Rest in Peace Pope Benedict XVI: My thoughts on the former pontiff

It is with great sadness that I announce the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. I'm glad he had a long life where he was able to contribute much to the world. However, it is still very sad that he passed away.

I found out this news this morning as I was just getting up. He passed away at 9:34am in the Mater Ecclesia Monastery in Vatican City where he had been living for many years. As of right now, funeral arrangements are still underway. Obviously Pope Francis will be in attendance, but the date and times are currently unknown.

I really came to admire Pope Benedict. He spoke with clarity and precision, but also with love and kindness. He wasn't a robot, in fact, he was quite human and loving. Unfortunately the media insists on placing people into well-defined boxes, and thus portrayed Benedict as some arch-conservative that never smiles. Admittedly, he did have a big act to follow coming after Pope John Paul II, however, I think he was unduly smeared in public perception.

One thing I liked about Pope Benedict is that he was an intellectual. He was a theologian and scholar, long before he became pope. He was well-known in the academic world. I appreciate this trait because we need clarity now more than ever. Morality in our world is something that cannot be taken for granted. People take terms that have long been well-understood and distort their meaning to fit their own evil desires. That's why we need a clear-speaking and precise pontiff who will guide the people.

As mentioned though, Pope Benedict wasn't just providing information, he was inspiring and wrote beautiful works, including his encyclical "God is Love".

People probably assumed that when Benedict retired in 2013 that he would not have much time left. Every few months we would hear health updates and it would make you wonder how he was doing, but he always seemed to pull through. 95 is a great age to reach. It's interesting that Queen Elizabeth was just a little older (96) when she passed away, also this year. I wonder how often it happens that a pope and a British monarch die in the same year. Randomly, I also recall Betty White died on this date last year. Apparently the most common day of death if January 1. I don't think the deaths of Betty White and Pope Benedict are related, however.

I am curious about what to expect when it comes to Pope Benedict's funeral. When will it be, who will be in attendance, what will the actual ceremony look like? All interesting things to think about.

Most of all, let's pray for the repose of the former pope's soul. May he rest in peace.

Pope Benedict has died at the age of 95

It is with great sadness that I announce the death of Pope Benedict XVI. He is the oldest person who was ever pope. This is not to be confused with "oldest pope" as Benedict retired at the age of 85, making him the 4th oldest pope at the end of the papacy.

Joseph Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict, had a long and distinguished academic career before being elected pope in 2005.

He was born in Germany in 1927 and studied theology at the University of Munich and the Higher School of Philosophy and Theology in Freising. After ordination to the priesthood in 1951, he continued his studies and earned a doctorate in theology in 1953.

Ratzinger began teaching theology at the University of Bonn in 1959 and later held positions at the University of Münster, the University of Tübingen, and the University of Regensburg. In 1977, he was appointed to the chair of dogmatic theology at the University of Regensburg, where he served as dean of the faculty of theology from 1984 to 1989.

In 1981, Ratzinger was appointed as the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, a position he held until his election as pope in 2005. He also served as a member of the International Theological Commission from 1969 to 1981 and as its president from 1981 to 1985.

Throughout his academic career, Ratzinger was known for his scholarship on the theology of the Church Fathers, the history of dogma, and the relationship between faith and reason. He is the author of numerous books and articles on these and other topics, and his work has been widely respected in the Catholic Church and beyond.

After retiring from the papacy, Pope Benedict led a quiet life in a monastery. He will be greatly missed. He provided great insight into the faith and he was a truly great man!

Is Pope Benedict the oldest person to ever have been pope?

Summary:

Pope Benedict is oldest person to have ever been pope at 95 years of age. He is the fourth oldest pope when papacy ended.

Full article:

Pope Benedict XVI is currently the oldest person to have ever served as pope. As of 2021, Pope Benedict XVI is 95 years old. He was born on April 16, 1927, and he served as pope from April 19, 2005, until his resignation on February 28, 2013. At the time of his resignation, he was 85 years old, which made him one of the oldest popes in history. However, he has continued to live and age since his papacy ended, and as a result, he is now the oldest person to have ever served as pope.

