"One of the underappreciated sides of John Paul II's teaching is something that applies to all of us. In his encyclicals Fides et Ratio and Ex Corde Ecclesiae, his overall aim was to show just how vast is the influence of Jesus Christ.
"This is not influence in a cultural sense. This is influence because: 'All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of
the human race.' (John 1:3, 4) This is influence, not at the level of
society, but at the level of being.
"The significance of this is undervalued because our culture has its
roots in the anticlericalism and the anti-Christianity of the
Enlightenment. Unfortunately, therefore, we often think the way the
Enlightenment would want us to. To the Enlightenment, Jesus Christ was
just another founder of one religion among many.
"The truth, first of all, is that everything comes to be through the
Divine Word of God who is Jesus. The things of Creation themselves speak
of their divine origins by their beauty and truth. Then, second - and
this is the light of which John spoke - when we use our reason in a
disciplined way, and allow it to be elevated by faith, we can truly
learn about creatures and, even more excitingly, we begin to meet Christ
more fully too."
In a recent commentary, Father Bevil Bramwell, OMI, reflected on how the "great truths of the faith are expressions from the mouth of Christ, in his life and in his Body, the Church."
To access Fr. Bramwell's complete post, please visit:
The Catholic Thing: Underestimating Christ (8 APR 18)
Background information:
Pope John Paul II: Encyclical Letter Fides et Ratio
Pope John Paul II: Encyclical Letter Ex Corde Ecclesiae
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