand has need of a mother,as was so well expressed by the Second Vatican Counciland proclaimed — at the end of it — by Paul VI

when he called the mother of Christ“the mother of the church.”Mary is the mother of the churchbecause she gave life to the Son of God,from whom the whole of the people of Godreceives grace and dignity.

Under the cross Jesus extended his mother’s maternity to allby designating his beloved disciple as her son.

She remained in the Upper Room

until the day of Pentecost when the church was born in visible form.Later, all the generations of disciplestook her to their own homes (Jn 19:27).

We who form today’s generation of disciples wish to unite ourselves to her in our turn.No one else can bring us into the mystery of redemptionthe way Mary can.Nobody has been brought into it by God

as Mary has. The mystery of redemptiontook shape beneath the heart of the Virgin of Nazareth,a heart that always followed the work of her Son,and has gone out to all those Christ embraced.

The Father’s love, shown through the Son God gave,comes close to us through his mother.Mary must be with us in the church’s daily life,

while we feel all the more our need for a profound link

with Christ, apart from whom we can do nothing ( Jn 15:5).Only prayer can prevent our task from becoming a source of crisisinstead of an occasion for an even further growthof the people of Godmarching toward the Promised Landat the end of the second millennium.


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I want the church to devote itself to this prayer,together with Mary, the mother of Jesus,

hoping that through this prayer we shall be able to receive the Holy Spirit,thus becoming Christ’s witnesses“to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

pope john paul ii the encyclicals

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