I am still going through stages of assimilating the Holy Father declaration that he renounced the ministry of the Bishop of Rome. It is not exactly like the common stages of grief. Although there was an initial denial that the story was true. Didn’t exactly go through anger or depression. More like selfish feelings of loss in having him taken away from me. This was a Pope who never phoned in a speech and you could count on hearing the profound whether he was speaking to the whole world or just to the Vatican police and fire brigade. A Pope who could speak to any audience and considered all audiences of being capable to hear the truth.
My selfishness rebels at the idea of his going into a life of prayer and silence in a monastery. I can overact to this and think like Gandalf “He has fallen into shadow.” Yet this very act reminds me of other basic truths. His new hidden life of prayer reminds me of the rest of the hidden Body of Christ in prayer. Even when Pope Benedict XVI does indeed die he will still be hidden from us but still praying for us. Somehow the acceptance of this has helped me to some degree to see more into the reality of the Communion of Saints as something more than just theological belief. My long years as an atheist did not prepare me for a life of prayer. While I do pray to the saints it mostly feels like a cold one-sided conversation. My acceptance of the theology helps me to make those acts of faith. Faith seeking understanding and understanding seeking faith.
7 comments
Good post – as a recent convert (2009) I have much the same reaction. Thanks!
Pax Christi,
Jeff H.
(((Even when Pope Benedict XVI does indeed die he will still be hidden from us but still praying for us.)))
To be honest Jeff, some might call that statement of yours simply baloon knee, “I” mean balogne, although U>S (usual sinners) know that “The Spiritual World” does exist and for some, the shock of Papa retiring was not an easy acceptance in the real world and many atheist would sooner experience this kind of a plane ride http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HORWWppLQq8 then to start believing that Angels are always around answering our prayers. As you’re aware, “IT” would take too long to explain, so we just keep “IT” to ourselves and most people in the safe real world simply call “IT” “A gut feeling” so be careful that ya don’t get your gut feeling in trouble Jeff by entertaining Angels again NOW!
So true Victor! Why can’t ya learn to do the same cause not every “ONE” is like Crystal, Jeff and The Anchoress who accept about 99.99998888877776666555555555555555444444444444333% of your comments.
For example here http://www.patheos.com/blogs/standingonmyhead/2013/02/the-case-for-an-african-pontiff.html#comment-49338 your Fr.iend Priest did not allow your comment which went exactly as follows:
(((Most African Catholics (and most in the developing world) don’t give two hoots about women’s ordination.
Africans have more important things to think about than women’s ordination or gay marriage.
Most of all, the right African pope will shift our attention back to the vital core of our faith.
Most of all, the right African pope will shift our attention back to the vital core of our faith. In Africa the Catholic faith is vibrant and strong, and most of all it is supernatural in its understanding. God is real. Angels and demons are real. )))
“IT” really does not matter to me who “The Holy Spirit” choses as HIS Representative of Saint Peter and long story short, as long as This MAN teaches The Bride of Christ to follow what Christ thought while His Holiness is praying so that He can be kept from Twitter, Facebook and the likes in order not to also have to retire early because as we know “GOD” Good Old Dad is ALL LOVE and the last thing GOD wants to do is allow the “Devil” who lives back words to bring HIS WORLD to an END until all of U>S his lost Children souls have all been saved.
NOW! I must attempt to read the comments written here and longer story short, all of our spiritual reality so called unborn clusters of cells were born free and all of U>S (usual sinners) should thank our “Mother” and “Jesus” did say in so many words before HE was crucified that there would come a time when woman would no longer want to have babies so we should weep for them also.
Don’t be silly Victor! This Jesus never really existed! He’s just a ferry story just like Santa, Believers! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TONV2adOCB0
Whatever sinner vic! 🙁
Go Figure folks! 🙂
http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=18142394&postID=1131160631371645259
Peace
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
STOP THAT sinner vic! Don’t ya know that we’re in the season of Lent and this good Friend Priest of mine, probably felt the subject had been over talked about NOW!
Victor! Victor! Victor! Love believes everything and although ya still don’t read books nowadays, your spiritual die mention, I mean dimention cells say that on the movie stage, especially during the Award yearly Times, silent things can be heard, like, Victor you’re A flex off the old block and your (“Trin “IT” “HE”) Low pest) would be proud of ya if ya get my drift? Truth be known Victor, you’re UP to doing certain silly things in the real spiritual world that even a devot Cat lick, I mean Catholic would not do. Between U>S 92% gods and your 7% Jesus cells and “I’M” also hearing a “Gone” silent word coming from that little retardo cell soul of yours, so what do you have to say for yourself NOW?
