Lumen Fidei on Faith

This encyclical was the first in the papacy of Pope Francis. This was

started by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and continued by Pope Francis.

Jesus, the “Light of Faith” is the greatest gift of the Father. He is given to us

so that we may not remain in the darkness. He is our light in the dark, our

guide to our path. Faith is our response to this gift and those who believe

have their light to illumine their entire journey.

However, some would argue that faith is only an illusion. Some

believe that faith hinders us to search for truth. Hence, faith is an opposite of

searching. Because of faith, one does not need to ask questions about what

he believes. The person becomes a blind follower of something or someone.

It is always associated with darkness, a leap of faith beyond the light of

reason. This wrong notion of faith is the result of man’s contentment with

smaller lights which often lead to confusion, lack of direction, and failure to

indicate what is good and what is evil.

The light of faith illumines every aspect of human existence. Faith

gives man new eyes to see the goodness in everything. This transformation

is born from man’s encounter with God. It is a gift from God. It illumines

man’s way in his entire journey. To understand faith, one needs to follow the

examples of the believers. One of the best examples of believers is

Abraham, a man of faith. Though, he could not see God, he could hear Him.

Faith is a to a “Thou” who calls us by name and enters into a covenant.

Through his faith, Abraham responded to the call of God and entrusts

himself to His words. From his faith, Israel’s faith is built, that trusts in God

who sets His people free from slavery and misery. This faith of Israel has

been passed from one generation to another, remembering God’s mighty

deeds. Abraham’s faith points to Jesus, the fullness of Christian faith. Jesus

is the complete manifestation of the love of the Father. He was able to

conquer death by his resurrection. All who believe become a new creation

receiving a new being as sons in Christ. And this life is lived in the Church,

the mystical body of Christ.

Faith is not just a matter of believing. It entails knowing the truth.

Hence, faith and truth go hand in hand. Unless a person believes, he will not

be established in truth. It is reasonable and logical to have faith in God since

He is trustworthy. Because faith is linked to truth, it offers new life to the

person based on God’s fidelity to His covenant and promises. However, the

challenge of faith and truth today is relativism. Truth becomes subjective

and is based on what is understood and accepted by many. Through

relativism, the truth and God becomes irrelevant to man. Thus, one must

know the strong bond of faith and truth for man to defend himself from the
deception brought by relativism and different kinds of philosophy which

break the real essence of truth.