BUON VIAGGIO PAPA BENEDETTO

e MILLE GRAZIE!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, the Holy Father has returned home to the Vatican. & he has left behind plenty for us to chew on & act on, if we opt to.

I wrote in my journal that if Papa Benedetto would get up & just say for his homily on Sunday: "You have heard everything I said. Now go & do it!!!" it would be enough. But he didn't.

Instead his final day here was just as full of the proclaimation of the Gospel & challenging us to repentance, reformation & living out the faith as any other day. In fact, as far as I am concerned his final homily hit a grand slam home run.

Before the Mass he made a stop to pray at "Ground Zero" & meet with the relatives of some of the victims. This was very low key in a way. & rightly so. He wanted the focus to be prayer & healing, not himself as it would have been had he given a speech.

Then there was the Mass at Yankee stadium. (It shoulda been Shea, but then I'm just a lowly Mets Fan. What do I know?) & as far as I am concerned, he saved the best for last. Yet, at the same time, it was simply do what I have said all week. (Emphasis in the qutes is mine.)

Right from the start he lays it on the line: "Christ is the way that leads to the Father, the truth which gives meaning to human existence, and the source of that life which is eternal joy with all the saints in his heavenly Kingdom. Let us take the Lord at his word! Let us renew our faith in him and put all our hope in his promises!"

Again, he makes it clear that there is only 1 way to salvation, Jesus Christ. & he invites us to come follow him. Then he goes on to remind us where the fullness of that salvation is manifested, the Catholic Church.

"With this encouragement to persevere in the faith of Peter (cf. Lk 22:32; Mt 16:17), I greet all of you with great affection." "The presence around this altar of the Successor of Peter, his brother bishops and priests, and deacons, men and women religious, and lay faithful from throughout the fifty states of the Union, eloquently manifests our communion in the Catholic faith which comes to us from the Apostles."

" Here we are reminded of a fundamental truth: that the Church's unity has no other basis than the Word of God, made flesh in Christ Jesus our Lord. All external signs of identity, all structures, associations and programs, valuable or even essential as they may be, ultimately exist only to support and foster the deeper unity which, in Christ, is God's indefectible gift to his Church. "

He goes on to challenge us to accept the authority that God has invested in His Church & to obey what He teaches us through it. "'Authority' … 'obedience'." "Yet, in the light of our faith in Jesus Christ - "the way and the truth and the life" - we come to see the fullest meaning, value, and indeed beauty, of those words. The Gospel teaches us that true freedom, the freedom of the children of God, is found only in the self-surrender which is part of the mystery of love."

How do we surrender, die to self, repent of our sins & make Jesus Lord. "Only by losing ourselves, the Lord tells us, do we truly find ourselves (cf. Lk 17:33). True freedom blossoms when we turn away from the burden of sin, which clouds our perceptions and weakens our resolve, and find the source of our ultimate happiness in him (Jesus) who is infinite love, infinite freedom, infinite life."

We need to surrender our will to God's. ""In his will is our peace"." With those few words from Dante's Divina Commedia, Par. 3.85, he gives us the only way we will even find true peace. As long as we seek our way & will we can never have true peace. True peace is not the abcence of war. It is found only in Jesus. In Jesus we not only find peace, but true love, true, freedom & true life.

We can only do this when we "put on the mind of Christ". "In the light of faith, within the communion of the Church, (DID YOU CATCH THAT? Where are we to be?) we also find the inspiration and strength to become a leaven of the Gospel in the world. We become the light of the world, the salt of the earth (cf. Mt 5:13-14), entrusted with the "apostolate" of making our own lives, and the world in which we live, conform ever more fully to God's saving plan." We are to be a part of the Church. In the Church Christ has provided us with all we need to be true disciples of Jesus. We area empowered to live as Christ wants us. & thus changed to evangelize, proclaiming the Gospel. & by doing so, bring true peace to the world.