Only “ONE” question sinner vic! What Kind of Gone is my soul talking about?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWB-UPnN6ZQ
Go Figure sinner vic!? http://www.patheos.com/blogs/theanchoress/2013/02/20/could-we-see-pope-patrick-i-in-this-year-of-the-snake/
SORRY folks! 🙂
Peace
Victor we gods will be glad when your secretary comes back cause you forgot some of the stuff that we already created butt OK, have “IT” your WAY butt remember that we gods could go on and on, on fire sort of speak but ya must try and learn Victor that you can’t be continually thinking that we’ll be working for ya during eternity for free and long story short our 92% godly cells can’t put UP with much more of this thinking of your so called 7% imaginary “Jesus” and that little retardo soul of yours cause why should the last be first NOW?
Victor! If human animals can’t start thinking that wo man have a right to do what they want with their body and that the blessed sacrament should be between all of the universe, we’ll just need to take away your thinking and……
End you say sinner vic! “IT” is about time ya quit preaching cause me, myself and i have not told ya that we would join your new so called “Four corner religion church” that ya and your alien gods want to start in reality NOW!
You’re so cool sinner vic… http://www.youtube.com/user/oldspice?v=8-ax-sNo3xs
Butt mostly……http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j13oJajXx0M
Go Figure sinner vic NOW!? 🙂
Peace
Prayer is sort of like software development or writing – or even cooking. It is an art – that is a human endeavor in which we use our own particular individual qualities to something. To a certain extent, then, it improves with practice, regardless of our initial “aptitude” – however, unlike those other arts, we are “pre-configured” to pray, whereas we may not have any “aptitude” at all for cooking or those other activities. Moreover, those other activities though important here, probably do not have eternal consequences – yet prayer does.
Now, the funniest thing about prayer is that there are some CHOICE examples already out there for us, and for me, the most wonderful is that exemplified in the Second Luminous Mystery, the Wedding at Cana. Just as with software we need a set of preconditions (or a spec), or with cooking the raw materials, recipe, and cooking tools, we also require a certain precondition for prayer, which is given in Psalm 32 (or 33) which says something like “His designs shall stand for ever, the Plans of His Heart for all generations.” We take that, and then we find this stunning situation, a very homely one indeed, of a small town Jewish wedding-feast that is running short of wine.
And then Mary comes to Jesus and says, “they have no more wine.”
He asks (in a rather untranslatable phrase; see Ricciotti for a healthy and undistorted explanation) what that has to Him – or her.
And she LEAVES IT UP TO HIM, telling the waiters “Do what ever He tells you.”
And you know what comes next. He has them fill six stone jugs (maybe 150 gallons or MORE) with water, and when they DID WHAT HE TOLD THEM, they draw some out and it’s GOOD wine.
The point is He has a Plan, and He reserves the right to CHANGE the Plan if we ask. See Chesterton for more on this particular scene, or on miracles.
Pray, because you do NOT know just how He will use your prayer – when the Story is complete we’ll find out. It matters, far more than we can guess.
So please pray for the Pope, and for the electors – and also let us remember each other in our prayers, those who write bloggs, or comment on bloggs, or even who read the bloggs. (Praying for the living and the dead is, after all, a spiritual Work of Mercy, and sometimes it’s the only thing we can do…)
Makes sense to “ME” Dr. Thursday! If our 7% Jesus Cells can convince sinner vic’s 92% godly cells, we’ll almost have “IT” made but folks please don’t forget to pray for my soul also NOW. 🙂
Peace
Another way to look at it is to think that are so incredible blessed to have TWO Holy Father’s on earth! Whoot! Double the joy! (or should I say one Holy Father, and one Holy grand-Father)
Yes, I too am starting to think of Pope Benedict as my Holy Grandpapa. 🙂
But I’ll admit it’s been like we were doing a countdown to his death, that’s what it felt like to me, especially at first. Last night I was thinking, “by this time next week, we’ll not have a father.” I have been praying fervently for both Pope Benedict and for Pope Peter.