On Christian Hope: SPE SALVI

by Pope Benedict XVI

Book Overview

Pope Benedict XVI's second encyclical, Saved In Hope , ("Spe Salvi" in Latin) takes its title from St. Paul, who wrote, "In hope we have been saved." In this special deluxe hardcover edition of the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1601370393
• ISBN13: 9781601370396
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
• Length: 58 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

"God is the foundation of hope"

So says Benedict XVI in Spe Salvi (paragraph 31), his second encyclical, and the entire elegant and closely reasoned essay is an argument in defense of the claim. As is typical of papal encyclicals, references in Spe Salvi tend to focus on scripture, the patristic fathers, and a handful of medieval theologians. But it also strikes me that Benedict's reflections on hope are informed as well by the 20th century's greatest Roman Catholic theologian, Karl Rahner, although Rahner is never explicitly referenced. It's no accident, Benedict argues, that in early drawings Christ was often depicted as a philosopher. Philosophy in the early centuries of the Christian era wasn't an academic discipline so much as a search for the proper way to live. Early Christians saw Jesus as offering the best way, one that made sense of the present by looking to the future. The good news brought by Christ, writes Benedict, was thus not only informative. It was also performative: that is, it provided an incentive and purpose for a particular lifestyle. Faith, argues Benedict, is a "reaching out towards things that are still absent," but it also "gives us even now something of the reality we are waiting for, and this present reality constitutes for us a 'proof' of the things that are still unseen" (paragraph 7). This is the basis of the hope offered by Christ: that the future, although it can't be known, is nonetheless laden with promise, and that the awareness of this affects the way in which we live in the present. Hope, then, based on faith, isn't merely a yearning for the future; it's a present mode of living that's informed by hope in a positive future (shades of Rahner here). This hope needs something infinite to ground it, to make it genuinely worthy of hope, and that infinite something is, of course, God (again, this is reminiscent of Rahner). The hope, furthermore, must be both personal and collective: that is, hope, like faith must be that which sustains the individual and binds together the community. In showing how this double movement is possible, Benedict does an especially fine job of arguing against private models of hope (such as those endorsed by some evangelicals) on the one hand and collectivist models (such as those endorsed by secular utopians) on the other (paragraphs 13-23). In the process, he also shows that Christian hope is compatible with human freedom, which always makes the future contingent, and human suffering, which is always voluntarily shared by God (paragraphs 24-31, 35-39). This is Benedict at his finest: holding contraries in a creative tension, rather than rejecting one for the sake of the other to achieve logical neatness at the expense of theological depth. The personal and the communal, the present and the future, uncertainty and hope: these, the antipodes of human existence, are also the compass points Benedict wisely uses to help us better understand the manner of living taught by Jesus the philosopher.

Encyclical on Hope by Pope Benedict XVI

Once again Pope Benedict has written a clear, insightful, inspiring document for Catholics and people of faith everywhere. "Hope" is a word bandied about these days and offered as a panacea to the world's ills. In this latest encyclical, the Holy Father shows us (through scripture reference) that hope is a freedom with responsibility. The message here, I believe, is that there is hope through worship of God. All things begin and end with Him, our Creator on whom this generation has turned its back.

Fresh Insights on Hope

People ask why would anyone want to read an encyclical? To me, Benedict XVI is an excellent author and has written a wonderful letter. While reading this I became excited about my faith and anxious to learn more, to understand and share the insights of this marvelous new spiritual leader. As with his previous encyclical, Benedict discusses spirituality in a fresh new way. His insights may clarify challenges some Christians have with Vatican II spirituality. The Pope begins strongly in the Introduction by referring to Romans 8:24: "in hope we were saved", and follows by explaining that our redemption is not simply given, it is "offered" to us and must be accepted as we lead our lives. I found the entire encyclical spiritually uplifting, but will only focus upon a few of the Pope's teachings: The performative nature of the gift; Faith as substance; Faith leading to our ultimate goal; The community nature of hope; Prayer as hope. Hope does not so much provide information as demand performance. According to Benedict. "hope is life changing". Through the letter we learn that God loves us very much and that we await his eternal love. The Pope refers to Romans 8:38 saying that human beings need unconditional love. Nothing can separate us from God's love. Hope, through such intense love, must be passed to others. Hope in God's overwhelming love must be shared. Faith with hope is "the substance of things hoped for", It accepts facts and promises that are unseen and not able to be proven by earthly means. Hope infects our soul and allows us to accept the unseen. With hope our "faith gives life a new basis". Our way of acting and living" is the only proof needed. The peace, serenity, and happiness of Christians is the best proof of the value of our faith. Hope leads to a contradiction. Our hope through Faith leads us to ask if we actually want eternal life. The Pope suggests we need to decide whether we really want the kingdom of Jesus, or earthly pleasure and success. This world's hope for me differs from my hope through God. Since hope leads us to revising our lives, living for others, and accepting God's eternal love, it clearly leads us to our ultimate goal of eternal life in heaven with our Savior and our God. Living with our hope is our choice. Benedict says that hope is not individual. Our Christian hope is through community. Focusing upon myself is like a "prison" from which I must escape. We seek God as a community of believers instead of in a "selfish search for salvation which rejects the idea of serving others." The Pope tells us that we are vessels of the Lord. As vessels our "hearts must be enlarged and then cleansed." We will work hard to attain such growth. We must develop our prayer lives to learn how to communicate with God. We must "learn what is worthy of God". We must ask not for worldly comforts and desires. We must purify our wants and needs. Spe Salv

Comforting

I read this book as my late mother was undergoing emergency surgery. It was very comforting and helped me a great deal to get through that experience. Pope Benedict is a wonderful writer and probably the greatest theologian alive today.

Saved In Hope

This second encyclical, by Pope Benedict XVI, Saved in Hope, gives one a good explanation of the necessity of Hope and Faith in our lives in this 21st Century and always. "In hope we have been saved" To quote his own words.