Posts Tagged ‘Pope Benedict XVI’

Pope Count is Back to one at a time Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI dies at 95 Five Quick Thoughts Update Make that Six

Posted: December 31, 2022 by datechguy in catholic, catholic devotions
Tags: , ,

It occurs to me, now that we are back to one Pope that by become Pope Emeritus Benedict set a pretty good example. There is some advantage to having a Pope Emeritus who basically devotes the remainder of his life to prayer for the Church and the people. The willing surrender of power and authority is an act of humility and having a holy faithful man in constant prayer for the church certainly can’t hurt.

The reins of St. John Paul II & Benedict the XVI were, in my opinion a golden age in terms of solid theology and evangelization. Nothing has made this more clear than the pontificate of Francis You never know how good you have things till they’re gone.

One of the things that Benedict will likely not get credit for in the media was his strong action concerning various church scandals. The standards that were implemented during his pontificate to prevent a repeat of the horrible abuse scandals from the past were rather solid and have made a real difference in the church.

One secular note concerning his death, he was the last living head of state or former head of state have served in the Military during World War 2 having been drafted into and served in an anti-aircraft unit for Germany. He and Elizabeth II, who served in the British military during the war mark the end of an era.

Finally you have to go back to the 7th century and before to see as many consecutive Popes be canonized as you have in the last 60 years. Every pope since John XXIII has been elevated either to Sainthood or to the stage just before Sainthood (Pope John Paul I) (Pope Pius XII St. John XXIII’s predecessor remains at the “venerable” stage likely, in my opinion for political reasons ).

Will Benedict XVI be canonized. I don’t expect Francis to waive the standard five year waiting period for a cause to be opened and I suspect that when those five years are up neither Francis nor any like minded successor will be in any hurry to push forward a cause for sainthood for Benedict. However in the end it comes down to God and if he decides that Benedict should be publicly recognized as a canonized saint it will happen if not under this pope then under a successor in the future.

In the end it doesn’t matter, all who are in heaven are by definition saints and most are not canonized. Canonization only reveals to us what has already happened, it doesn’t rush or push a soul forward out of purgatory nor can it remove a soul from hell that has already been damned. No power on earth can make the judgement of God concerning Benedict XVI any different than it is.

It’s most likely I won’t find the answer during my lifetime so i’ll end up having to find out for myself the hard way. I hope and pray when that happens I’ll be in a state where I can take joy in confirming what I already suspect. Any and all prayers for my soul while I’m still alive to do something about it or when I’m gone will be gratefully accepted.

UPDATE: It hit me about an hour after I wrote this post that Pope Benedict XVI is going to make history in another way.

He will be the first Pope in history to have his funeral presided over by the Pope

My hits are up so I’d better take the Pope to heart

Posted: January 26, 2011 by datechguy in blogs, catholic, internet/free speech
Tags: , ,

By an odd coincidence just as my hits are way up the Pope warns me all that glitters are not hits:

Pope Benedict XVI told Catholic bloggers and Facebook and YouTube users Monday to be respectful of others when spreading the Gospel online and not to see their ultimate goal as getting as many online hits as possible.

Echoing concerns in the U.S. about the need to root out online vitriol, Benedict called for the faithful to adopt a “Christian style presence” online that is responsible, honest and discreet

When you are a public Catholic it is important to act like one, particularly if you call out other public Catholics who don’t.

In addition he warns of making a virtual reality for oneself:

“It is important always to remember that virtual contact cannot and must not take the place of direct human contact with people at every level of our lives,” Benedict said in the message for the Catholic Church’s World Day of Communications.

He urged users of social networks to ask themselves “Who is my ‘neighbor’ in this new world?” and avoid the danger of always being available online but being “less present to those whom we encounter in our everyday life.”

It reminds me of Screwtape #6 to wit:

Do what you will, there is going to be some benevolence, as well as some malice, in your patient’s soul. The great thing is to direct the malice to his immediate neighbors whom he meets every day and to thrust his benevolence out to the remote circumference, to people he does not know. The malice thus becomes wholly real and the benevolence largely imaginary.and the theory where to put things

The Pope’s full message is here.

Vigil for all Unborn Life in Worcester Mass

Posted: November 29, 2010 by datechguy in abortion, catholic, local issues
Tags: , , , , ,

I attended the event at St. Paul’s Cathedral of St Paul last night and the Vigil was incredible.

Three bishops, dozens of priests over 450 people from all over the Diocese and a first rate choir and spectacular music election accompanied a night of solemn prayer and adoration not only for unborn life but for the souls of those who have acted against innocent life, to wit:

Lord, you are love and mercy itself.

Draw all who have acted against innocent human life to repentance and forgiveness and heal them through an outpouring of grace

We often forget it is those who offend life and aid Abortion who are in fact in the most danger. Their actions end the lives of others but they also harm souls most notably their own. We should never neglect to pray for all those involved from Planned Parenthood and naral et/all for their souls are at risk and it a terrible thing to fall under the judgment of a just God.

