Ego numquam deserendam Ecclesiam!

Dear Reader,

Please find below a chunk of text that in not he work of my own hand. This is the best summary I could find at the present moment to describe the current situation of what took place today in the Piazza di San Pietro.

2013-02-24 Vatican Radio (Vatican Radio) “Dear brothers and sisters…The Lord is calling me to "climb the mountain", to devote myself even more to prayer and meditation. But this does not mean abandoning the Church, indeed, if God is asking me to do this, it is so I can continue to serve the Church with the same dedication and the same love with which I have done thus far, but in a way that is better suited to my age and my strength”. "We will always be close in prayer!". This was Pope Benedict XVI’s parting message on Sunday, during his last Angelus address. At noon the canons sounded from the Janiculum hill and the great bells of St Peter’s basilica rang out. And as the curtains were drawn from his study windows and the red papal banner unfurled, the ocean of pilgrims waiting below erupted. Emer McCarthy reports: They had come in their thousands, pouring into the square since early dawn, men, women and children, old and young, religious and lay Catholics. They held banners, emblazoned with messages of gratitude and farewell for the 85 year old Pope, who had guided them in the faith over the past eight years. Pilgrims such as a father and his young son from the earthquake devastated city of Aquilla, central Italy, who held aloft a homemade sign, thanking Pope Benedict for having visited the city’s people in their time of need, for his material support and spiritual solidarity. Or the Dominican nuns from the Philippines who had held vigil since dawn praying the rosary. And beside them the young people in their sleeping bags, from Spain, Brazil, Mexico with their banner that read “the gates of hell will never prevail”.  With outstretched arms and visibly moved, Pope Benedict greeted them all, repeating ‘grazie, grazie,’ as he attempted to quieten the crowds. An almost impossible task.  Then, as is tradition, he reflected on the Sunday Gospel, Luke chapter 9, which recounts the Transfiguration of the Lord.  you can catch the rest at the News.va site Here.

I cannot help feel that the Lord is at work behind all this. while many people are paranoid and are saying we are on the cusp of the end of times, I beg to differ. In fact, I am positive that no matter what happens, the Lord will provide, and that there can be no denial that we are a lucky generation in that we are witnessing church history. In this day and age, with all the people recording it down on paper, or electronically, this will be remembered in the history books, this, I am positive and deadly certain. I think that it will be reassuring that the Holy Father, after the Election of the New Pontiff, he will be still praying for us and the Church.

it is funny that I found myself in the piazza today on the day of the transfiguration, for lately, this theme has cropped up constantly in the last two weeks. is the Lord asking me to Focus on this mystery in my daily life? 

Some things the Holy Father suggested were:

• The primacy of prayer, without which all the work of the apostolate and of charity is reduced to activism. 
• That we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus the Redeemer, whose glory was revealed on the mount of the Transfiguration.
• He extended an invite to us to continue with courage and determination our way, for Lent is a time of spiritual conversion and return to the Lord.

 Also, something the holy father seemed to do to me was put much emphasis behind the word Listen to him when he quoted scripture, this is my beloved son. HEAR HIM. (Lk 9:36)

often the Holy Father is saying he is Old and tiered and that the  successor that will follow will need to be full of energy to work hard in the vineyard of the Lord. so, without trying to speculate, I wonder if the Holy Father is trying to Indicate his successor? If we look at every one under the age of 70, then there is about 40-ish of them....! I guess we cannot forget to pray for the Cardinal electors, to be open to the Holy Spirit and choose the best man for the Chair of Peter.

I just pray that all goes well in he next few weeks!

Vale Amicus, Till next time. 

καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ προσεύχεσθαι αὐτὸν τὸ εἶδος τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ ἕτερον καὶ ὁ ἱματισμὸς αὐτοῦ λευκὸς ἐξαστράπτων. And whilst he prayed, the shape of his countenance was altered, and his raiment became white and glittering.  (Lk 9:29)

Quindenam Meminisse

A fortnight to remember indeed!!!!!

