Thursday, February 13, 2014

BXVI, One Year Ago: The Church is Christ's Church



Benedict XVI made his first public appearance after saying he'd leave the papacy and celebrated his last public Mass one year ago. That day, in 2013, was Ash Wednesday. I took the picture above during that special moment. Two days had gone by since the announcement of the resignation. By the day of this Eucharist, most of the faithful in Rome were no longer shocked with Benedict's decision. I know I wasn't. Precisely during this last public Mass, just two days after the shocking announcement, I realized that most of the Catholics gathered in St. Peter's Basilica were mainly feeling as grateful to Benedict XVI as we feel today for his faithfulness to God's will. We were grateful then as we are grateful today for his example of humility and his love for the Church. For all of us who were gathered with Benedict that day in order to start Lent, prayer and the Eucharist were the true sources of peace and hope in a moment of apparent confusion. The Holy Spirit reassured us all, as we rejoiced during the celebration for the gift we had received in Benedict's pontificate, what we know with certainty today. That is, the Spirit showed us then that God is in control of everything and so there is nothing to fear. The Spirit spoke through Benedict when in those days he said that the Church is not his, the Church is not ours, but Church is Christ's Church. Christ is in control of the Church. We knew then, as we know today, that everything that happens is thus for the best of all. God loves us that much and infinitely more.

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