so at 4:00pm my mom was banging on a pot with a spoon for lack of a bell!
NBC Nightly News reported that the National Shrine rang bells for 3 minutes–one minute for every year of his pontificate thus far. Three years already! April 18th, when he visits the UN, will mark Pope Benedict’s 3rd Anniversary of his election.
The local coverage (nbc4.com) is pretty good so far. There really is a public enthusiasm for the Pope that never ceases to amaze me. He is the universal pastor and there are people who know this without fully realizing it!
Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for his sheep. It makes sense therefore that He would never leave his sheep to their own devices. He raised up shepherds after His own heart. One in particular He singled out to feed and tend His sheep and lay their life down for them.
One of the basic characteristics of a shepherd must be to love the people entrusted to him, even as he loves Christ whom he serves. “Feed my sheep”, says Christ to Peter, and now, at this moment, he says it to me as well.
– Pope Benedict XVI, first homily
When Pope Benedict was elected (the living room TV gave out but my small TV resisted) i was overjoyed…i prayed it might be him. After hearing his Papal name Benedict i thought: “the new Pope is a blessing from God!”. Benedictus, blessing. That is what he is proving to be for the Church and for the world.
The Blessing has come to America.
Feeding means loving, and loving also means being ready to suffer. Loving means giving the sheep what is truly good, the nourishment of God’s truth, of God’s word, the nourishment of his presence, which he gives us in the Blessed Sacrament. My dear friends – at this moment I can only say: pray for me, that I may learn to love the Lord more and more. Pray for me, that I may learn to love his flock more and more – in other words, you, the holy Church, each one of you and all of you together. Pray for me, that I may not flee for fear of the wolves. Let us pray for one another, that the Lord will carry us and that we will learn to carry one another.
– Pope Benedict XVI, first homily