Again, leave it to the Holy Father to continually insist that the Church’s rightful place is precisely in its dialogue with the culture and its milieu.
Writing a letter commemorating the 16th Centenary of the death of St. John Chrisostom, Benedict XVI presents the Church with a model of apostolic zeal and charity, coupled with unwavering orthodoxy and a commitment to intra-Christian reconciliation.
The opening salvo:
John Chrysostom is distinguished in the ancient Church for having promoted that ‘fruitful encounter between the Christian message and Hellenic culture’ which ‘made a lasting impact on both Eastern and Western Churches.’
Reminding the whole Church that ’social justice’ homilies are not just an artifact of the 1960s, B16 tells us that Chrystostom dedicated the whole of his Lenten preaching in 387 AD to the role of Christians in society:
In order to build a more just city, he urged the wealthy among the faithful to practice charity toward the poor, while he counselled that those advanced in learning should serve as teachers, and that all Christians should assemble in churches to bear one another’s burdens.
Continuing with the theme of ‘charity,’
he affirmed that the Church’s material assistance to the poor ought to be extended to all the needy, regardless of religious belief: ‘He belongs to God, whether pagan or Jew. If he is also an unbeliever, he deserves help.’
This is just a taste of the Apostolic Letter by Benedict. Unfortunately, there is no official English translation. Many thanks to Fr. Z for his translation.
Tags: Agora, Benedict XVI, Charity, Culture, Social Justice