However, he was only the 4th oldest pope at the time his papacy ended. Most popes' papacy ends at their death, which was not the case with Benedict. Here are the top five oldest popes at the end of their papacy:

Here are the five oldest popes at the time their papacies ended, listed in order from oldest to youngest:

Pope Clement X: Clement X served as pope from 1670 to 1676 and was 89 years old when he died.

Pope Leo XIII: Leo XIII served as pope from 1878 to 1903 and was 93 years old when he died.

Pope Pius IX: Pius IX served as pope from 1846 to 1878 and was 85 years old when he died.

Pope Benedict XVI: Benedict XVI served as pope from 2005 to 2013 and was 85 years old when he resigned.

Pope John Paul II: John Paul II served as pope from 1978 to 2005 and was 84 years old when he died.

What's the difference between the Octave of Christmas and the 12 Days of Christmas?

We sometimes hear of both an octave of Christmas as well as the 12 days of Christmas. Here's a good explanation I found which distinguishes the two!

The octave of Christmas refers to the eight days from December 25th, the day of Christmas, to January 1st, the feast of Mary, Mother of God. The 12 days of Christmas, on the other hand, are the twelve days from December 25th to January 6th, which includes the octave of Christmas as well as the three days before it.

In the Catholic Church, the octave of Christmas is a time of great celebration and rejoicing, as it marks the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. During this time, there are often special Masses and other liturgical celebrations held in honor of the birth of Jesus.

The 12 days of Christmas, on the other hand, are a time of celebration and reflection on the meaning of the birth of Jesus, as well as a time to prepare for the coming of the Epiphany, which celebrates the manifestation of Jesus as the savior of the world. The 12 days of Christmas are traditionally a time of feasting, gift-giving, and merriment, and are often celebrated with special holiday traditions such as caroling and the singing of Christmas carols.

Overall, the octave of Christmas and the 12 days of Christmas are both important times of celebration and reflection in the Catholic Church, and both are marked by special liturgical and cultural traditions.

Basilica Cathedral of St. John the Baptist will remain with the Faithful

Over the past several months, the Archdiocese of St. John's has been under bankruptcy protection as a result of lawsuits from the sex abuse scandal which occurred in the diocese in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. The diocese was ordered by the court to put all of its assets up for sale. All churches were up for sale and the bidding was open to the general public.

In response to this, several groups of parishioners and others banded together to repurchase these structures, lands, and other facilities. We haven't heard back about all of them yet. Bids were closed around 10 days ago.

The Basilica Cathedral of St. John the Baptist is the mother church of the diocese of St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador. It was built almost 170 years ago and at the time was the largest church building in North America. To this day, it has remained a historical and religious place central to the identity of the province.

In amazing news, a group known as the Basilica Heritage Foundation was the successful bidder for the Basilica, as well as several adjoining buildings, including a school, a large hall, and a skating rink. There had been news that a Toronto real estate developer had also put in a bid.

Over the past several months, parishioners have alternately gathered in 3 churches in the diocese for 12 hours of adoration each Thursday. This occurred along with various other forms of prayer throughout the area and in private.

These prayers have proven fruitful, thanks be to God. The landmark church will remain with parishioners to be used for worship. This is wonderful news.

We are anticipating news on all the other churches and properties which were open to bids as well. Let's hope and pray that this entire restructuring results in greater faith than ever and in a reconciliation of the Church to those affected negatively by people within the Church.

TV Commercials have become hotbeds of radical leftwing propaganda

I had the displeasure of watching ordinary TV today and it's really becoming very over-the-top, especially when it comes to commercials. There is such a huge push on sexual immorality. The crazy thing is that the commercials don't even reflect how our society is currently going which is bad enough. The commercials present an absolute dystopia, far worse than it already is.

