Spe Salvi

“Let us put it very simply: man needs God, otherwise he remains without hope.” Entitled "Saved in Hope," the text of Spe Salvi is Pope Benedict XVI's personal reflection on Christian hope. In this second encyclical, Benedict XVI deals with the incompatibility between Christian hope and the individualism found within society. “Flowing into this self-critique of the modern age there also has to be a self-critique of modern Christianity…” he writes. This results in beautiful and profound meditations on Christian concepts of faith, eternal life, life as a relationship, individualism, being (for others), and hope and the modern age. The letter concludes with three prescriptive “Settings” for learning and practicing hope, and a final meditation on Mary, our “Star of Hope” on the human journey.