Theory 2 Action Podcast
Theory 2 Action Podcast
CC#36--True Happiness for a Sad World: Pope Benedict XVI's Enduring Theological Impact
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What if the humble beginnings of a Bavarian boy under the shadows of the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany could give rise to a theological powerhouse who would shape the course of the Catholic Church?
Join me, David Kaiser, as we uncover the life and enduring impact of Pope Benedict XVI. In this episode of Catholic Corner, we reflect on the legacy of Joseph Ratzinger, a towering intellect who navigated tumultuous times to leave an indelible mark on Christianity with his profound insights and commitment to peace, reconciliation, and the core Christian values that continue to influence Europe today. With a unique blend of admiration for historical figures like Benedict XV and St. Benedict of Nursia, his papal name symbolizes a commitment to peace and monastic values.
Together, we journey through Benedict XVI's theological evolution, from his early years to his influential roles within the Church, all the way to his papacy. Special attention is given to his groundbreaking work, "Jesus of Nazareth," offering a rare glimpse into a reigning pope's theological explorations. With insights from Bishop Robert Barron's "Pope Benedict XVI Reader," we examine his engagement with scripture.
Finally, we explore the teachings of Pope Benedict XVI and their implications for finding true happiness in a sad world. By reflecting on his life and theological insights, we discuss how genuine joy can transform our relationships and communities.
Key Points from the Episode:
• Reflection on happiness in a post-Christian world
• Overview of Pope Benedict XVI's life and legacy
• The significance of Ratzinger's choice of name
• Insights into Pope Benedict's theological contributions
• Exploration of the nativity story's deeper meaning
• Discussion on spreading joy through simple actions
Other resources:
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One of the great churchmen from the 20th and 21st century helps us to understand who can bring happiness to a world that is sad at heart. Let's chat about it on this Catholic Corner.
Speaker 2:We will live on in the glory of man Through these wars that we have to fight For we are true, those of my next generation.
Speaker 3:Welcome to the Theory to Action podcast, where we examine the timeless treasures of wisdom from the great books in less time, to help you take action immediately and ultimately to create and lead a flourishing life. Now here's your host, david Kaiser. Now here's your host, david.
Speaker 1:Kaiser, hello, I am David and welcome back to another Catholic Corner. We are just under one week away from celebrating the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, and so for today's Catholic Corner, I thought we would reflect on the words written by a great churchman and a great theologian whom we just lost to eternity just two short years ago Pope Benedict XVI. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI passed into eternity on December 31st 2022 at the age of 95. And we did a special Catholic Corner, catholic Corner number 18, for that sad day, and we'll put a link in the show notes. But if we go back in time to 2005, on April 19th 2005, cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected as the 265th successor to the Apostle Peter and as Pope he took the name Benedict XVI.
Speaker 1:Now, you might not know why he chose his papal name of Benedict XVI. Well, two reasons have been given Benedict wanted to create a spiritual bond with Benedict XV, who had led the church during World War I, and he admired Benedict XV as being a courageous prophet of peace during that time and as a leader who strove to avert the tragedy of war and to limit its harmful consequences. Now Benedict XVI aimed to place his own ministry in the service of reconciliation and harmony between two warring peoples, and Benedict XVI wanted to follow in those footsteps as his predecessor. Now, the second reason we were given is that he also wanted to venerate St Benedict of Nursera. Now you might know the second reason, or the second. You might know that Benedict the 16th had a particular fondness for St Benedict of Nursera. St Benedict of Nursera was also known as the patriarch of Western monasticism. St Benedict is deeply venerated in Germany this is Benedict of Nursera, particularly in Bavaria, which is the Benedict or Cardinal Ratzinger's birthplace. There's also the Benedictine order, founded by St Benedict. It had enormous influence on the spreading of Christianity across Europe, especially in the 4th and 5th and 6th centuries. He's also known as St Benedict of Nursera, is also a fundamental reference point for all European unity, and the name invokes the Christian roots of European culture and civilization. Now, you might also remember at the time, 2005, there was a final draft of the European Constitution going around and it was presented in May of 2003, some two years before Cardinal Ratzinger would become Pope, some two years before Cardinal Ratzinger would become Pope, and in it it left out any mention of God, despite intense lobbying by many churches, conservative politicians and, at the time Pope John Paul II, pope Benedict's predecessor, and the EU leaders at the time. They maintained the stance that and as they gathered in Rome to sign this new constitution in October of 2004, as if they wanted to maintain the stance, as if they were putting a thumb in the eye of Western Christianity in its birthplace, no less, in Rome. So many people believe or have speculated. Pope Benedict never commented on this, but many believe that Pope Benedict XVI chose his name in 2005, upon being elected as Pope, to emphasize the importance of holding Christ at the center of one's life and to highlight the Christian foundations of Europe. And, more importantly, his choice reflected both his personal background and his vision. For his pontificate, he focused on the themes of peace, reconciliation and the preservation of Christian values in Europe.
