Blogging Around: The Benedict Edition

I'm out of touch, more or less, because it is our semi-annual Beyond Cana marriage retreat for our parish. Tom and I are part of the presentation team and so have turned our focus elsewhere.

In the meantime, here are some good things to read from other places.

 IS IT HYPOCRISY? 

The Curt Jester addresses those with this complaint:

Catholics who eulogized Pope John Paul II for serving to the bitter end now praise Pope Benedict for quitting. Make up your minds.

Being Catholic is the both/and approach that doesn’t try to flatten all things into a decision tree with simple yes/no paths. The Curt Jester nails it. As always.

 DISCERNING GOD'S WILL 

Scott Danielson talks about our remarkable Pope and the one thing that struck him most in the resignation.

One thing that strikes me in Benedict’s statement is his explanation of how he made this decision. He did not say, “God told me to.”

 WE'RE MARKED MEN 

Archbishop Timothy Dolan on Ash Wednesday and Pope Benedict's continual gift to us in his leadership.

And now, he lets us know that, he, too, is a marked man, closer to death, slowed down and frail, more and more in need of God’s grace and mercy, humbly admitting his mortality, his own sinfulness, eager to prepare to be united with His Lord and Savior in His dying and rising.