When A Pope Resigning Is A Good Thing…

Last updated on: January 25, 2017 at 5:31 pm by Katrina Fernandez

When A Pope Resigning Is A Good Thing… 2017-01-25T17:31:54-05:00 Katrina Fernandez

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

… I remember the passing of Bl. John Paul II. The media coverage put a glaring spotlight on the Catholic Church; a positive spot light for once. People of all religions were united in their grief for JPII’s death. The Church received a larger than normal number of new members into Her fold that year after the funeral. At my parish alone, we had people lined up at the doors to join RCIA. Curiosity drove them there because of the supportive out pouring and positive attention Catholics received.

Alas, we are robbed of that unifying effect with the resignation of Pope Benedict. Ridiculous people, like Piers Morgan, got all tin foil hat-y and peppered the media and internet with conspiracy theories and a lot of negativity. Instead of sadness many are feeling confusion, anger, and a sense of abandonment. Admittedly, myself included.

But ask yourself, what can we do with these feelings? Wallow in resentment or remain positive? And if we chose the former what good does that do? It won’t make Pope Benedict change his mind. When put in perspective the answer is obvious. For every stupid, ill-informed comment is an opportunity to evangelize and educate. Instead of focusing on the “why” of Pope Benedict’s decision – because I am not a mind reader or seer of souls – as a member of the laity, I must do the only thing that role requires; faith, prayer, and obedience. It’s my choice whether I do those acts begrudgingly or joyfully, just so long as I do them.

So for Lent I’m giving up doubt, suspicion, and perpetuating disobedience by questioning the motives of the Pope. I won’t speculate, I’ll trust and pray. Instead of endless frustration at the abounding ignorance I’ll take the opportunity to educate. If people are asking than at least they’re curious. I hope over the next month to positively feed that curiosity. And if moments of doubt and negativity seize me the least I can do is keep them to myself out of respect and admiration for the Pope and Catholic faith I deeply love. Doubt is poisonous and negativity contagious and the best remedy to preventing an outbreak is to be obedient and faithful.

Combating stupidity: Electing the Pope-How the papal conclave works, and other questions about the papacy, and The Sistine Chapel – A liturgical classroom for the ages.

Remaining Prayerful: Novenas for the Pope and the Conclave, Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel, The Holy Rosary, Novena to the Holy Spirit.

BXVI

Lent

Benedict's Resignation

Pope Benedict XVI

Previous Post

February 16, 2013

A little something to hold ya over...

Next Post

February 20, 2013 So You Want To Be Pope...

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 30 Days of Dressing Like a Girl Adult Libations Advent Aiming To Misbehave Altar Boys Answered Prayers Art Art Behaving Badly Art Renewal Ask The Crescat AWAKE Baby Jesus Weeps Bad Ass Saints Bad Assery Bat Shit Crazy Beauty Being Single Blessed Virgin Mary Blogging Book Reviews Books Glorious Books Booze Boy Scouting Burnt Offerings BXVI Can You Hear My Eyes Rolling Canonizing Saints Caption Contests Catholic Bling & Finery Catholic Fangirl Catholic In The News Catholic Kitsch Catholic Social Teaching Catholics Behaving Badly Celebrity Catholics Charlotte Christmas Church MILITANT Church Posturing Church Teaching Church Universal Churches and Church Architecture Cinema Class Wars Classical Music Come Home Crafty Crescat Craptastic Craptastic Nativity Scenes Crescat Endorsements Damn Hippies Dear Crabby Death of the West Deep Thought With The Crescat Defenders of Faith Devotions Diocese of Charlotte Doctor Who DUH Easter Easter Liturgies Behaving Badly Eastern Catholicism Election 2012 End Rant Entertainment Exposing Obama Fan Girling Farmer Kat Fashion Feminism is Misogynistic Fine Art Friday Friday Features Friday Fishing Friday Fun Geekery Gender and Equality Girly Blather Give Aways Glaring Irony Gospel According to Crescat Hifreakinlarious Highly Suspect Hiss.Spit.Growl Holiday Gift Giving Guide Holy Days and Holidays How To Fail At Catholic Piety Humor Hump Day Humor I Actually Know What I Am Talking About Here I Blame The Parents I Call Bull Shit I Can't Hear You Over Your Own Hubris I Hear The Tiber Is Nice To Swim This Time of Year I Love You Nathan Fillion and You Will Be Mine One Day By God You Will I thought I saw Some Morals Around Here Somewhere Icons and Iconography In the News Is Outrage! It's Like I'm Martha Stewart if Martha Stewart Were Constantly Drunk and Incompetent Just Asking Just Because Kat's Been Drinking Again Learning Spanish Lent LENT2012 Liberal Lunacy Literature Literature Behaving Badly Liturgical Terrorists Liturgical Year Local Events Mad World Man-lace and Manliness Manufactured Outrage machine March For Life 2012 Martyrs Mass Appeal Mass Chat Mass Hysteria Mass Lunacy Maybe a Little Crazy Media Bias Memes Miracles and Wonders Molto Bello Monday Monk Gazing More Than Mortal Beauty Motivational Monday Movies Much Humble Music MUST HAVE ALL THE CHICKENS My Religion is Cooler Than Yours Natural Beauty Near Occasion of Sin News That Never Was Notable Birthdays Novenas Nun Gazing On The Rare Occasion I Actually Shut Up I Can Sometimes Hear God Orthodox Orthodoxy Outfreakingstanding Parenting Patheos Writers Perfectly Acceptable Wastes of Time Perils of Parenthood Persecution Personal Pinished That Shit Play Ball Politics Polls Pop Culture Pope Francis Potpourri of Popery Prayers and Devotions President Behaving Badly Propaganda Protecting Children PSA Punk Quoted Racial Issues Random Recipes Red Flags Redemption Relics Religion of Peace Reviews Roma Rosaries Russian Art Sacraments Saints Sanctity of Life Science and Religion Seems Legit Self Appointed Pontiffs Sexuality She is Too Fond of Books and it Has Turned Her Brain SHINY! Single Life Single Parenthood Small Victories Soap Box Spain Strangely Unrelated to Anything Stuff Stupid Things Stupid Things I Do On Any Given Day Swiss Guard Technical Stuff That's catholic with a little "c" The Boy The Catholic Five Talk Show The Narrative THE RACK! The Real The Sexes The Stuff Priests Are Made Of There I Fixed It Thirsty Thursday Time of Persecution Tipsy Tuesday Traditions True Story Tuesday Tunes TV Is Where My Brain Goes To Die Ugly Churches Uncategorized Vapid Cliched Inanity Disguised As Original And Intelligent Thought Vaticanista Videos Viral Virtues Vocation Wanderlust Warm and Fuzzy Welcome Home What Does The Church Really Teach Why I Am Still Single Works of Mercy Wussification of Boys WYD You Can't Spell "DIET" Without "DIE" You're Very Existence is God Granting Me An Exercise In Patience Youtube

Select a Month December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 April 2008 March 2008 January 2008 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 October 2006 June 2006

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What Christian group worships on Saturday instead of Sunday?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Pentecostals Presbyterians Seventh-day Adventists Baptists