Let me explain a little. Almost any commercial featuring "couples", be it married couples or other, features at least one if not several gay couples. You would think from watching these commercials that 50% of people are in a gay couple. It does not reflect reality at all.

But it goes further than this. Drag queens, transsexuals, and others now feature prominently in a large percentage of commercials. I was watching one where there was a man wearing makeup and feminine clothing eating a taco. The commercial was for Taco Bell. Can we not eat fast food without being overloaded with these bizarre and immoral characters? Mark Dice has produced several videos documenting these types of advertisements.

Another commercial I saw featured two gay men and went on about their feelings for one another. It was a commercial for eHarmony. Whether it's a commercial for Ritz, M&Ms, or almost anything else, there is a strange obsession with featuring couples in immoral relationships.

One thing you will rarely see is a white heterosexual married couple. Try it sometime. I have absolutely no issue with interracial relationships, but I just find it odd that they would go so much out of their way to avoid showing what is probably the most common form of couple in the country.

It just annoys me that you can't sit down and watch a TV show without being exposed to endless propaganda by Leftwing extremists who want nothing but to absolutely destroy families and our society. Why do Ritz and Oreos have to be political anyway? They're just junk food. Do they have to make some political statement when promoting junk food? How is transgenderism in any way related to sugar cookies?

I don't know where to turn anymore. For the most part, I record shows I want to watch and then just skip through the commercials. That's why after not seeing them for a while it has become obvious how extreme they have become.

At some point I might just stop watching TV altogether.

Consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

I just returned from our cathedral where the archbishop, along with the Pope in Rome at 5pm Rome time consecrated Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It was very well attended. Every second pew is off-limits and with this limitation the large cathedral-basilica was full of people.

It was a holy and blessed time and showed that all bishops from around the world are joining together along with the Holy Father to pray for peace in that troubled part of the world.

The archbishop spoke about how we must live out peace in our own daily lives and that this was our real way of contributing peace to the world as a whole. This is better than vaguely "hoping" for peace in the world. We must be instruments of peace.

To that end, we invoked the intercession primarily of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as well as sung the prayer attributed to St. Francis of Assisi asking that we be instruments of God's peace in the world.

Let us all pray that these prayers may deliver Russia and Ukraine from war and the world in general.

Can Catholics FAST on a Feast Day or Solemnity? e.g. Solemnity of the Annunciation

Please pay close attention to the question I am asking: 

Can Catholics fast on a feast day or solemnity?

I ask you to pay attention because it's a question for which an answer is very difficult to find! Whenever I search for it on Google, it inevitably brings up the minimum requirements for fasting in the Church. It seems very few people ask about the permissibility of fasting on a feast day.

Most of the questions revolve around whether one is permitted to forego fasting on a particular day.

So, again I ask: can Catholics fast on a feast day or solemnity? In other words, are Catholics even permitted to fast on a feast day? It is wrong, inadvisable, etc? Let's talk about it.

Although I could not find a direct answer in the Catechism or in the Code of Canon Law regarding this, I was able to find some other sources which address this question.

St. Francis of Assisi
On a particular blog, I found a quote by St. Francis of Assisi. The version found there states:

When the question arose about eating meat on Christmas Day, because it fell on a Friday.  St. Francis replied to Brother Morico, "You sin, Brother, calling the day on which the Child was born to us a day of fast. It is my wish," he said, "that even the walls should eat meat on such a day, and if they cannot, they should be smeared with meat on the outside."

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, Second Life
Chapter CLI

From this quote, it seems clear that one of the Church's greatest saints was greatly opposed to fasting on a solemnity.

Catechism and Code of Canon Law:

These two sources, rather than discuss whether one is permitted to fast on a feast or solemnity instead lays out fasting requirements and indicates that fasting is not required on these days:

Can. 1251 Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday.