I must admit I was shocked and disappointed that the Cathedral was not full. It’s not every day the Pope asks you do something. Would it have been that hard for Catholics in the diocese to show? My friend, poet and theologian Jim Marley (Who will be one of my Christmas Guests on DaTechGuy on DaRadio) has had cancer twice, is walking on crutches and is constantly in incredible pain yet he was there struggling to stand when possible and forced to sit when he could not. Where were the students of Holy Cross in Worcester? Where were the student and faculty from Anna Maria College whose president assured me two years ago that my comments suggesting they have forgotten their Catholic identity were incorrect? Apparently it is only remembered when raising money from the faithful.

Secondly I was surprised when I looked at the back of the Bulletin of the Cathedral of St. Paul in Worcester. There are 15 advertising spots. 3 are blank. How is it that the Cathedral in the 2nd largest city in New England can’t manage 15 ads in their bulletin?

I’m sure the media will give this story of people praying worldwide for life all the attention it gives the count for the annual right to life march, which is almost none.

 

 

 

 

After reading this piece I think Stacy McCain is a Catholic….

Posted: November 25, 2010 by datechguy in catholic, opinion/news
Tags: , , , , ,

…he just doesn’t know it yet:

I am not Catholic – my ancestors were Ulster Scots, and I remain proudly Protestant – but over the years many Catholic readers have been attracted to this blog by my advocacy of a pro-family, pro-life philosophy which owes much to the doctrine expounded in Humanae Vitae. If you have never read it, you certainly should and please note that Humanae Vitae is addressed not merely to Catholics, nor even exclusively to Christians, but “to all men of good will.”

He writes about Pope Paul Vi (the pope of my youth) and Benedict XVI, read this post, it is a very Catholic one

Recall that Paul VI wrote this in 1968, eight years after the first oral contraceptive was made commercially available in the U.S., at the height of the ridiculous hysteria over “The Population Bomb,” and five years before Roe v. Wade.

As Benedict XVI says, Humanae Vitae was “prophetically right,” because Paul VI clearly warned that the embrace of artificial contraception would “open wide the way for marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards.”

Since most protestant denominations gave in on Birth Control more than half a century ago reading this from Stacy brings a grin to my face. It’s like reading an essay from my friend Jim Marley poet and student of Theology (and one of the guest for my Christmas show). Stacy sounds more Catholic than most Catholics, but then again he is starting by linking to the Anchoress which is the best way to find the way to the charity of truth.

The Anchoress tends to hit basic truths well, to wit:

Did Pope Benedict know he was sparking a debate with his responses in Light of the World?

I suspect he did. Benedict is not stupid, and he’s not unsavvy about media; he knows the press is reactionary and slavish to the sensational – that they would grab his answers to Peter Seewald and run with them, and that after their first noise, some of them would actually settle down and seek to understand, while others never would.

Meanwhile, the faithful would be jarred from their torpor, and others–who had been dismissive of all-positions-Catholic–would again be engaged.

Active engagement is always better than passive dismissal.

And the discussion continues:

Paul VI, he said, “was convinced that society robs itself of its greatest hopes when it kills human beings through abortion”.

Benedict XVI said: “How many children are killed who might one day have been geniuses, who could have given humanity something new, who could have given us a new Mozart or some new technical discovery?

“We need to stop and think about the great human capacity that is being destroyed here – even quite apart from the fact that unborn children are human persons whose dignity and right to life we have to respect.”

Humanae Vitae’s main argument, that sexuality separated from fecundity in principle through the contraceptive pill would lead to sexuality becoming arbitrary, remains correct, Pope Benedict said.

I’ve made that argument over and over and was answered with: “How many would have been crack heads?” To which I say this. Who makes more difference 1 great teacher or 30 crack heads? 50 crack heads? 100 crack heads?

The potential of life is limitless, all it takes is faith and effort.

Oh and another of my Christmas Show guests notes something else the rest of the media has missed:

One aspect about this story that is getting no coverage is that we are getting a book like this in the first place. A sitting Pope sitting down with a journalist and not limiting any questions asked. Sure he is comfortable in his long relationship with Peter Seewald, but Seewald is willing to ask the questions other people would be interested in having asked. The Pope being the brilliant theologian that he is does not give pat answers. The Pope is not concerned with public relations and acting as a spin doctors on his answers to reduce any possible misinterpretations. The Pope thinks deeply on subjects and then gives us his answer where he would trust us with the truth. The Pope could have easily answered the questions on condoms by outlining the Church’s teaching on contraception, but instead spoke honestly in addressing possible situations. Some might call this a PR disaster and certainly it is annoying when the press distorts what the Pope says, but they would find something to distort regardless.

Remember the first thanksgiving proclamation was to give thanks to God.

Older Entries