“It is with great joy that I welcome Pope Francis’ first encyclical. His reflections on faith are in continuity with all that the Church’s magisterium has pronounced on this theological virtue. Lumen Fidei adds to the two encyclicals that Pope emeritus Benedict XVI wrote on charity and hope. In this Year of Faith, this encyclical on faith will certainly be well received by all. In it, the Holy Father proclaims that faith which comes from God “is a light that illuminates every aspect of human existence” and which is “born of an encounter with the living God who reveals his love, a love which precedes us and upon which we can lean for security and for building our lives.” Pope Francis’ message about the foundational importance of faith affirms us in God’s love and challenges us to see that “suffering reminds us that faith’s service to the common good is always one of hope – a hope which looks ahead in the knowledge that only from God, from the future which comes from the risen Jesus, can our society find solid and lasting foundations.” During this summer season, where we usually have more free time, I encourage all of the faithful in the Archdiocese of Ottawa to read this powerful, timely message from Pope Francis. May his message find “good soil” in our lives, taking root and producing beautiful fruits for ourselves, our families, our communities, our Church and the world.”