So Canon 1251 addresses whether one is obligated to abstain from meat on a Friday which is also a feast or solemnity, but it doesn't address whether one is allowed to fast on such a day or if it would be wrong.

Is it advisable to fast on a feast day?

Unless I hear otherwise, I am a proponent of avoiding fasting on a solemnity or feast day even if it's on a Friday during Lent. By fasting on such a day, it seems we are missing the point. Jesus himself fasted for 40 days and nights but also tells people that fasting at certain times would be inappropriate.

Matthew 9 (14-15): The Question About Fasting.

14

g Then the disciples of John approached him and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast [much], but your disciples do not fast?”

15

Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.

Feasts and Solemnities are times of celebration and joy, very similar to Sundays during the year. Although Lent is a penitential time, there are glimmers of joy even in this season, and we should not neglect those.

I feel that this is also partially about obedience. Sometimes pride can sneak into our fasting efforts. Some people may continue to fast on these celebratory days just to show they are able to or to "challenge" themselves. But again, I feel this is the wrong approach. Fasting is about growing spiritually closer to Jesus Christ our Savior. It's not about some personal achievement or accomplishment.

Today is the feast of the Annunciation, a day on which Mary was proclaimed to be the Mother of God. It is truly a time of great celebration and joy. To fast and deny ourselves on this day would seem inappropriate.

I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section!

I hope you continue to have a blessed Lenten season!

Supreme Court nominee doesn't know what a woman is

Sadly, this isn't satire. Ketanji Jackson-Brown is the nominee to become the next Supreme Court Justice of the United States. She's being interviewed as part of her nomination hearing. She was asked by a Ms. Blackburn yesterday what a woman is. She couldn't answer. She refused to answer. She said she can't answer because she is not a biologist.

Again, no, this is not some sort of joke. It wasn't more complicated than this. You can see the clip or read the transcript. A nominee to the highest court of the United States was asked to define "woman" and she was unable to. She isn't seeking a job at Wendy's. She will be responsible for interpreting the Constitution of the United States and she can't even say what a woman is. Does she know what a house is, or a cat? Maybe she can't tell you what a tree is because she's not a botanist. Perhaps the concept of a computer eludes her because she's not a computer scientist.

How can anyone expect a person like this to offer an objective analysis of a law? Court cases can involve hundreds of documents, and tens of thousands of words. Will she claim ignorance for the definition of every word that crosses her path? How would one even be able to do his or her job with this type of constraint? Court cases would be reduced to absurdity.

I checked a recent Supreme Court case that came up and looks like was resolved today. A man was convicted of murder in Texas at a convenience store and was sentenced to be executed. He wanted to have his pastor present who would offer prayers and be there during the execution which is currently not allowed. Okay, so this case goes to Jackson-Brown.

She might ask what is a pastor and what are prayers? I'm not a theologian.
This happened in Texas. What is Texas? I'm not a cartographer!
What's a convenience store? I'm not a city planner or architect!

Things would quickly get pretty untenable.

We all know why this is happening. Crazy leftwing ideology. She is trying to appease these people but she is putting the entire country at risk. If we cannot agree on the most basic terms such as man, woman, person, etc, what's the point of even having a Supreme Court?

You may be asking what this has to do with Catholicism. Well, I think we have to proclaim the truth in public. Truth is not a subjective thing that changes as time goes on. A woman is a woman, two X chromosomes, has female reproductive organs, etc. Everyone always knew what a woman was, it was the furthest thing from controversial. But now this basic truth of our humanity is being attacked and people, like a potential supreme court justice, are pleading ignorance on this issue.

More than ever we must stand up for the truth and proclaim it when it makes sense to do so.

"Instead of fasting from food, fast from..." and other nonsensical phrases

Something I've heard a lot in recent years is the expression that goes something like "This Lent, instead of fasting from food, fast from criticizing others (or judgment, meanness, anger, etc - the list goes on).

They may also say what to feast on, such as love, kindness, etc.