"This magnificent vision of a world being transformed by the liberating truth of the Gospel is reflected in the description of the Church found in today's second reading." Again, back to the fullness of salvation being found only in the Catholic Church. Papa Benedetto pulls no punches.

Want to build a "Culture of Life", have true peace then we need: "to direct our every thought, word and action to the truth of the Gospel and to harness all our energies in the service of God's Kingdom? Only in this way can we build with God, on the one foundation which is Christ (cf. 1 Cor 3:11). Only in this way can we build something that will truly endure. Only in this way can our lives find ultimate meaning and bear lasting fruit."

He then goes on to attack the myth of seperation of Church & state. he reminds us that our faith is to move us to action. "Praying fervently for the coming of the Kingdom also means being constantly alert for the signs of its presence, and working for its growth in every sector of society. It means facing the challenges of present and future with confidence in Christ's victory and a commitment to extending his reign. It means not losing heart in the face of resistance, adversity and scandal. It means overcoming every separation between faith and life, and countering false gospels of freedom and happiness. It also means rejecting a false dichotomy between faith and political life, since, as the Second Vatican Council put it, "there is no human activity - even in secular affairs - which can be withdrawn from God's dominion" (Lumen Gentium, 36). It means working to enrich American society and culture with the beauty and truth of the Gospel, and never losing sight of that great hope which gives meaning and value to all the other hopes which inspire our lives. " Notice how he repeats again & again that our faith requires of us action, even in the political realm.

Our faith IS to inform every action. "And this, dear friends, is the particular challenge which the Successor of Saint Peter sets before you today. As "a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation", follow faithfully in the footsteps of those who have gone before you! Hasten the coming of God's Kingdom in this land!"

He also reminded us that it is only by letting the Holy Spirit work in & through us that this will be accomplished. He challenged us all & especially the youth of America to be "filled with the Spirit and wisdom". We are to "step forward and take up the responsibility which your faith in Christ sets before you! May you find the courage to proclaim Christ, "the same, yesterday, and today and for ever" and the unchanging truths which have their foundation in him (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 10; Heb 13:8). These are the truths that set us free!" But these truths do even more. "They are the truths which alone can guarantee respect for the inalienable dignity and rights of each man, woman and child in our world - including the most defenseless of all human beings, the unborn child in the mother's womb. In a world where, as Pope John Paul II, speaking in this very place, reminded us, Lazarus continues to stand at our door (Homily at Yankee Stadium, October 2, 1979, No. 7), let your faith and love bear rich fruit in outreach to the poor, the needy and those without a voice." No if, ands or buts, every Catholic is to defend life at every stage, from conception to natural death. No Catholic can be pro-choice, pro-abortion & be truly Catholic. If you are pro-choice then you are not living in truth.

He ends his homily by saying: "Dear friends, only God in his providence knows what works his grace has yet to bring forth in your lives and in the life of the Church in the United States. (In Christ the best is yet to be, the springtime of hope.) Yet Christ's promise fills us with sure hope. Let us now join our prayers to his, as living stones in that spiritual temple which is his one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. Let us lift our eyes to him, for even now he is preparing for us a place in his Father's house. And empowered by his Holy Spirit, let us work with renewed zeal for the spread of his Kingdom." Another call to evangelize.

"Happy are you who believe!" (cf. 1 Pet 2:7). Let us turn to Jesus! He alone is the way that leads to eternal happiness, the truth who satisfies the deepest longings of every heart, and the life who brings ever new joy and hope, to us and to our world. Amen."

"CHRIST OUR HOPE!"

