Pope Benedict XVI - Books and Quotes

Likewise Agnes, that's why I started posting these pieces...to remember the clarity and sound teaching we had in the recent past but which now seems like a distant memory from a time long gone.

 

Yes, no Pope is perfect, but his wisdom and Liturgical sensitivities proved a great blessing and deepened over time. Such proved to be a contrast compared with his own outlook at the Vatican II Council. His attentiveness during Adoration in the last 10 years of life mirrored that of John Paul II.

 

Yes I needed that reminder.its feels like forever.

 

Yes!!

 

"Be vigilant! Know how to listen! Through the dissonances and divisions of the world, can you hear the concordant voice of humanity? From the orphaned child in a field in Darfur to a troubled teenager, to a anxious parent in any periphery, or perhaps even now from the depths of your heart, emerges the same human cry that yearns for recognition, for belonging, for unity. Who fulfills this essential human desire to be one, to be immersed in communion, to be built, to be guided to the truth? The Holy Spirit! This is his role: to bring to completion the work of Christ. Enriched with the gifts of the Spirit, you will have the strength to go beyond partial visions, the empty utopia, the fleeting precariousness, to offer the coherence and certainty of Christian testimony!"

Pope Benedict XVI - from the Speech
given on the occasion of the Vigil
with young people at the Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, July 19, 2008.

 

Thanks, Dave!

Over the last couple years, the wisdom of Benedict continues to impact my heart (I've read at least 3 of his works); you've been a help in this regard. His prayerfulness during times of Adoration was visible. I am thankful that he opened the door to the TLM, but his forceful reflection at the beginning of the conclave which elected him (which can be found on MOG) was truly remarkable. I'm sure Traditionalists can better point to his shortcomings, still...The fact that "the wolves" were against him speaks volumes (see below).

However, his choice to try to partially retain his office is a decision hard for me to understand and the question of why remains unanswered in my mind.

 

https://www.natcath.org/mainpage/specialdocuments/ratzinger_conclavehomily.htm

Conclave homily from opening Holy Mass:

Keep in mind that even though we can glean much, this homily was addressed to cardinals.

 

From Benedict XVI - The Court of the Gentiles:

October begins with an invitation to take up the Rosary again: to bring our distracted minds, our worries and the people we love into prayer.

Pope Benedict XVI described it with characteristic clarity: “The Rosary is a contemplative and Christocentric prayer, inseparable from meditation on Holy Scripture.” Mary accompanies us into the life of her Son. The mysteries ask us to stay with Him: in joy, in suffering, in the giving of Himself, and in the hope of resurrection.

At Pompei, Benedict said: “The Rosary is a school of contemplation and silence.” He understood something that anyone who struggles with prayer might recognise: the repetition can help us become still. We do not always have to find new words. Sometimes we need familiar words that help us remain present when we are tired, anxious or unable to express what weighs on us.

But that stillness asks something of us. Benedict cautioned that “we must be careful that our voices do not ‘cover’ the voice of God”. We need to listen, too. To allow the Gospel we contemplate to question our impatience, our indifference and the resentments we find so difficult to surrender.

This October, we can bring to the Rosary those who are grieving, those living through war, those who are ill, and those whose suffering goes unseen. We can also bring ourselves, with all our unfinished work of faith.

And then carry that prayer into the way we live: with greater patience, the courage to forgive, and a more attentive love for the people God places in our path.

 

Before I can enter into the concerns of worldly endeavors, in order to live out the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, a life of daily prayer is essential. Then as Pope Benedict says above:

"...carry that prayer into the way we live: with greater patience, the courage to forgive, and a more attentive love for the people God places in our path."

 

"The Holy Rosary is not a pious practice banished to the past, like prayers of other times thought of with nostalgia. Instead, the Rosary is experiencing a new Springtime. Without a doubt, this is one of the most eloquent signs of love that the young generation nourish for Jesus and his Mother, Mary. In the current world, so dispersive, this prayer helps to put Christ at the centre, as the Virgin did, who meditated within all that was said about her Son, and also what he did and said. When reciting the Rosary, the important and meaningful moments of salvation history are relived. The various steps of Christ's mission are traced. With Mary the heart is oriented toward the mystery of Jesus. Christ is put at the centre of our life, of our time, of our city, through the contemplation and meditation of his holy mysteries of joy, light, sorrow and glory. May Mary help us to welcome within ourselves the grace emanating from these mysteries, so that through us we can "water" society, beginning with our daily relationships, and purifying them from so many negative forces, thus opening them to the newness of God. The Rosary, when it is prayed in an authentic way, not mechanical and superficial but profoundly, it brings, in fact, peace and reconciliation. It contains within itself the healing power of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, invoked with faith and love at the centre of each "Hail Mary".

Pope Benedict XVI, Basilica of Saint Mary Major, 3 May 2008.

 

“When reciting the Rosary, the important and meaningful moments of salvation history are relived. The various steps of Christ’s mission are traced. With Mary the heart is oriented toward the mystery of Jesus. Christ is put at the centre of our life, of our time, of our city, through the contemplation and meditation of his holy mysteries of joy, light, sorrow and glory.”

Pope Benedict XVI, On the recitation of the Rosary, Basilica of Saint Mary Major, 3 May 2008.