In the early morning hours of December 31, 2022, Vatican officials announced the passing of Pope Benedict XVI. Reportedly, the former Pope’s health had rapidly declined through the Christmas holiday at a monastery that he had lived in since his unexpected resignation in 2013.
Pope Benedict XVI, who was 95 years old at the time of his passing, was born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger on April 16, 1927. Some may consider it a coincidence that he was born on Holy Saturday, but our God does not work in the coincidental. The third and youngest child of his parents, young Joseph was baptized on the day that he was born. From that moment on, his life was committed to the Lord’s service, and he lived out that purpose for the next 95 years.
Joseph’s interest in becoming a leader in the Catholic Church started in his youth. His older brother also grew up to become a priest. When Pope Benedict XVI was only five years of age, he joined some other children who were welcoming Cardinal Archbishop of Munich, Michael von Faulhaber with flowers as he passed through their town. He was awestruck by the impressive clothing that the Cardinal wore that day and went home and announced to his parents that he wanted to become a Cardinal one day.
Growing up in Germany, Ratzinger saw firsthand the terrible impacts of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party. At the age of 14, he was required to join the Hitler Youth, an organization that all German males who were at least 14 were required to join. His father, who had suffered demotions at work for his vocal rejection of Hitler’s principles, set an example that young Joseph recognized were correct. Joseph joined the organization as he was required to do, but he refused to attend meetings and made his disdain of the group clear.
As he grew up, he eventually committed himself to priestly studies and became a student of the Church. He was such a remarkable student that the papers he wrote during his theological training caught the attention of the leaders of the seminary he attended, and eventually, Ratzinger became a professor.
Today, as we mourn the loss of this great leader, let us look to some of the examples that he left behind. While this is truly a time of mourning for billions of people around the globe, it is also an opportunity to reflect on the life that Pope Benedict XVI lived and how we can apply those Godly truths to our own lives.
A Commitment to Study God’s Word
2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly divide the word of truth.
Undoubtedly, while Pope Benedict XVI was beginning his ministry, he had no idea that he would one day be appointed as the Pope. While he made it clear as a child that he hoped to one day hold the office of Cardinal, there was no way to know that he would one day be the leader of the Catholic Church. However, that did nothing to stop Pope Benedict XVI from devoting his life to the study of God’s Word.
A dissertation that he wrote in 1953, titled “The People and the House of God in Augustine’s Doctrine of the Church” led to him becoming qualified for professorship. He studied the paper so meticulously that he continued to work on it until 1957 before becoming a professor at Freising College in 1958.
As he continued to move up the ranks of the academic sector of the Church, Pope Benedict XVI never slowed down in his commitment to studying Scripture. He continued to publish papers that would prove to be some of the most profound pieces that many Church leaders had ever read. Over the course of his academic career, which primarily spanned from 1951 until 1977, he established himself as one of the foremost scholars within the Church.
We often treat Scripture as something that we are so familiar with that we no longer need to commit to it daily. The issue with this is found in the fact that the Bible is not just another book. If you have a favorite novel, you probably don’t read it every day. Instead, while you may pick it up from time to time, you only read it occasionally. The Bible is not just another book. Instead, it is the life-giving, lifechanging Word of God.
Pope Benedict XVI knew that Scripture was not something to read once and then forget about. Instead, he committed his entire existence to knowing God more intimately through the study of His Word. We should follow his example by making Scripture a part of our daily routines.
It’s Not How You Start, It’s How You Finish
Philippians 3:13 (NLT)
No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.
Pope Benedict came from humble beginnings. While his uncle was a German Priest and politician, his father was a police officer, and his mother was a homemaker. His father’s verbal disagreements with the Nazi party caused him to face demotions at work, which led to a hard life for the family. Additionally, the office of Pope was rarely held by people from Germany.
Pope Benedict was the only the fifth Pope of German descent, and the first since the year 1057. His life was proof that success in the Kingdom of God isn’t based on how you start. Instead, it’s all about how you finish.
If he had plans of eventually becoming the Pope, Pope Benedict XVI had to know that it was unlikely. It had been nearly 1,000 years since anyone from Germany had held the office. However, he continued to prove himself as a faithful servant to God, and in turn, God promoted him to the highest rank within the Church. God will also promote us through life if we fully commit our lives to Him.
Kingdom First
Philippians 2:3-4 (NIV)
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.
When he became Pope in 2005, Pope Benedict XVI was the 265th person to fill that position. In 2013, he stunned the Catholic Church and the world as a whole when he resigned. Take a look at the statement that he made upon his resignation:
“Both strength of mind and body are necessary, strengths which in the last few months have deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.”
He recognized that as he was growing older, his ability to fully live up to his responsibilities were slipping away. Instead of holding onto his position in the name of selfish ambition, he relinquished his roles and moved into the monastery that he called home until his death.
Pope Benedict XVI put the needs of the Church ahead of his own pursuit of greatness. By recognizing that he was no able to fully live up to his obligations, he set an example of selflessness that we should all seek to exhibit in our own lives.
A Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for the example that was set by Pope Benedict XVI. Help me to apply those principles to my own life so I can be a better servant of Yours. Help me to crave Your Word. Help me to forget what’s behind so I can pursue what You have for me. Finally, help me to never be motivated by selfish ambition. In Christ’s name, Amen.