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A Lot to Think About
The question was asked about what grade you would give Pope Benedict XVI’s Journey of Hope to the United States. The answer was swift and certain. It was an A+.
The Holy Father, whom a majority of Americans said they respected even though they didn’t really feel they knew him, had made himself better known and everyone was liking what they saw.
For six days, he was among us in Washington, D.C., and New York City. He praised the Church in the U.S. while challenging us to be even better. He told us how much he admired the moral underpinnings of our nation and the identification with faith that is shown by the American people.
He praised the strong Catholic traditions of the Church in the United States and urged us not to falter but to renew our inner convictions and take the Christian message to even greater heights. He emphasized that people of faith must “set aside all anger” and heal their divisions so that the hope of the Christian message becomes even more apparent.
This Holy Father doesn’t make things easy for us. His words can seem simple but his thoughts and concepts are complex and profound. They demand hours of study and rereading in order to be better digested and comprehended. That is why we took advantage of The Tablet’s website and posted the texts of all the papal speeches that he delivered in the United States during this memorable trip. You can visit the site, reread the pope’s words and download them for further contemplation.
What the pope has proposed has provided us with a framework from which to work and elaborate upon as we move ahead as the Church in the United States. As the dynamic leader that he is, he has set a foundation and has asked us to build on it.
He warned of the “attack of a new secularism” and he pointed to “clear signs of a disturbing breakdown in the very foundations of society.” He pointed to increased violence, a weakening of a moral sense, a coarsening of societal and interpersonal relations and a growing forgetfulness about God.
He also recognized the great diversity of the Church in America. He lauded the ways in which the Church has managed to bring different cultures and backgrounds together to form a single people of faith. Indeed, this is the story of America, the molding of peoples from different countries into a nation all its own.
Five times the Holy Father addressed the clergy sexual abuse crisis, beginning with his remarks on the plane on its way to the United States. He also met with victims of the abuse scandal. Hopefully, his candid assessment and refusal to ignore the issue marked a turning point for those abused and for the Church as a whole. His frankness and sincerity was evident when he said he found it difficult to imagine how a priest could betray his mission to be an agent of God’s love to people.
While he stayed out of partisan politics, Pope Benedict did explain that beliefs cannot stay inside the church on Sunday. Our faith and our moral beliefs should carry over into the work week and the classroom so that our daily living is a sign that indeed we are believers.
He pointed out that some Catholics are not in step with the teachings of the Church and he reminded the bishops that the solution is in a long-term program of religious education. Indeed, he reminded all Catholic educators to recover and revel in their Catholic identity not only in the course work that is offered in the classrooms but also in the way that campus life plays itself out on a day-to-day basis.
Above all, the Holy Father proclaimed that being followers of Jesus is a joyous experience and we are to make that joy known as we proclaim Christ to be the Light for a dark world.
His message was one of hope, as he explained how faith is a reasonable concept and vital to the understanding of who we are as persons created in the image of a loving God.
To the entire world at the United Nations, Pope Benedict made a plea for peace. He praised the work of the United Nations and particularly its Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by its members 60 years ago. He reminded all that neither the government nor religion has a right to change or limit human rights because they flow from the dignity of the human person.
His plea for all nations to work together in pursuit of peace was a call to involve more voices in the decisions that affect the whole world. A vision that is based on the natural law etched in the human heart will necessarily lead to a conversion of spirit and a turning away from violence toward one another.
At each stop in his historic visit, Pope Benedict, the great teacher, spelled out the Church’s vision for humankind. It was based on relationships, harmony, respect for the individual, freedom, faith and hope. He has given us a lot to think about. His words were encouraging, inspirational and meant to rejuvenate an already vibrant Church.
Take the time to go back over the Holy Father’s words. Save this copy of The Tablet which summarizes the events of these historic days. Share them with your local parish groups. The prophetic words of this outstanding Holy Father will only make sense and bear fruit if we understand them and then act upon them. Let them be the basis on which we base our faith and actions as a Church.
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