Speaker 1:Now for Joseph Ratzinger. His journey began long ago, from a young Bavarian boy to a leader in the Catholic Church. It's filled with significant milestones and contributions, but for today, let us turn to our book of the day, the Pope Benedict XVI Reader. It was edited by the now famous Bishop Robert Barron, and Bishop Barron helps us to put in the context this remarkable man and his writings in the history of the church and in our world, the world in which we are living today. So let's go to the book for a deep dive into Joseph Ratzinger and his writings.
Speaker 1:Joseph Ratzinger, pope Benedict XVI, is quite simply one of the three or four most important Catholics of the last 150 years. As a theologian, he ranks with the greatest Christian intellects of the age Karl Barth, karl Rahner, hans-joris Balthasar and Henry Dulebach but he was also a churchman of extraordinary influence, serving as Archbishop of Munich, in Freising, and then for 23 years as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith under Pope St John Paul II, and finally for eight years as successor to Peter successor of Peter, rather. In these properly ecclesial roles he had an almost unparalleled impact on the life of the church in Europe and around the world. Since he wrote and spoke on such an extraordinary number of topics in the course of a long career God, jesus Christ, the Church, liturgy, anthropology, faith, culture, ecclesiology, etc. It's perhaps difficult to gain an adequate appreciation of his thought. This collection of Ratzinger's writings from across many years and on a range of themes is meant to give an overview of his thought to those already acquainted with it and an introduction to those unfamiliar with it. If I were to characterize the life and work of Ratzinger, I would propose these four fundamental themes he was a man of the scriptures, a man of the church fathers, a man of the Second Vatican Council and a man of liturgy. We would do well to study this man's life, as well as his writings.
Speaker 1:Joseph Ratzinger was born on April 16th 1927 in Markl in Bavaria, germany. Right away, you place his birth in the middle of the Weimar Republic. You might remember, the Weimar Republic began in 1918 and lasted a short 15 years until 1933. This period of German history began with the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II and the proclamation of the Republic at the end of World War I, and it ended with the rise of Adolf Hitler to power as Chancellor of Germany. Now, during its nearly 15-year span, the Weimar Republic and life in general was full of uncertainty for the German people.
Speaker 1:Joseph Ratzinger was the youngest of three children and was born into a devout Catholic family. Once the Nazis took over in Germany, ratzinger's early life was marked by tumultuous times. In 1939, at age 12, he entered into a minor seminary in Tronstein. In 1941, it was required by law for him to join the Hitler Youth at age 14, though he reportedly never wore the uniform and in 1943, right in the heart of World War II and horrific battles taking place all across Europe and in the eastern parts of or the western parts of the Soviet Union, at age 16, ratzinger was drafted into the German army and served in the anti-aircraft service into the German army and served in the anti-aircraft service. After the war, ratzinger resumed his religious studies. He was ordained a priest on June 29, 1951. And now, with that, let's go back to our book.
Speaker 1:Joseph Ratzinger came of age theologically in the 40s and 50s of the last century, which is to say the high watermark of the so-called ressourcement, the return to the sources movement. Weary of the somewhat tried scholasticism that dominated Catholic education and of the endless sniping wars between Protestants and Catholics, the leaders of this school of thought, figures such as Delaubach, jean Danelot and Eves Congar, endeavored to recover the great sources from which all of Christian theology flows, namely the writings of the church fathers and the scriptures themselves. Throughout his career, ratzinger tended away from the rationalism of the scholastics and leaned toward the lyricism of the Bible. This scriptural orientation came to full expression in one of the last works that he produced, namely the magnificent three-volume study of Jesus of Nazareth that he wrote while Pope To understand his biblical method. I would recommend I would especially recommend a careful reading of the passage in this collection in which Pope Benedict discusses the limitations of the historical critical approach to reading the Bible, to reading the Bible and this magnificent three-volume study of Jesus of Nazareth is where I would like to zoom in and focus our remaining attention for this podcast. We will also take a deep dive in our next podcast, but to be sure we understand the context, pope Benedict's series Jesus of Nazareth, this three-volume work, is, just frankly, incredible and remarkable as an undertaking in and of itself, as it's quite uncommon for popes reigning popes to write multi-volume works during their pontificates.
Speaker 1:Now, it was published between 2007 and 2012 while he was pope. We don't know if most of the rough draft was already written and he was just cleaning up the formatting and the grammar etc. But wow, it stands out as an extraordinary endeavor. We know that most popes typically focus on the official documents rather than personal theological works during their papacies. In fact, while in office, pope Benedict XVI didn't take any time off. He authored three significant works as papal. Significant works as papal encyclicals Deus Caritas Est God is Love. In 2005, space Alvi, saved by Hope in 2007,. And Caritas in Veritate Charity in Truth in 2009. Benedict XVI also published an incredible four apostolic exhortations during his time as Pope. Now we don't have the. We have, now that we have the context in which this monumental three-volume work was written.