Dear Reader,

I have to say that the hype of the last two weeks have been felt by me in a a few ways, Shock (alone with the whole world?), betrayal, sadness, admiration, more sadness and I think finally, loss. I am not going to pretend that I can give any any answers for what happened, I do not believe I would be expected to nor would you be interested due to the amount of press it has gained since His Holiness,  Pope Benedict XVI P.M. abdicated/resigned from the Chair of Saint Peter and the See of Rome.

The 11 of February will from now on be fixed in my memory. Pope Benedict was, and will always be, an exemplary example of the holy Christian faith. a Father, an Academic, a Bishop and above all a God fearing individual. He could break down the most complicated theological concepts to laymen's terms, all the while still educating the world and bringing them, calling them to a higher standard of living. Blessed John Paul II was a spiritual father, and we still have a spiritual teacher. we should be clinging onto ever word he has uttered, for much in the tradition of the early Church Fathers and Desert Fathers, Pope Benedict is at his best when preaching and giving instruction.

I was at the coffee bar at university on the 11th of February , meeting a classmate and his friend during a lecture at about 11:45 AM (I skipped it yes but keep reading). see god is strange in his works and mystery is not even the right word to describe it. Another friend burst into the bar and pulled me outside, mobile phone to his ear and uttered the words, "the Pope is resign!" Doubt, disbelief and a few cuss word were what meet my friend, but in a matter of seconds, we had double, triple and quadruple checked that this ominous occurrence had happened. My friend who announced the news to me and the Bar, carried me to Santa Maria Maggiore where we both knelt before the Blessed Sacrament and offered the Most Holy Rosary for the intention for the Holy Father. Not long after, we came back to the university to Pray and also to find out more information. That evening, there was no way I could go home, so I remained in the city with my friend and his Spiritual Father, a rather holy and devoted priest. we made our way to the Basilica of San Nicola in Carcere, a very nice little church, while both he and I assisted at mass in the side altar of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Long story Short, much confusion ensured, rumours, some reasonable and the others heinous, sprang to life. and the media circus to follow, descended on Rome, which is quiet funny seeming that they are never here when he, the Pope of Rome, has anything worthwhile to say. I guess a dog barking the national anthem has the ability to pull more views then the Holy father talking about the salvation of souls?

The emotional roller coaster to follow for me was weird. if you comment, I would be more then happy to have a little discussion with anyone about the whole thing.

I am sorry for the Long Pause, but my life was a little hectic before and I was not sure whether to continue, but after a little discernment, it felt right to.

I found a prayer card from '58 with a pray about or to Ven. Pius XII in the chapel, it was in Italian and had a 3rd class relic on it. I have a little devotion to Pio XII, so I pray the prayer very often, and now I decided to share it with you, the translation is a little ad hoc, but i think the words run true for any Pontiff, particularly the next one, whoever he may be. I pray the college of cardinals are enlightened by the Holy Spirit to elect an Worthy Successor to the Chair of Peter.

O Jesus, eternal Pontiff, who deigned to raise the supreme dignity of your Vicar on earth, your faithful servant Pius XII (N.), and that He be granted the grace of being a fearless defender of the faith, a valiant champion of justice and peace , glorifying as a devotee of your Most Holy Mother, and a shining example of charity and all the virtues, deign now, in view of his merits, to grant us the graces we ask, so that, made ​​certain of his efficacious intercession with you, we can see the day of the glory at your altar.

GOD BLESS YOU HOLY FATHER, BENEDICT XVI, AND THANK YOU. WE WILL MISS YOU!

Oh and go give Fr. Z some traffic, he has a few posts a day and he is super! http://wdtprs.com/ Trawl through his posts over the last two weeks!!!!! Great reading!

Vale Amicus, Till next time.

Card. Braz de Aviz: Focusing more on charism, rather than projects

Card. Braz de Aviz: Focusing more on charism, rather than projects

I know I have not been too active Lately... there are reasons for this.... but i will be up in full force come the 10th of February... so look out... some hiatus that was huh???