The Gift of Doubt

I've been reading a couple of blogs about the Pope's speech in Assisi.  Begun by Pope John-Paul II, the Holy  Father invited members of the world's religions to gather at Assisi.  This year, though, there was a difference. Pope Benedict also invited non-believers to this gathering, and spoke eloquently about religion's part in driving them away.  He acknowledged the place both religion and anti-religion have played in violence throughout the ages.

What intrigued me was the Holy Father's almost *praise* of doubting.  He says, basically, that agnosticism serves to keep both atheists and believers from holding onto the extremes of their positions to the detriment of others.

He calls those who doubt "'pilgrims of truth, pilgrims of peace'. They ask questions of both sides," the Pope said. "They take away from militant atheists the false certainty by which these claim to know that there is no God and they invite them to leave polemics aside and to become seekers who do not give up hope in the existence of truth and in the possibility and necessity of living by it."

How inspiring for those of us who have had our periods of doubt and uncertainty! We must remember that even such modern-day saints as Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta have struggled with "dark nights of the soul".

Doubters, the Holy Father says, are seekers of the truth and challenge unbelievers to join the journey.

Pope Benedict then goes on to address a very important help doubters provide to people with strong religious faith:

But they also challenge the followers of religions not to consider God as their own property, as if he belonged to them, in such a way that they feel vindicated in using force against others. These people are seeking the truth, they are seeking the true God, whose image is frequently concealed in the religions because of the ways in which they are often practised. Their inability to find God is partly the responsibility of believers with a limited or even falsified image of God.

Just as the extremism of anti-belief should not practiced, neither should those of us who are believers let our religion make us too proud to be able to share God with others.  We do not have God wrapped up in a fancy box, tied with a ribbon, only to be open by those who meet our strict criterion.

Doubting is not the worst thing that could happen to someone.  It challenges both believers and non-believers to re-think the extremism in their positions, and let someone else in.

Pope sets the Style in Scotland

The pope has been visiting Great Britain this week.

In his honor, a new tartan was designed by Matthew Newsome, director of The Scottish Tartans Museum in North Carolina.

Material was then made by Ingles Buchan of Glasgow, in Scotland and worn as a scarf by the pope, his private secretary and Cardinal Keith O'Brien of Scotland  during a procession in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh.

Since then, orders for ties and scarves in the new material have poured in.

Here is the symbolism of the colors used in the pattern:

• The white and blue are Scotland's national colors.
• The green isfor the lichens growing in Galloway.
• The red and white are from Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman's crest.
• The yellow is from the Vatican flag.

Money Will Vanish

This is from the Holy Father's Address at the Synod on the Word of God. He reflects brilliantly on the present human condition and how God is the only solution. Something to meditate on in the closing weeks before the elections in the U.S. and Canada.

At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord speaks to us about the two possible foundations for building the house of one’s life: sand and rock. He who builds on sand only builds on visible and tangible things, on success, on career, on money. Apparently these are the true realities.

But all this one day will vanish. We can see this now with the fall of two large banks: this money disappears, it is nothing. And thus all things, which seem to be the true realities we can count on, are only realities of a secondary order. He who builds his life on these realities, on matter, on success, on appearances, builds upon sand. Only the Word of God is the foundation of all reality, it is as stable as the heavens and more than the heavens, it is reality.

Therefore, we must change our concept of realism. The realist is he who recognizes the Word of God, in this apparently weak reality, as the foundation of all things. (A) realist is he who builds his life on this foundation, which is permanent.

Can't say it better than the pope!

Inspiration

I listened on the radio to the ceremony from the White House welcoming Pope Benedict this morning. Even without any visuals, it was very moving. Having been present at Pope John Paul II's Mass in Washington in 1979, I was a bit surprised at how pastoral Benedict was in his remarks.

Over the last nearly 3 decades, I can recall quite a few remarks from our late Holy Father about much of what is wrong in American society. Ironically enough, this came from a pontiff who had the reputation in some circles as being too lenient and not forceful enough. Conversely, Benedict is seen as "God's rotweiller" who will come and drive the moneychangers out of the temple.

His remarks today, however, were full of love and encouragement. Even President Bush seemed free to warmly and publically welcome a world leader who shared many of his Christian, pro-life values in true American style. This being the Holy Father's 81st birthday, the crowds began to spontaneously sing "Happy Birthday" even before the scheduled time. The musicians from the United States military played songs that beautifully reflected both our American and religious heritage.