The whole homily & 1 part in particular reminded me of St. Peter (the 1st Pope) at Pentecost. I heard echoes of his 1st homily (Acts 2) in Papa Benedetto's. There was 1 part in particular where it rang the loudest. That was when Papa Benedetto said: "True freedom blossoms when we turn away from the burden of sin." Later he talks about the need to be empowered by the Holy Spirit. Compare this to Acts 2:38 where we read.we read: "'You must repent,' Peter answered, 'and every one of you must be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

I have to add another thought. Think back to what I wrote in my Open Letter to the Pope on 10 March: "It was with great joy that I heard the news of your plans to vist the USA in April of this year. Your visit is a sign of your obedience as successor of Peter to obey Christ's call to "strengthen your brothers" (Luke 22:32). We are in need of your guidance in so many ways & I look forward to your teaching & encouraging us to faithfulness during your visit." Throughout his final homily he made constant reference to St. Peter. & he made it clear that he was following in St. Peter's footsteps. He was throughout the whole visit.

As I said in another post, I doubt that he read my letter. But I did see much of what I hoped for accomplished. He spoke clearly on the issue of abortion. He challenged the bishops & priests to be true to their vocation. He did challenge the Catholic Colleges & schools to be "truly Catholic". He reminded the UN that Jesus is the source of salvation. & he continued his battle against relativism.

Now it is up to us TO RESPOND, individually & as a Church. Are we going to say "YES" to what Christ has called us to do? Will we be truly Catholic? Will we fight to end abortion, defend life & let the Holy Spirit empower us to do so?

Finally, I go back to what I said at the start of the post about all Papa Benedetto needed to say in the homily. Well he did say that, at his farewell speech at JFK Airport. "I encourage you to continue bearing joyful witness to Christ our Hope, our Risen Lord and Savior, who makes all things new and gives us life in abundance. " "You have heard everything I said. Now go & do it!!!"

Got it? Now let's do it!

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Some final thoughts

As I already pointed out, I saw most of what I hoped for in this visit. I can't complain. In fact I "Praise God" for the gift of Papa Benedetto & for the Holy Spirit empowering him to serve us & bring us the message we needed to hear.

As I also said, it is up to each & everyone of us to respond. I have noted that the media didn't get it. But the seeds were planted. Some Bishops as well as educators ignored or put a spin on his words. But they heard them. & they are responsible for how well they do or don't respond. As are we all.

30 years ago I saw the year of 3 Popes. In October or 1978 Pope John Paul II was elected. A year later I was standing in a field at Living History Farms, Urbandale, IA where Pope John Paul the Great said Mass. At 1 point I was only 15 feet away from him. As a child, I would have never dreamed that a Pope would come to Iowa, but he did. His words strengthened & encouraged me in my faith. Nearly 30 years later his successor came to America. & while I didn't get to see Papa Benedetto in person, I still was strenghtened & encouraged in my faith.

Like many a blogger I expect a bit of a post Papal trip withdrawal. The number of posts will probably be a lot less most days. There are some subjects that will now come to the front burner. & there will be responses to some events as they occur.

I have also noticed a doubling in the # of visitors to this blog. I don't know why for sure. Many blogs noticed an increase because of their coverage of the Papal visit. Maybe that is why the increase for my blog also. What ever the reason, I only hope & pray that all I did was not for my glory, but to glorify God.

& while it is nice to know that some people are reading this blog, I am not doing it only to be read. I am trying to serve Jesus by serving those people he puts in my path via this blog. What makes me happy is not the numbers. It isn't in bringing me attention or glory. My hope is to do what Papa Benedetto challenged, to "preach Christ Jesus & Him crucified". When I speak out on issues I want to challenge people to live the Gospel. I stand up for life & hope & pray that God will bless my humble efforts. If I can bring 1 person to Jesus, if I can bring 1 person hurt by abortion to a place where Jesus can heal him/her, if I can stop 1 abortion, then I am happy. Success is not found in numbers, it is found in doing the will of God. Numbers don't always tell the story. Some people affect a lot of lives but have little to no lasting effect. Others touch few lives, but those they do touch are touched by the power of the Holy Spirit working through the person. & those results have eternal consequences.

So, if I have been able to help you in any way, then I give God the praise & glory & I pray "that the One who began a good work in you will go on completing it until the Day of Jesus Christ comes." (Phil 1:6)