Hope in various forms

Pope Benedict XVI has released the second encyclical of his Pontificate! Check out the goodness here:

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20071130_spe-salvi_en.html

I started wondering about the definition of an encyclical. Alora, the answer:

A papal document treating of matters related to the general welfare of the Church, sent by the Pope to the bishops. Used especially in modern times to express the mind of the Pope to the people. Although of themselves not infallible documents, encyclicals may (and generally do) contain pronouncements on faith and morals that are de facto infallible because they express the ordinary teaching of the Church. In any case, the faithful are to give the papal encyclicals their interior assent and external respect as statements of the Vicar of Christ. (Etym. Latin encyclicus; Greek enkyklios, circular, general.)

An encyclical epistle is like an encyclical letter but addressed to part of the Church, that is, to the bishops and faithful of a particular area. Its contents may be doctrinal, moral, or disciplinary matters of universal significance, but may also commemorate some historical event or treat of conditions in a certain country or locality. (Compliments of www.catholicculture.org, one of the best Catholic resources out there.)


I've only had a chance to read a paragraph or two, but I hear it's fantastic. It's being added to the ever-growing booklist momentarily. Any good suggestions for the list? I'm on a Josef Pieper streak right now. St. Edith Stein's "Science of the Cross" is waiting on the sidelines. I could use some good fiction - ideally short stories - on there!

I probably won't be able to post again for a wee while. My friend Lucia is visiting from Slovakia for a week (yay!), the internet card we use randomly stopped working with my Mac, and I need to squeeze in a big chunk of communication knowledge into my brain before I come home for Christmas, which is in (drumroll!): 20 days! In the meantime, I listen to Charlie Brown's Christmas CD and James Blunt's latest and attempt to study, study, study . . . (translation: make pasta, make new blog posts, make myself guilty).

Please do keep my close friend Monika and her family in your prayers. Monika's sister passed away yesterday after a long and painful battle with cancer.