Our Beloved Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Has Gone to His Final End

Source: https://www.ncregister.com/cna/vatican-shares-first-photos-of-benedict-xvi-after-death/

Just mere weeks ago, on December 31st, 2022 A.D., 9:34 am Rome time, our beloved Papa, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI departed our world, leaving his corpse behind to join the Eternal Judge and Father, Lord Jesus Christ, hopefully to be with him in Eternity. 

Initially like all the other bloggers, I wanted to just release a brief statement of mourning and info. However, one day later, on the Solemnity of Mother of God, Mary, something interesting was revealed on the Internet, which shows something beautiful, and is a tie in to His Emeritus’ work as Pope, as well my patron saint St Alphonsus Liguori.

One of my blogs I follow, The Deacon’s Bench, linked to the official Vatican News page, www.vaticannews.va, revealed Benedict’s last words as per Archbishop Ganswein. From the article, those last words stand out (my emphasis added:) 

“ The last words of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI were heard in the middle of the night by a nurse. It was around 3 in the morning of 31 December, several hours before he died. Joseph Ratzinger had not yet entered his final moment, … "with just a whisper of a voice, but in a clearly distinguishable manner, said in Italian: 'Lord, I love you!' … the nurse told me about it shortly afterwards. These were his last comprehensible words, because afterwards he was no longer able to express himself."

When I reflect on those 4 words, I sense many an emotion conveyed: Humility with simply 4 words and a simple expression of Love for Christ; happiness, expressing the joy and love found in many saints’ devotion and expression/ejaculations to the Lord; acceptance that in his last moments of death Benedict knew that he was about to pass; and the lack of fear at the end of one’s finite and fleshy existence on this plane of Earth. 

Was everything he did absolutely right and exactly what Christ wanted? No. I do understand the feelings of the Radicals Misrepresenting traditionalists and critics. I too, felt he had gone too soon and left us with incomplete work in restoring the Church. I understand that he committed moral failings and incompetence in terms of the scandals plaguing the Church. Practically, he even failed to reconcile the SSPX to the Church in negotiations. 

But we all must remember that EVERY human being is comprised of both sin combined with good. We are always subject to Concupiscence, the temptation of ourselves and external forces (eg World/Flesh/Satan) to seek sin and abandon Christ and/or moral goodness. Benedict was no different. However, when one looks at this man on his death bed uttering his last 4 words, “I love you Jesus,” does this seem like a conflicted man full of anger? Guilt? Selfishness to the umpteenth degree? Regret of a life wasted? And dare I say it … an eternity set for Hell? 

No Catholic can pre-judge one’s eternal destiny with exception of the Church’s authority in declaration of Sainthood (don’t forget MIRACLES are involved, no way people in Hell can do that!) But what can be said, is interesting when one looks at the writings of St Alphonsus Liguori, a portion of Benedict XVI’s writing on love, and Benedict’s last words.

Liguori and Deus Caritas Est 

I have written as part of an ongoing series a cursory review of Liguori’s first volume of his Ascetic Works, “Preparation for Death” and even tried to write in the style of writing of Liguori in such reviews. In this part, 1A, I discussed what Liguori says are common reactions of “unrepentant” sinners on their death bed: 

“ … persons attached to the world wish at death to speak only of their sickness, of the physicians to be called to attend them, and of the remedies which may restore their health. When any one speaks of their soul, they soon grow weary, and beg to be allowed repose." (44) AND 

“Poor sinners! They seek for happiness in their sins, but they find nothing but bitterness and self remorse .... The torture of the remorse of conscience is so great even in this life, that to free themselves from it, some have committed suicide.” (pp. 214-216)

Hmmmm. It makes prefect sense to the average person. If I know my life is ending, and I have even a remote inkling of conscience and/or right and wrong, and I have no more time to live carefree and/or make amends, would I utter a simple ejaculation of love for a deity I have either intentionally refused to obey? Or rather fear His almighty judgement knowing He determines if my soul exists Him in Paradise or not? At the very least I fear my time is up and I have no more time to live, enjoy pleasure, be with my family, etc. and I would fear the unknown. 

Part 1B of my reflection series covered those who lived a holy/virtuous life. Alphonsus says of those people:

“… God knows well how to console his children in their last moments; and even in the midst of the pains of death he infuses into their souls certain sweetnesses, as foretastes of Paradise, which he will soon bestow upon them." (102)

Clearly there is a stark contrast between the obstinate or fearful sinner, and one who knows they have made peace with  the Lord and/or led a life of goodness. Liguori has done well in his Ascetic work to show this. 

As for Benedict XVI, of the few papal writings he made for the Church and the world as official Church teaching, he promulgated an Encyclical called Deus Caritas Est or “God is Love” in Latin. It was likely not coincidence, that in the first year of his pontificate, it was released on Christmas Day in 2005, on the Feast of Christmas. What a day to release a major papal writing! For it was through Christ’s birth, God committed the ultimate act of love for all, in giving us His only son, Jesus, later to sacrifice himself freely for our eternal salvation.

On an encyclical about love, of course there must be something that can connect to his final words that summate his passing. While the Encyclical is more of a weighty reading, I did find one relevant passage to connect to his passing: 

“ …. God's will is no longer for me an alien will, something imposed on me from without by the commandments, but it is now my own will, based on the realization that God is in fact more deeply present to me than I am to myself.[10] Then self- abandonment to God increases and God becomes our joy (cf. Ps 73 [72]:23-28).“ (Deus Caritas Est, 17)

And there we see …. Four last words once again appear: “GOD BECOMES OUR JOY.” For Benedict, that is what his life became and was devoted to. A man, despite his sin and flaws, who truly loves the Lord and did his best to serve the world via His Church, made Christ his joy and his final words upon his death bed. If it were not such a life, he would have uttered something different upon his deathbed. In what he uttered it’s clear that he didn’t just make masterful penstrokes simply for the sake of theological brains of the highest echelons in the Church and theology schools.

He lived what he had written. 

……………

Papa Benedict, for those of us whom desired beautiful liturgy in worshipping the Lord at Mass; the intellectuals; those who are disregarded by society and the bulk of the people and/or “popular” persons; and for those honest people just trying to Love God and neighbour; you were our Pope. You will be sorely missed in our minds and hearths. 

Sancte Michele, ora pro nobis. Papa Benedict may you be canonized someday if it be the will of Christ and his Church, so we can ask you to pray for us too. 

Pax Tibi Christi, Julian Barkin.