Here are our new pope’s beautiful words . He’s not exactly another philosopher-pope, but there are other ways of being an inspirational, evangelical, and poetically theological pope:
For Augustine, the joy promised by the Lord to his followers is given and lives in spe, in hope. What does that mean? The expression in spe in the writings of Augustine indicates that this happiness is always a grace.
In our earthly condition, this is immediately obvious to everybody: happiness on earth, promised as pledge of heavenly happiness, does not come from us, we cannot build it nor maintain and master it. It is not in our hands, and hence is precarious, according to the schemes of those who believe they can build their life as their own project. It is the happiness of the poor, who enjoy it as a gratuitous gift. The happiness of those who live forever suspended in the hope of the Lord, and for that very reason are untroubled. Because it is a beautiful thing to live confident that the Lord loves us beforehand, seeks us beforehand.
The Lord of patience that comes to us hoping that we, like Zacchaeus, climb the tree of humilitas. Saint Augustine addressed to Him the beautiful prayer also recently revivified by Pope Benedict XVI, which can also summarize this book: “Grant what You command, and command what You will.” Grant us the gift of becoming as children, and then ask to be as children, to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…