Speaker 1:Let's actually dig into Pope Benedict's commentary on the infancy narrative of the birth of Christ, especially as we're just one week away just under one week away from the solemnity of our Lord's nativity. Go on to the book. From the solemnity of our Lord's nativity, go on to the book. And while they were there in Bethlehem, the time came for her to be delivered and she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room at the inn Luke 2, 6. Let us begin our exegesis with the concluding words of this passage. There was no room for them in the inn.
Speaker 1:Prayerful reflection over these words has highlighted an inner parallel between this saying and the profoundly moving verse from St John's prologue. He came to his own home and his own people received him. Not John 1.11, for the savior of the world, for him in whom all things were created. Colossians 1.16,. There was no room.
Speaker 1:We read in Hebrews, then from Hebrews this should cause us to reflect. It points towards the reversal of values found in the figure of Jesus Christ and his message. From the moment of his birth, he belongs outside the realm of what is important and powerful in worldly terms, yet it is this unimportant and powerless child that proves to be the truly powerful one, the one on whom ultimately, everything depends. So one aspect of becoming a Christian is having to leave behind what everyone else thinks and wants, the prevailing standards, in order to enter the light of the truth of our being and, aided by that light, to find the right path. Mary laid her newborn child in a manger, luke 2.6. And from this detail it has been correctly deduced that Jesus was born in a stable, in an inhospitable one might say even unworthy space, which nevertheless provided the necessary privacy for the sacred event.
Speaker 1:And again, this quote comes to us from Pope Benedict XVI's 2012 book Jesus of Nazareth the Infancy Narratives. It's just a small sample of Benedict's deep love for being a true theologian. His exegesis, meaning that deep dive into each word which theologians do to understand and pull apart the meaning of the writer and its true theological underpinnings, is just magnificent Pope Benedict XVI's theological contributions undoubtedly place him among the most significant and influential theologians in the history of the Church. His work continues to shape Catholic thought and will likely be studied and debated for generations to come. Again, we would do well to study his works and his writings Now.
Speaker 1:Please allow me to share a quick paragraph from my own personal meditation this past Sunday, which was the third Sunday of Advent, and let me share from my favorite meditation book, titled In Conversation with God, by Francis Fernandez. I've been reading this book for so long I can't pronounce the author's last name, francis Fernandez. It's just two short paragraphs, so bear with me. In order to reach God and to grow in virtue, we must have joy. In order to reach God and to grow in virtue, we must have joy. Moreover, if we fulfill our duties joyfully, we will be able to give a great deal of help to those around us, for this is a happiness that draws many to God. St Paul instructs the first Christians Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ, and we can often make life more pleasant for other people in little ways which have no apparent importance in themselves, but which show that we consider others and appreciate them A smile, a friendly remark, a word of praise, not making a great fuss over unimportant things that would be better overlooked and forgotten. In these ways we can help to make life easier for the people around us.
Speaker 1:An important part of our Christian mission is to bring happiness to a world which is sad at heart because it is drifting away from God. One can often follow a stream back to its source. The happiness they see in us may lead those who are frequently in our company to the source of all true happiness Christ, our Lord. Isn't that so true? So much of the Christian mission these days in a post-Christian and, frankly, post-god world that is looking everywhere for happiness and the pleasures you know money, power, lust, possession. You know the stuff that has been around since the dawn of time. But we human beings we never seem to learn. We're kind of a knucklehead group of people, stiff-necked group of people. These vices don't truly make us happy. They are the counterfeits of the world, they are the lies. And so much of our Christian mission is to bring happiness to a world that is sad of heart, so sad.
Speaker 1:And if our friends and our family, if they come in contact with us, whether in work, or our neighbors with kids' sports, or, frankly, just being a neighbor or community member? How are they viewing us? Should we not always strive to ensure that they see the true happiness that we receive from our Lord Jesus Christ, that true happiness that is open and offered by him to the whole world? He only asks of us one thing for that happiness, Just one thing To follow him. So in today's Catholic Corner, let us remember and never forget our own happiness can be measured by our proximity to him, the source of all happiness. If we are sad during this time of year, let us reach out to that source of all happiness, eternal happiness, and let us begin again in that wonderful conversation between our Lord and ourselves. You know, he is the water that always quenches our thirst, he is the bread that always fulfills our hunger, and he is the peace that always satisfies a restless heart. Let us turn to him as we wait in anticipation of his coming in the flesh.
Speaker 3:Thank you for joining us. We hope you enjoyed this Theory to Action podcast. Be sure to check out our show page at teammojoacademycom, where we have everything we discussed in this podcast, as well as other great resources. Until next time, keep getting your mojo on.