Your father who sees in secret will reward you.
On Monday morning of this
week, we woke up to the startling news that Benedict XVI, the Holy Father had
only moments before announced his intention to renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter … as
of 2:00pm EST on Thursday, February 28 of this year. Recognizing the fact that his strengths, due to an advanced age, are no
longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry, the Holy
Father made this rare move as an extraordinary example of humility.
Born on April 16, 1927 in
Marktl am In (Germany), he was ordained a priest on June 29, 1951 for the
Diocese of Munchen und Freising. A
brilliant theologian and teacher, he was called to Rome by the Holy Father,
John Paul II to serve as the Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of
the Faith, a post he held from November 25, 1981 until his election as Supreme
Pontiff on April 19, 2005. Throughout
his life, he has held many positions of influence, but he has always been first
and foremost a man of great humility.
Knowing his talents and gifts, he also knows his limitations, and so with
this great act of faith, he teaches us even now a lesson that has the power to
lead us into the days of this Lenten period.
Saint Paul encourages us today
to be ambassadors for Christ. In other words, we must strive every day to
be messengers and representatives of Christ in our world. By our words and more importantly by our
actions, we show the face of Christ to our world every day. His is a face of compassion and understanding
especially for those who are suffering or who are in need; his is a face of
encouragement for those who are powerless to speak and to be heard; his is a
face of peace and promise for those who are victims of disputes and fighting;
his is a face of hope for those who are persecuted in the cause of
righteousness.
If we are honest with
ourselves, we will readily admit that we are not always the best of ambassadors
for our world. There is always something
that we can aim to do better, some way in which we can be more authentically
present to those in need, some way in which we can be more truly instruments of
healing for the sake of those who most need to know the power of love in our
world. This is the reason why God sent
his son to live among us: in order that we might know the power of His love,
and so that we might in turn recognize this love in our own lives.
Through the power of divine
love, Josef Ratzinger, Benedict XVI has been a leader for our time. Through the power of divine love, we too can
be authentic disciples for our time, if we take advantage of the coming weeks
to honestly examine our lives, point out the ways in which we may be tempted to
parade good deeds and virtues before others, occasions when we may consider
fasting and prayer as marks of distinction rather than as a call to service, and
recognize the fact that everything we have is a gift from our God, a gift which
should be used in order to serve others in humility and peace. To do so is the beginning of walking in the
footsteps of the Master who calls us to be ambassadors of Christ in our world.
In the coming weeks, the
Church will give thanks in many ways for the years of service and the model of
faith provided to us by Benedict XVI.
Once February 28 has come and gone, he will move from the Apostolic
Palace to a monastery located on the grounds of the Vatican, where he will
spend the rest of his earthly life in prayer and reflection. Praying in thanksgiving for all we have received
from him and through his service, let us begin this season of Lent with
gratitude for the many blessings we have received, and with prayerful spirits,
united with all those who now pray for the Cardinals who will elect Pope
Benedict’s successor, for the one who will be called to shepherd us, and for
the humility of heart that is needed so that we can be faithful disciples of
Jesus who loves and calls us to be messengers of his peace.
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