The Visit So Far

4 days down, 2 to go. & a busy 4 days at that. & while he still has 2 days to go, I think that an honest evaluation of what Papa Benedetto has accomplished so far is in order.

In his video message about the trip he laid out plain & simply the purpose & goal of this visit. "I have chosen as the theme of my journey three simple but essential words: "Christ our hope". Following in the footsteps of my venerable predecessors, Paul VI and John Paul II, I shall come to United States of America as Pope for the first time, to proclaim this great truth: Jesus Christ is hope for men and women of every language, race, culture and social condition. Yes, Christ is the face of God present among us. Through him, our lives reach fullness, and together, both as individuals and peoples, we can become a family united by fraternal love, according to the eternal plan of God the Father."

He said he has come to proclaim the Gospel, to evangelize. & to strengthen the brethren as is his repsonsibility & I can honestly say he has done what he said he would.

At the White House Welcome he reiterated his purpose in coming: "I come as a friend, a preacher of the Gospel, . . . . . I trust that my presence will be a source of renewal and hope for the Church in the United States, and strengthen the resolve of Catholics to contribute ever more responsibly to the life of this nation, of which they are proud to be citizens."

He went on to talk about his visit & what makes the USA great. Then he laid on the line the 1 thing needed for this country to truly suceed is faith. "The Church, for her part, wishes to contribute to building a world ever more worthy of the human person, created in the image and likeness of God. She is convinced that faith sheds new light on all things, and that the Gospel reveals the noble vocation and sublime destiny of every man and woman. Faith also gives us the strength to respond to our high calling and to hope that inspires us to work for an ever more just and fraternal society. Democracy can only flourish, as your founding fathers realized, when political leaders and those whom they represent are guided by truth and bring the wisdom born of firm moral principle to decisions affecting the life and future of the nation."

Later in his talk to the Bishops he made it clear that their job is to proclaim the Gospel. Every action must, at the heart be aimed at the goal of evangelization. "It is in this fertile soil, nourished from so many different sources, that all of you, Brother Bishops, are called to sow the seeds of the Gospel today." He went on to say: "This leads me to ask how, in the twenty-first century, a bishop can best fulfill the call to “make all things new in Christ, our hope”? How can he lead his people to “an encounter with the living God”, the source of that life-transforming hope of which the Gospel speaks (cf. Spe Salvi, 4)?" He then spent the rest of the talk looking at our society, some of the problems the Bishops need to face, & how the Bishops are to do this task. & he made it very clear that the foundation is prayer & the Eucharist.

At the homily during the Mass on Thursday, after a short into, he went straight to point: "In the exercise of my ministry as the Successor of Peter, I have come to America to confirm you, my brothers and sisters, in the faith of the Apostles (cf. Lk 22:32). I have come to proclaim anew, as Peter proclaimed on the day of Pentecost, that Jesus Christ is Lord and Messiah, risen from the dead, seated in glory at the right hand of the Father, and established as judge of the living and the dead (cf. Acts 2:14ff.). I have come to repeat the Apostle’s urgent call to conversion and the forgiveness of sins, and to implore from the Lord a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church in this country. As we have heard throughout this Easter season, the Church was born of the Spirit’s gift of repentance and faith in the risen Lord. In every age she is impelled by the same Spirit to bring to men and women of every race, language and people (cf. Rev 5:9) the good news of our reconciliation with God in Christ."

Jesus Christ is Lord & Savior. Repent & be saved. Be empowered by the Holy Spirit to evangelize & fully live out your call as a Christian. He spends the rest of the talk expounding on this message.

Later he had his meeting with educators. Again he minces no words. Catholic education exists to evangelize & for catechesis. "Education is integral to the mission of the Church to proclaim the Good News. First and foremost every Catholic educational institution is a place to encounter the living God who in Jesus Christ reveals his transforming love and truth (cf. Spe Salvi, 4). This relationship elicits a desire to grow in the knowledge and understanding of Christ and his teaching. In this way those who meet him are drawn by the very power of the Gospel to lead a new life characterized by all that is beautiful, good, and true; a life of Christian witness nurtured and strengthened within the community of our Lord's disciples, the Church." He then went on to call on every educational institution that calls itself Catholic to "BE CATHOLIC!" He made it clear that relativism has no place in a Catholic institution. True dialogue is not allowing the presentation of any viewpoint. Rather it is examining that viewpoint in light of the truth of the Gospel. & where it falls short, to challenge it.

Later that day in DC he met with leaders of other faiths. There he said: "Confronted with these deeper questions concerning the origin and destiny of mankind, Christianity proposes Jesus of Nazareth. He, we believe, is the eternal Logos who became flesh in order to reconcile man to God and reveal the underlying reason of all things. It is he whom we bring to the forum of interreligious dialogue. The ardent desire to follow in his footsteps spurs Christians to open their minds and hearts in dialogue (cf. Lk 10:25-37; Jn 4:7-26)." Just as he did with the educators, here he gives the foundation for true dialogue.

Then he met with representatives of the Jewish Community & reminded us Christians of our foundation. "While the Christian celebration of Easter differs in many ways from your celebration of Pesah, we understand and experience it in continuation with the biblical narrative of the mighty works which the Lord accomplished for his people."

Friday he addressed the UN General Assembly. He talked about Natural Law & the need for every country to recognize that basic human rights come from that law, established by God, & that the state doesn't give them, merely exists to protect them. & he made it clear why he was speaking out in the defense of basic human rights: "For Christians, this task is motivated by the hope drawn from the saving work of Jesus Christ."

Later in the day the Pope visited an Park East Synagogue. This visit was simply to show the love & respect we as Catholics have for our elder brothers. There are times when actions speak louder than words. This was 1 of those times.

Later he went to an Ecumenical Prayer Service at St. Joseph Catholic Church. In his address the Pope again didn't mince words. His challenge was again to proclaim the Gospel. He again attacked the error of relativism that leads people to reject their call to evangelize. & he made it clear there are objective truths. "Only by "holding fast" to sound teaching (2 Thess 2:15; cf. Rev 2:12-29) will we be able to respond to the challenges that confront us in an evolving world. Only in this way will we give unambiguous testimony to the truth of the Gospel and its moral teaching. This is the message which the world is waiting to hear from us. Like the early Christians, we have a responsibility to give transparent witness to the "reasons for our hope", so that the eyes of all men and women of goodwill may be opened to see that God has shown us his face (cf. 2 Cor 3:12-18) and granted us access to his divine life through Jesus Christ. He alone is our hope! God has revealed his love for all peoples through the mystery of his Son's passion and death, and has called us to proclaim that he is indeed risen, has taken his place at the right hand of the Father, and "will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead" (Nicene Creed)." He also challenged those there to work for true Christian unity, not glossing over the differences. This working to achieve unity must be done by the Power of the Holy Spirit.

As I said, I think that Papa Benedetto has more than accomplished what he has set out to do & will continue to do so for the rest of his visit. He has proclaimed the message. He is accomplishing his part that God called him to by the power of the Holy Spirt. the question is this: "Are we going to allow, individually & as a whole, the Holy Spirit to take those words & let them bear fruit in our lives?" Each & every one of us can listen & act. Or we can reject it & turn our backs on God's will, God's call.

I can't speak for anyone else. All I can speak for is myself. I hope & pray that I am able to respond as God desires on me. & I ask the Holy Spirit to empower me to do so.

But I also can & must challenge each & every one of you to also respond to God's call. So I conclude with this question: "Will you?"