Let us here recall how, in the history of the Church, it has often been found to be the case that the disciples must follow in the footsteps of their Divine Master -- and such is never found to be in vain or without some greater purpose. Is not Pope Benedict himself presently bearing the cross of similar abuses and attacks?
Finally, let us recall that Benedict XVI himself has not been naive to these realities. Let us bring to mind these words which he spoke during the homily of the Mass of his papal inauguration, April 24th, 2005:One of the basic characteristics of a shepherd must be to love the people entrusted to him, even as he loves Christ whom he serves. “Feed my sheep”, says Christ to Peter, and now, at this moment, he says it to me as well. Feeding means loving, and loving also means being ready to suffer. Loving means giving the sheep what is truly good, the nourishment of God’s truth, of God’s word, the nourishment of his presence, which he gives us in the Blessed Sacrament. My dear friends – at this moment I can only say: pray for me, that I may learn to love the Lord more and more. Pray for me, that I may learn to love his flock more and more – in other words, you, the holy Church, each one of you and all of you together. Pray for me, that I may not flee for fear of the wolves. Let us pray for one another, that the Lord will carry us and that we will learn to carry one another.
Let us then carry the Holy Father by our prayers now as he bears this cross; as he bears with the abuses and buffets which Christ Himself bore to an even greater degree. Let us pray for him, support him and publicly defend him, as he, our earthly shepherd, is indeed struck by the sword and surrounded by wolves. Let us not be scattered but instead rouse ourselves, taking heart and taking courage, remembering that the ploys and attacks of Satan are ultimately in vain for ultimately, in Christ, the battle is already won and He reigns victorious.
Read the entire piece at NLM.
Remember the pressure our Holy Father must be under. Remember his age too. Remember the duty of loyalty and prayer that we owe him. Keep him in prayer always. And learn about the issue at hand - realise that what you're hearing on the media is utter falsehood. Defend the Pope! It's your duty!
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