The Pope who asked us, when he took office, to pray for him, lest he flee for fear of the wolves.
His resignation letter said:
"However, in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me."
The world is so complex now. We can hardly breathe.
Yesterday, I felt compelled to speak to my friends on facebook as lent began, and to tell them that I am certain beyond all certainty that families are being tested and will continue to experience strong trials to strengthen them for the persecution ahead.
As Lent begins, I feel certain that God is doing a work in the laity and that Satan will try to steal the blessing God has intended for families who are willing to take the challenge. We must pray, and strive for holiness, against all odds. God will meet us here in this darkness and do a beautiful work.
In fact, when we arrived at our parish for mass, already decorated in heavy purple and black, we were quite surprised to find that our priest had something in mind for the families present: he had us renew our marriage vows!! As we stood and spoke the words, hands clasped, all our children between us, we both cried.
Indeed, our marriage was in need of that strengthening and the renewal of our covenant. We are living in challenging times.
When I regrouped with my husband last night, he shared with me that he felt concerned that something was going to happen to the Holy Father.
He was right. When we awoke this morning, the news was racing through our minds--- what will happen next?
The Prophecy of St Malachy, of course, comes to mind.
Our next pope, according to the Prophecy:
In the extreme persecution of the Holy Roman Church, there will sit... Peter the Roman, who will Nourish the sheep in many tribulations; when they are finished, the city of seven hills will be destroyed, and the dreadful judge will judge his people. The end.What will happen next? No one knows, but we must pray. I, for one, am beyond thankful that when I woke up my husband with tears in my eyes to tell him the news, his response was to gather our whole family together into our bed, a bed which he made for me like Odysseus, tenderly building his own for Penelope, and to lead us in the rosary, the prayer of prayers.
With our children gathered around us, we prayed the sorrowful mysteries, asking God to make us more like Christ. Christ who suffered the agony in the Garden. Christ who was scourged at the pillar. Christ who was crowned with thorns and mocked. Christ who carried his Cross. Christ who was crucified, but rose again in Glory. May God have mercy on us all.
For those struggling to understand, Scott Hahn's facebook page gives us some insight:
Back on April 29, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI did something rather striking, but which went largely unnoticed.
He stopped off in Aquila, Italy, and visited the tomb of an obscure medieval Pope named St. Celestine V (1215-1296). After a brief prayer, he left his pallium, the symbol of his own episcopal authority as Bishop of Rome, on top of Celestine's tomb!
Fifteen months later, on July 4, 2010, Benedict went out of his way again, this time to visit and pray in the cathedral of Sulmona, near Rome, before the relics of this same saint, Celestine V.
Few people, however, noticed at the time.
Only now, we may be gaining a better understanding of what it meant. These actions were probably more than pious acts. More likely, they were profound and symbolic gestures of a very personal nature, which conveyed a message that a Pope can hardly deliver any other way.
In the year 1294, this man (Fr. Pietro Angelerio), known by all as a devout and holy priest, was elected Pope, somewhat against his will, shortly before his 80th birthday (Ratzinger was 78 when he was elected Pope in 2005). Just five months later, after issuing a formal decree allowing popes to resign (or abdicate, like other rulers), Pope Celestine V exercised that right. And now Pope Benedict XVI has chosen to follow in the footsteps of this venerable model.
For more information about Pope Benedict XVI and what he was doing with the Church during his reign, please read this book.
I am praying and hoping, that as one friend put it, that perhaps he saw the wolves attacking JPII in his illness and that he refused to let that happen under his watch.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit I fear, but we all do in the face of change. Praying for our church and our Holy Father.