Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Pope Benedict XVI on Justification


Pope Benedict XVI's views on justification and St. Paul: http://www.zenit.org/article-24302?l=english and his views on Martin Luther's sola fide - which he claims is correct if it is a faith not opposed to charity/love http://www.zenit.org/article-24309?l=english (sadly Luther when questioned on this point did indeed say it was a faith without charity, not the traditional Catholic formulation of amor fides)


Some quotes I liked from it were:


"To be just means simply to be with Christ and in Christ. And this suffices. Other observances are no longer necessary"


"That is why Luther's expression "sola fide" is true if faith is not opposed to charity, to love. Faith is to look at Christ, to entrust oneself to Christ, to be united to Christ, to be conformed to Christ, to his life. And the form, the life of Christ, is love; hence, to believe is to be conformed to Christ and to enter into his love. That is why, in the Letter to the Galatians, St. Paul develops above all his doctrine on justification; he speaks of faith that operates through charity (cf. Galatians 5:14)."


"Paul knows that in the double love of God and neighbor the whole law is fulfilled. Thus the whole law is observed in communion with Christ, in faith that creates charity. We are just when we enter into communion with Christ, who is love... It is the Gospel of the judge whose sole criterion is love. What I ask is only this: Did you visit me when I was sick? When I was in prison? Did you feed me when I was hungry, clothe me when I was naked? So justice is decided in charity. Thus, at the end of this Gospel, we can say: love alone, charity alone. However, there is no contradiction between this Gospel and St. Paul. It is the same vision, the one according to which communion with Christ, faith in Christ, creates charity. And charity is the realization of communion with Christ. Thus, being united to him we are just, and in no other way."

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