We Remember Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
I loved Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. He is the only Pope that I had ever wanted to see in person. He amazed me. Here was a man who had been at most, if not all the sessions of Vatican Council II. He had been instrumental in helping to write most of the major documents from the Council. He was the impetus behind the Catechism of the Catholic Church. What an amazing man, what an amazing life. His writings lead me on a journey of knowing more about my Catholic Faith, about the writings of people like Augustine, Bonaventure, and Little Teresa. More important than anything, he taught me that having a relationship with Jesus was the point to life. Let me share with you three of Benedicts quotes that have given me direction over the years. . . Maybe Benedict can help you on your journey. Give him a try. “God is no longer just in heaven…he is now also the One who is near us, who has become identified with us, who touches us and is touched by us, the One whom we can receive and who will receive us.” (God and the World.) “The purpose of our lives is to reveal God to men. And only where God is seen does life truly begin. Only when we meet the living God in Christ do we know what life is. We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution. Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary.” (Let God’s Light Shine Forth) “Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person (Jesus Christ), which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.” (Encyclical Letter ‘Deus Caritas Est’—God is Love)
- Valerie Winston Healy
A Prayer for Pope Benedict XVI
O God, true shepherd of all the faithful, look with kindness on your servant Pope Benedict XVI, whom you set as head and shepherd of your Church. We give you thanks for your grace at work in him as he has led us by word and example: in his teaching, in his prayer, and in his great love. Grant him your strength in frailty, comfort in sorrow, and serenity amid the trials of this world; and guide your Church, built on the rock of Peter, with the power of your Spirit as we continue on the path that leads to you. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.