Monday, February 11, 2013

Holy Father Resigns


  
News early this morning of the Holy Father resigning from the Papacy came as a surprise.
I never knew that a pope could resign!  Blessed John Paul II carried out his Papacy while suffering with Parkinson's disease.  He was an example to us.  He taught his flock the value of  suffering, aging and life.
For the good of the church, Pope Benedict through prayer and discernment chose a different path.  Humbly, he chose to resign due to advancing age.
He is doing what his Shepard is calling him to do. 
Our next pope will be unique, in the sense that, he'll receive prayers and counsel from a living and retired pope.  This hasn't occurred in over 600 years.
 


2 comments:

Nancy Shuman said...

I had not thought of the fact that the next pope can receive prayer and counsel from a living, retired one! Thanks for this hopeful observation!

momto8 said...

I was shocked too!