2nd Week of Lent - Thursday - "There is no such thing as a successful life without sacrifice"

Blessed John Paul II said one Lent that the “excessive desire for possessions prevents human beings from being open to their Creator and to their brothers and sisters”.  In the Gospel we hear of this rich man who isn’t even aware of the poor man at his very gate—the things of the world so cluttered his life that he was unaware of the things that really mattered.  And this had eternal consequences.

On Palm Sunday 2009, Pope Benedict, spoke of the things that “really matter”.  “An upright life always involves sacrifice, renunciation. To hold out the promise of a life without this constant re-giving of self is to mislead. There is no such thing as a successful life without sacrifice.  If I cast a glance back over my whole life, I have to say that it was precisely the moments when I said yes to renunciation that were the great and important moments of my life.”

In the final hours of his pontificate, the Church turns to the Lord in thanksgiving for the sacrifices made by such a loving Pope. 

Even before his election, Pope Benedict called us out of that selfish individualism and material preoccupation plaguing modern man.  One author put it, “For a people easily distracted by an infinitely multiplying, utterly inconsequential number of small things, he turned the bright beam of his intellect on the big things: the things that mattered: hope, faith, love”

He reached out to increasingly secularized western civilization reminding us that “God’s love is so fundamental for our lives (DCE 2)” and called upon the members of Church to renew their faith that the Church may be an ever more potent instrument for the spread of the Gospel of Our Lord. 

Before the two hundred thousand people gathered for his final General Audience yesterday, Pope Benedict reminded us, the Gospel’s word of truth is the strength of the Church: it is her life. The Gospel purifies and renews: It bears fruit wherever the community of believers hears and welcomes the grace of God in truth and lives in charity.

May we be free from all that keeps us from being open to God and to all those in need, and may the Gospel continue to purify and renew us in faithful service for the Glory of God and salvation of souls.

That Pope Benedict XVI, who has served the Church faithfully as Supreme Pontiff, may find peace and consolation as he turns to a life of prayer for the Church.  We pray to the Lord.

That the tireless efforts of the Holy Father in fostering unity and communion may bear fruit in the hearts of all Christians.  We pray to the Lord.

That as the Holy Father taught us that God and that we are saved in hope, he may be strengthened in hope and knowledge of God’s love for Him now and for all eternity.  We pray to the Lord.

For the Holy Spirit’s guidance upon the Cardinals of the Church who prepare for the next papal election.  We pray to the Lord.  We pray to the Lord.