Is faith an "illusory" light, that is, unreal, deceptive and useless, a merely subjective and obscure feeling, which has no value for knowledge and does not provide certainties? Is Christian faith something that robs life of novelty and adventure? Is it a mirage that prevents us from moving forward freely into the future? These are some of the questions that the encyclical "Lumen fidei" (29-VI-2013), Pope Francis' first encyclical, answers in its introduction.

In it, faith is presented as a gift that illumines the whole of human reality, giving it meaning plenary session of the Executive Council , and that pierces even the shadows of death. I wish to speak precisely of this light of faith," the Pope writes, "so that it may grow and illumine the present, and become a star that shows the horizon of our journey in a time when man is especially in need of light" (n. 4).

The first aim of the encyclical goal is to nourish and strengthen the faith in Christians. At the same time, it seeks to propose the faith to all people of good will in the perspective of the Council: "The Second Vatican Council has made the faith shine forth in human experience, thus traversing the paths of contemporary man. In this way, we have seen how faith enriches human existence in all its dimensions" (n. 6).        

As has been pointed out (A. Tornielli), the fact that a large part of the text comes from Benedict XVI and at the same time all of it is signed by the reigning Pope, Francis, underlines that the most important thing is not this or that Pope, but the ministry of the Successor of Peter in every moment, whose role is to confirm the faith. This is what the text itself says: "The Successor of Peter, yesterday, today and forever, is called to 'confirm his brethren' in the immeasurable treasure of the faith" (n. 7).

The encyclical states that in the Christian faith, essentially "we have been given a great Love" (ibid.), that of God the Father through his incarnate Word, Jesus Christ; and that if we accept this Word, the Holy Spirit "transforms us, illumines our path and makes the wings of hope grow in us so that we can travel it with joy" (ibid.). Together, "faith, hope and charity, in a marvelous interweaving, constitute the dynamism of Christian existence towards full communion with God" (Ibid.). For this reason, the encyclical, which develops the essentials of faith, also explains what the Christian life consists of, characterized by the three theological virtues: faith, hope and charity.

The introduction is followed by four chapters. The first chapter explains that faith is given to us in a story that begins with Abraham, passes through the history of Israel and is completely fulfilled in Jesus Christ, in whom we find the salvation that is offered to us today through the Church. "If we want to understand what faith is, we must narrate its journey" (n. 8); for faith "is a knowledge that is learned only in a journey of following" (n. 29). And this is useful, of course, for the faith staff, but, above all, to penetrate the Christian faith as a whole.

The second chapter sample the relationship between faith, truth and love. In doing so, it dwells on the principal dimensions of faith. It emphasizes that faith has to do centrally with the knowledge of truth. Faith opens up to love and thus can help to broaden reason. Faith is not something merely subjective or sentimental, for "love needs truth," and love itself is source of knowledge. Faith is both "listening" and "vision." And, because of its connection with truth and love, it can fruitfully enter into dialogue with reason. A beneficial dialogue, both for reason (because of the light of love that faith brings it) and for faith (which inserts itself into human experience in order to understand and participate in God's love for us). Christian faith illuminates the path of all those who sincerely seek God, and encourages them to welcome him and seek him ever better and with more consequences for life.

Fundamental aspects of faith are thus revealed, such as its historical and staff dimensions (as opposed to a vision of faith that is intellectualistic or, on the other hand, voluntaristic or moralistic), as well as its ecclesial dimension (as opposed to an individualistic vision), because "those who believe are never alone, because faith tends to spread, to share its joy with others" (n. 39).

The third chapter is dedicated to the transmission of the faith as a "living tradition (submission)" . This takes place in the Church principally by means of a life, that of Christians, which is authentically witnessed. The four pillars of this transmission of the Christian life are the confession of faith (the Creed), the sacraments, the Decalogue (the Commandments) and prayer. Thus they appear in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "a fundamental instrument for that unitary act by which the Church communicates the complete content of the faith, 'all that she is, all that she believes,'" to use the words of the Second Vatican Council. Through the relationship between faith and love it is possible to live one and the same faith, which is Catholic because like a living organism it possesses "the capacity to assimilate everything it encounters (Newman), purifying it and bringing it to its best expression," thanks to the service of the Church's Magisterium.

Finally, the fourth chapter develops the dynamism of faith in society. "Faith does not separate us from the world, nor is it alien to the concrete concerns of the people of our time. Faith has a transforming capacity for social life (human relationships, the search for the common good), the family and the relationship with nature, and financial aid to overcome and give meaning to our own and others' suffering. Faith is the light that believers propose, with their witness and dialogue, to build the earthly city, in openness to freedom and justice, to law and peace. Together, faith, hope and charity make it possible to integrate the concerns of all on the way to God, while at the same time giving new impetus to daily life.

This relationship between faith and life is expressed with clear closeness in the following sentence: "Faith is not a refuge for fainthearted people, but it broadens life. It makes us discover a great call, the vocation to love, and assures us that this love is worthy of faith, that it is worthwhile to place ourselves in its hands, because it is founded on the fidelity of God, stronger than all our weaknesses" (n. 53). Certainly, "the light of faith does not dispel all our darkness, but, like a lamp, guide our steps in the night, and this is enough for us to walk" (n. 57).

The encyclical proposes Mary, who "kept in her heart all that she heard and saw, so that the Word might bear fruit in her life" (n. 58), as the perfect icon of the Christian faith in its fullest dimensions.

The central message of the encyclical can be seen concentrated in expressions such as this: "Faith in the Son of God made man in Jesus of Nazareth does not separate us from reality, but allows us to grasp its profound meaning, to discover how much God loves this world and how he unceasingly directs it towards himself; and this leads the Christian to commit himself, to live the journey on earth with even greater intensity" (n. 18).

In this way, the encyclical "Lumen Fidei" is offered to Christians as a deepening of their faith, in line with the solidarity that Christ has shown to every person, and the consolation and commitment that derive from it in order to live their journey with greater intensity. It is also offered to all people of good will, as an invitation and proposal of meaning plenary session of the Executive Council of life.