A choice of contemplative and missionary faith in order to continue forming the Church as a family. This was Benedict XVI’s choice according to Archbishop Gänswein, his long-time private secretary.
The Mass one year after the death of Benedict XVI was celebrated Sunday at 8 am at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s. Many priests were present, and in addition to Gänswein, there were also Cardinals Müller, Koch, and Archbishop Arrieta. At 9:34 am, the time of his death, the bells of St. Peter’s rang, although perhaps no one noticed.
Gänswein’s homily was a profound reflection on the family through the words of Benedict XVI. “Living in profound communion with Jesus, like Mary,” said the archbishop, “to be able to permeate the hearts of our brothers and sisters: this is a fundamental dimension of an attractive and missionary Church. In the years after his resignation from the Petrine ministry, Benedict XVI dedicated himself above all to this dimension of the life of faith.”
And speaking of Saint Joseph, Gänswein recalls that “Benedict XVI bore not only the name of Joseph but also tried to imitate his Patron, above all with his profound love for Jesus and Mary and his fidelity to a daily life punctuated by prayer and work. The heart of every day for him was the Eucharist, a source of light, strength, and consolation. He also faithfully cultivated the liturgy of the hours and the rosary, prayers that gave the day its own structure. The intimate relationship with the Lord was then reflected in the relationships with the people around him, distinguished by great cordiality, humility, and simplicity, and also in his theological and pastoral work, always oriented towards the primacy of God and the building up of the Church.”
And he concluded: “In the Eucharist, the mystery of Christmas remains present, in the Eucharist the Church is built up as the family of God, in the Eucharist we are united with all the faithful, including the saints and our dearly departed. In the Eucharist, we also remain united with Benedict XVI, sincerely grateful to God for the gift of his life, the richness of his teaching, the depth of his theology, and the luminous example of this ‘simple and humble worker in the Lord’s vineyard.'”
Immediately afterward, the archbishop was the guest of a conference that, for two days, remembered Benedict XVI, the media partner of which EWTN was. It took place at the Campo Santo Teutonico in the Vatican. He brought memories of his life with Pope Benedict XVI and his death, speaking of his moral legacy and the centrality of Christ.
Gänswein in English and with few present recalled with emotion some moments of the years in which Benedict was Pope Emeritus. He never chose a type of funeral and dedicated himself to prayer, a true spiritual exercise for his secretary, who learned from this how to prepare for eternal life. The guide for Pope Benedict is what was written in Spe salvi, a hope that, in his last years, was at the forefront of every moment of his life.
Benedict XVI was an example of preparation for eternal life, which Gänswein said “is worth more than all my studies of eschatology.” For him, Jesus was truly a friend whom he had known all his life.
The archbishop spoke about the Pope’s private homilies and his hope that Benedict would soon become a Saint and Doctor of the Church.
In the EWTN conference, the life, teaching, and legacy of the Pontiff were the themes of the talks by Professor Vincent Twomey and Father Federico Lombardi of the Ratzinger Foundation. Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller and Matthew Bunson, vice president of EWTN News, spoke about Benedict XVI’s Christology, recalling that “God certainly touches man in many ways even outside the sacraments. But he always touches him through the Man-Jesus, His self-mediation in history, and our mediation in eternity. Christ is not a mere theophany, an appearance of God, but rather in Him the being of God himself enters into unity with the being of man.”
Finally, a reflection on “The death of Benedict XVI in the light of eternal life” was given by Cardinal Kurt Koch who explained how “in the eyes of Pope Benedict, the question of justice constitutes the essential topic, or in any case the strongest argument, in favor of belief in eternal life.” This same hope demonstrates that eternal life does not begin only after our death, but already in our present life. Whenever God’s will is done in our lives as in heaven, even earth becomes paradise.”
Professor Ralph Weimann concluded by saying: “Pope Benedict XVI was a ‘collaborator of truth,’ and this was reflected not only in his episcopal motto but also in his lifestyle. This said it all when he pronounced his last words, ‘Lord, I love you’ at the end of his life. He expressed the fact that this love is stronger than death and that he remained in this love even at the moment of death.”
It will also be possible to review the recording of some moments of the lectures on TV according to the online directions on the EWTN website.
