Recall that last week, we noted Pope Pius XII’s call to practice “effective love.” In the context of the early 1900s, this prompts him to specifically condemn the idea and practice of eugenics and euthanasia. This is of course targeted at the Nazis, but we would do well to remember that eugenics was a popular idea in our own country prior to the war. It is primarily because of what we saw in the Nazis that eugenics faded as a popular idea around the world. The pope’s point in all this is that seeing someone who is disabled, insane, or diseased as a “burden to Society” is the wrong way to understand humanity. He quotes St. Paul in 1 Corinthians :“Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are all the more necessary, and those parts of the body that we consider less honorable we surround with greater honor” (12:22-23). For the Christian, weakness is a place to manifest God’s glory. For the Church, those who are most “burdensome” are those who give us the greatest opportunity to love and so become holy.
Closely tied to this exhortation is yet another reminder that the Church incorporates every race within humanity. Pius XII once again condemns hatred and racism, thinking not only of the Nazis but of every place where people use race as an excuse to treat human beings in a way beneath their dignity.
Returning to prayer, the pope then lists the people to be prayed for as a manifestation of the Church’s unity. He lists first bishops, then priests, religious, and missionaries – all of whom manifest the Church in the world in a particular way. Here he also references the Church Suffering – the Souls in Purgatory – whom we must keep in prayer. This prayer of and for the Church extends also to those preparing to enter the Church – catechumens – and those who do not yet know the truth and remain outside the visible Church. This mimics the prayer of Jesus at the Last Supper “that they all may be one.”
In praying for the conversion of non-Catholics, Pius XII does note that people cannot be forced into conversion and people must come to believe “of their own free will.” So, he explicitly condemns forced conversions as contrary to the “teaching of this Apostolic See.” reiterating that free will is a gift and that it means people can misuse their freedom, he repeats his exhortation to pray for conversion.
In addition to prayer, the pope reminds us that we are also called, like St. Paul, to “fill up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ” in our own flesh (Col 1:24). Just as Jesus Christ the head suffered for love of the whole Church, so every member of the body of Christ – us – should expect to suffer for the good of the whole Church. This is done by compassionate sharing in the sufferings of others, by courageous witness to the faith in hostile situations, by voluntary penances, and the trials of resisting sin and temptation. This includes also the voluntary lifting up of the various trials and torments of ordinary life. All of these are united ot Christ especially through participation in the Eucharist, which is the sacrament at the heart of the Church. As the pope puts it, “we must offer every day to the Eternal Father our prayers, works and sufferings for [the Church’s] safety and… ever more fruitful increase.”
Finally, as is often the case in papal writing, Pius XII concludes the document with a reflection on Mary and a plea for her continued intercession. As mother of the head, she is mother of the whole body of the Church. She most perfectly united herself to Jesus on the cross for the good of all. She prayed most fervently for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit leading up to Pentecost, which is often called the birthday of the Church. Mary, more than any other saint, most perfectly manifests the unity of the Church in her continuous prayer for us, so we continue to seek her prayer and to strive to imitate it in our own lives. Invoking her mantle of protection, Pope Pius XII then offers his Apostolic Benediction to conclude his letter on the Church as the mystical body of Christ