Pope Benedict XVI - His Legacy

Pope Benedict XVI – His Legacy

Submitted by Thomas Stidl

         I do not know about you, but I get exasperated when the first mention of His Holiness is the word resignation.  The second groups of words that are equally exasperating are the sex scandals among the clergy,

         What they do not tell you about His Holiness is the great warmth of spirit that the Pope exuded to everyone.  He had a warm friendly way that reminds all of us that Jesus was present in him and was the center of Pope Benedict’s life.  Not too many people speak of his great intellect also.  Pope Benedict XVI left the Church an immense wealth of his writings..  His sermons were to the point.  In those sermons you could see that he had a great love of Jesus who was the center of his life.  He had a great devotion to Mary, the Mother of God, and to Saint Joseph, the foster father of Jesus.

         His encyclicals were also one of his teaching tools.  He understood the common Catholic man and woman and exhorted us to live by God’s word.  His ability to communicate on a down-to-earth level with everyone made him a giant in the Church, and yet he stayed a very humble servant of God.  He was a champion of conservative values mixing perfectly the Word of God, the Magisterial teachings, and the traditions of the Church.

         By and far, what I feel is his greatest achievement, happened before he became Pope.  Asked by Saint John Paul II, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger compiled the Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church, much of which is based on the biblical teachings of Jesus Christ.

         The Church Militant lost an intellectual giant when His Holiness joined the Church Triumphant in heaven.  Quite possibly, we can say that Benedict through all his teachings should be called ‘Doctor of the Church’.  It has been a privilege to live under his reign.

        Until next time, Laus Tibi, Christe.  Deo Gratias.  Praise be to God.  See you in Paradise.