There is nothing wrong with this except the unnecessary contrasting of fasting from food with fasting from other actions and activities. They are hardly mutually exclusive concepts, as though you must choose one or the other.

In fact, fasting from food helps us in fasting from other vices which is why we are told to do so. If fasting itself had no beneficial effects or in fact makes us more judgmental, angry, jealous, etc, then why would Christ have implored us to do so? Remember, Jesus doesn't say if you fast, he says when you fast. Fasting is presupposed to the point where not only does he not have to tell people to do it or start doing it, he tells people how to do it correctly and points out those who do it wrong.

I find it highly misguided and inappropriate in our current time to set up this false dichotomy when speaking to people in our current era who have generally neglected fasting almost completely. When people do "fast", it is usually the mildest form of it. I once heard a woman say that she is fasting from one particular type of chocolate bar during Lent. Not chocolate in general, but one specific bar, such as Peanut Butter M&Ms or something. I'm sure St. Francis of Assisi is looking down from heaven in awe of this level of self-denial.

I don't say these things in order to toot my own horn or say that I'm superior. I won't even mention what I may or may not be doing during this or other Lents. One of my prompts in writing this comes from my own reflection that we should make Lent a little more strenuous than usual so that we can grow spiritually during this season of penance. My point is that in an era where the practice of fasting has almost completely vanished, it seems odd that priests and others would implore us to leave behind fasting from food and to choose other sacrifices instead.

In my readings, I've been looking at what some Christians undertook as fasting for many centuries. They would give up all meat and animal products, many would only eat one meal a day after 3pm (and sometimes later). During Holy Week itself, many would subsist on bread and water alone. These practices weren't considered extreme and unusual, they were the norm in many places and for many people. In that bygone era, perhaps it would have made sense to remind these people to fast from other vices as well, or to even warn people not to go too far so as to damage their health. But such warnings seem almost silly in our time. It would be like speaking at an obesity conference and telling participants to focus on eating enough.

On the level of communication itself, we live in a time of imprecision. People throw around terms interchangeably without attempting to be precise. In my opinion, this has had the effect of rendering people less able to express specific ideas and has damaged theological and philosophical discussions. My point in mentioning this is that we shouldn't be using the term "fasting" in reference to things other than food. It's unnecessary and confusing. The English language especially has a very wide vocabulary and resorting to a specific word for use in other purposes seems unnecessary. It also waters down the concept of fasting. If fasting can mean refraining from not only food, but anger or jealousy or rudeness, then it takes away the idea that fasting from food is necessary and helpful. People start to believe that fasting from anything is the equivalent. The truth is Jesus specifically mentions fasting many times. He doesn't lump it together with various other practices. This highlights its importance.

Instead of "fast from anger", just say practice patience. Instead of "fast from criticism" say show mercy or show compassion. Instead of "fast from rudeness", perhaps say "show meekness". Not only is it more accurate, it is phrased in the positive. We don't just fast from pride, we pray for an increase in humility, for example.

Leave fasting as its own separate category. There are many spiritual fruits to be gained from this practice and watering it down is not the right thing to do in this era. Fasting is not an end in itself but rather a means to an end. By denying our bodies, we can focus more on the spiritual and growing closer to God.

This Lent, let's "fast" from watering down concepts and finding the easy ways out. I hope you have a blessed and fruitful Lent in anticipation of Christ's death and glorious resurrection and ascension at Easter.

Happy Lent Everyone

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. What are you all going to do? Try to challenge yourselves. When Easter rolls around, you want to be proud of what you've accomplished in terms of penance as well as growing in spirituality and holiness. Don't let this Lent go by without making a big effort. God bless!

RIP: Alice Von Hildebrand

Famed Catholic philosopher and wife of Dietrich Von Hildebrand died today, January 14, 2022 at the age of 99. She made many appearances on EWTN and toured the US, Canada, and the rest of the world giving lectures.

May she rest in peace.