April 23, 2005

“The more we love Jesus, the more we know Him, and the more our genuine freedom grows, as well as the joy of being redeemed. Thank you, Jesus, for Your friendship!”

You would think the above quote was taken from a Billy Graham crusade. No, they’re not Billy’s words, but Benedict’s – Pope Benedict XVI to be exact. These heartfelt and deeply personal words are from a homily given at a Mass for the cardinals in Saint Peter’s Basilica just days before the election to his Pontificate.

For a number of years now I’ve been enjoying the spiritually enriching and thought-provoking writings of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. The homily given to the cardinals, like all of his writings, is intellectually lucid, yet also deeply devotional. Indeed, one must read slowly, and at times, stop to reread a sentence or paragraph to clearly understand and assimilate his insights and theories. As with his friend and predecessor, our new Holy Pontiff always provides a direct hit to both head and heart. Friends, get ready for some challenging and spiritually uplifting messages from “Bella Roma”!

As is evident, many people are afraid of our new pope. Instead of seeing him as he really is – a very holy and humble man, they have him cast as a doctrinal “enforcer” or “Vatican watchdog”. I suspect some of his greatest critics haven’t even looked at a cover of one of the many books he has written. It is these “opinion makers” who affect huge segments of Christ’s flock who should know better – but don’t. They react negatively to snippets of text skillfully taken out of context, like “he believes that all religions besides his own Catholicism are deficient”. They know just where to hit the knee to make it jump.

Now, friends of the friars, here’s my challenge to you. Think about starting from scratch. Remember when you began a new semester or school year with a brand new notebook? Well, begin now to take some good notes. If you didn’t read the encyclicals, apostolic letters, and addresses of the last pope – begin reading with this pope! Don’t just eat whatever they put on your plate – get up and serve yourself. You’re old enough and smart enough to find out what the pope has really said and what the Church really teaches. If you have a high-school education, or if not, average intelligence, why are you letting others teach you about the Faith? Allow the Holy Spirit speaking through the Church to make your knee jump!

So, if you want to know about politics, sports, and the weather, go to your news channel or paper; for Church news, go elsewhere – online (Zenit.org), subscribe to National Catholic Register (not Reporter), or better yet, the English version of L’Observatoro Romano. Official documents are quickly printed and sold by the Daughters of Saint Paul. Go to the source of the news; if you do, this will not only be properly informed, but also deeply inspired. We’re in the first week of a new semester – be resolved to do your homework! If you’re a good student, you’ll be able to smile, stand secure, and clearly speak to the world about the truth – like being a friend of Jesus Christ. If preacher Billy and Pope Benedict can do it – why not you?

Fr. Glenn Sudano, CFR
Community Servant, residing at St. Felix Friary in Yonkers, New York

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