Knights of St Columba - Council 232 Poole & Branksome

‘ABOVE ALL, CLOTHE YOURSELVES WITH LOVE, WHICH BINDS EVERYTHING TOGETHER IN PERFECT HARMONY’

(Colossians III, 14)

Our holy father’s Encyclical letter ‘Caritas in veritate’ has, as we have indicated before, covered a number of modern problems. The Church, throughout history, has addressed social questions and it makes no excuses - about doing so. For example, it expounds the ‘natural law’ that has been developed in a Judaeo-Christian way from the great pre-Christian philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle. The Pope also includes terms like ‘the common good’ or ‘solidarity’.

But, above all, he clothes his letter with love - in accordance with St. Paul’s directive. This is entirely at one with his first letter ‘God is Love’ and gives a much deeper meaning to Catholic Social Teaching. Without this love there is a great deal lost, but the Pope is well aware of how the word ‘love’ has been debased when it is not defined, directed and buttressed by Truth.

In both cases, the words are merely ways of describing Christ Himself, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Indeed, if we take St. Paul’s hymn of praise of ‘love’ in I Corinthians XIII we can put ‘Christ’ in place of the word ‘love’; in the presence of the Roman Governor Our Lord in person, answers Pilate’s question ‘what is Truth?’

What the world desperately needs, even though most people do not realize it is the presence of Christ, and His teaching and love to be applied.

The Encyclical brilliantly succeeds in covering all this.

I hope that we, as knights, will be able to promulgate that message.

God Bless You All,
Father Tom