In this cynical pre-election season, it has taken a foreign head of state to reminded us of what our country is all about and the values that it has been founded upon. It is so easy to give up on our form of government and way of life in our mud-slinging, media-saturated, pre-election culture.

The Holy Father reminded those listening on the White House lawn today that

From the dawn of the Republic, America's quest for freedom has been guided by the conviction that the principles governing political and social life are intimately linked to a moral order based on the dominion of God the Creator. The framers of this nation's founding documents drew upon this conviction when they proclaimed the "self-evident truth" that all men are created equal and endowed with inalienable rights grounded in the laws of nature and of nature's God. The course of American history demonstrates the difficulties, the struggles, and the great intellectual and moral resolve which were demanded to shape a society which faithfully embodied these noble principles. In that process, which forged the soul of the nation, religious beliefs were a constant inspiration and driving force, as for example in the struggle against slavery and in the civil rights movement. In our time too, particularly in moments of crisis, Americans continue to find their strength in a commitment to this patrimony of shared ideals and aspirations.

Freedom is not only a gift, but also a summons to personal responsibility. Americans know this from experience – almost every town in this country has its monuments honoring those who sacrificed their lives in defense of freedom, both at home and abroad. The preservation of freedom calls for the cultivation of virtue, self-discipline, sacrifice for the common good and a sense of responsibility towards the less fortunate. It also demands the courage to engage in civic life and to bring one's deepest beliefs and values to reasoned public debate.

Mr. President, dear friends: as I begin my visit to the United States, I express once more my gratitude for your invitation, my joy to be in your midst, and my fervent prayers that Almighty God will confirm this nation and its people in the ways of justice, prosperity and peace.

God bless America!

A Message From Pope Benedict to the U.S.

Here is a message from the Holy Father to the U.S. in advance of his upcoming visit.

World Communications Day--calling for media change

The theme for this year's World Communications Day is, The Media: At the Crossroads between Self-Promotion and Service.Searching for the Truth in order to Share it with Others. Pope Benedict has released remarks for the event, which is on May 4th.

"We must ask," the Holy Father insists, "whether it is wise to allow the instruments of social communication to be exploited for indiscriminate 'self-promotion' or to end up in the hands of those who use them to manipulate consciences.

"Today," he points out, "communication seems increasingly to claim not simply to represent reality, but to determine it. ...in certain situations the media are used not for the proper purpose of disseminating information, but to 'create' events." (underlined emphasis mine)

Pope Benedict calls this a "dangerous change" that has been "noted with concern by many Church leaders" and calls for a complete change in the present focus of the media, away from promoting materialism and moral relativism and towards a "media ethic" that promotes the dignity of all humanity.

How can this be done? First, by not supporting the existing media. Within the next year or two, televisions using old technology will no longer work without technical adaptations. This is a good time to consider your television diet. Do you need a tv at all? Do you need as many as you currently have? Perhaps this Lent is a good time to go on a "media diet".

Second, support alternate media. There are many good Catholic media organizations out there as well as good internet blogs of all kinds that don't pander to the materialistic culture of death.

Find them. Support them. Start one.

Some to consider: EWTN, Ave Maria Radio, The Catholic Channel, and Saint Michael's Media.

A Man of God

Here is part of a speech that Pope Benedict XVI *would* have given to a Roman university had leftist protests not prevented it:

What does the Pope have to do or say in a university? He certainly should not try to impose in an authoritarian manner his faith on others, which can only be freely offered. ...it is his task to keep alive man’s responsiveness to the truth. Similarly he must again and always invite reason to seek out truth, goodness and God, and on this path urge it to see the useful lights that emerged during the history of the Christian faith and perceive Jesus Christ as the light that illuminates history and helps find the way towards the future.

Wow. Their anti-Catholic prejudice prevented them from hearing wise words of a learned professor and man of God.

Pope Benedict on YouTube

A wonderful vid of Pope Benedict with some Italian children. Hat tip to Reconnecting to the Truth.

Happy Birthday, Pope Benedict.

April 16 is the 80th birthday of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict. He joins octogenarians the world over, including my mom and her twin sister, who just turned 80 last month.

Happy Birthday, Holy Father!!