And How Does Pope Benedict Pray?
by Terry Fenwick
Reading Peter Seewald's interviews with our Holy Father, I feel as though I am in the third chair in the room, leaning forward, elbows on the same table, listening, taking notes for my family and friends, about this leader of the Church; this Peter, who was once called Joseph Ratzinger before he was Pope Benedict XVI.
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My favorite paragraph in the book begins with the question, "And how does Pope Benedict pray?' The answer is so personal and yet the world needs to know and learn from this answer. As far as the Pope is concerned, he too is a simple beggar before GOD--even more than all other people. He says:
"Naturally I always pray first and foremost to our Lord, with whom I am united simply by old acquaintances, so to speak. But I also invoke the saints. I am friends with Augustine, with Bonaventure, with Thomas Aquinas. Then one says to such saints also: 'Help me!' And the Mother of God is, in any case, always a major point of reference. In this sense I commend myself to the communion of saints. With them, strengthened by them, I then talk with the dear Lord also, begging, for the most part, but also in thanksgiving--or quite simply being joyful."
(taken from my personal review on Amazon) for
Light of the World: The Pope, The Church and The Signs Of The Times
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