At long last!

Caritas in veritate, the third Encyclical Letter of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, has finally been released this morning.

I have only been able to read the first three pages so far today, but I already like it very much. Consider these little gems:

"Each person finds his good by adherence to God's plan for him, in order to realize it fully: in this plan, he finds his truth, and through adherence to this truth he becomes free (cf. John 8:22)" (1).

"All people feel the interior impulse to love authentically: love and truth never
abandon them completely, because these are the vocation planted by God in the heart and mind of every human person" (1).

"Without truth, charity degenerates into sentimentality. Love becomes an empty shell, to be filled in an arbitrary way. In a culture without truth, this is the fatal risk facing love" (3).

"A Christianity of charity without truth would be more or less interchangeable with a pool of good sentiments, helpful for social cohesion, but of little relevance" (4).

In my free moments this morning I will be happily reading this encyclical. After Mass this morning I worked on the high school Mass schedule for the coming year and in an hour I will have lunch with a friend. I've been invited to the lake this afternoon - an invitation that I am happy to accept - and will then go to soccer practice. Dinner will be had at Buffalo Wild Wings. After that, it's back the encyclical.

Thank you, Holy Father, for this timely treasure!