Pastor’s Corner — January 15th, 2023
The Passing of Pope Benedict XVI
I wasn’t able to write about this the past couple of bulletins because bulletins needed to be submitted weeks ago. But no doubt you’ve seen news that Pope Benedict XVI passed away on New Year’s Eve. There are many things I could say about the late Holy Father. I had the chance to meet him in person when I was studying in Rome in 2004/2005. The picture below was taken after I attended a Mass when he was Cardinal Ratzinger and I was able to speak to him in English.
If there is one thing I can say about him is that he was an intelligent man who loved God deeply. Having the mind of 12 professors, as someone recently put it, Benedict’s devotion to Our Lord was evident for the whole Church. Many excellent tributes and summaries of his accomplishments have been written since his passing. Feel free to find some of them at Catholic World Report, Catholic World News, The Pillar and National Catholic Register (just some sites I trust).But if there is one thing I’d recommend you read, it would be his papal encyclical, “God is Love” (Deus Caritas Est). In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever read anything on love so profound. In an age that is increasingly rejecting divine love and attempting to redefine love to something less than what it is, it’s critical for us to grasp the meaning of love as revealed to us by God. Both through the key role he played in the pontificate of Pope St. John Paul II as the Prefect, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and for his writings before and while he was Pope, I believe Pope Benedict XVI/Cardinal Ratzinger will be remembered as perhaps the one of the greatest theologians of the 20th century.
May he rest in peace.
Vacation until Jan 17
I’m writing this on my way to vacation south with a few priest friends. So I’ll be away from the parish this weekend trying to get some rest and relaxation. I’ll be back on Tuesday the 17th.
Please know that I’ll be praying for you and offering Masses for the parish as I usually do when I take time off.
Your servant in the Lord,
Fr. Mathias