A Call to Arms from Pope Benedict

My hero

You can praise John Paul to the skies all you want, and I will agree with you. But for those who suggest that Benedict is not every millimetre his worthy successor—not so, not so at all, a million times no, at least for me. Even long before he was Pope, Ben Ratzinger was always my man. He looks you straight in the eye, it seems, even if you are the whole world, and always says what needs to be said, without fear of favour.


Here's what he said recently in England, on the beautification of Cardinal Newman. It's a clear call to action for us all.

One of the Cardinal’s best-loved meditations includes the words, “God has created me to do him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another” (Meditations on Christian Doctrine). ... Faith is meant to bear fruit in the transformation of our world through the power of the Holy Spirit at work in the lives and activity of believers. No one who looks realistically at our world today could think that Christians can afford to go on with business as usual, ignoring the profound crisis of faith which has overtaken our society, or simply trusting that the patrimony of values handed down by the Christian centuries will continue to inspire and shape the future of our society. ... each of us, in accordance with his or her state of life, is called to work for the advancement of God’s Kingdom by imbuing temporal life with the values of the Gospel. Each of us has a mission, each of us is called to change the world, to work for a culture of life, a culture forged by love and respect for the dignity of each human person. As our Lord tells us in the Gospel we have just heard, our light must shine in the sight of all, so that, seeing our good works, they may give praise to our heavenly Father (cf. Mt 5:16).

No relation to Alfred E.

... only Jesus knows what “definite service” he has in mind for you. Be open to his voice resounding in the depths of your heart: even now his heart is speaking to your heart. Christ has need of families to remind the world of the dignity of human love and the beauty of family life. He needs men and women who devote their lives to the noble task of education, tending the young and forming them in the ways of the Gospel. He needs those who will consecrate their lives to the pursuit of perfect charity, following him in chastity, poverty and obedience, and serving him in the least of our brothers and sisters. He needs the powerful love of contemplative religious, who sustain the Church’s witness and activity through their constant prayer. And he needs priests, good and holy priests, men who are willing to lay down their lives for their sheep. Ask our Lord what he has in mind for you! Ask him for the generosity to say “yes!” Do not be afraid to give yourself totally to Jesus. He will give you the grace you need to fulfill your vocation.

Each of us has a vocation. Wherever we are in our own lives, whatever our job and responsibilities are, I guess we must all stop right now and ask ourselves, what it is that we can do, what is it we are meant to do, for truth and for our fellow man?
 
Let's rumble.