1. St. Joseph’s silent wisdom
Benedict XVI held great affection for Christ’s foster father, for whom he was named, and tried very much to follow his example. In particular, he found that St. Joseph’s silence was a guide to wisdom for him.
He writes in the book: “[He] was given to me by my parents as a patron saint for life. The older I get, the clearer the figure of my patron becomes to me. Not one word of his has been handed down to us, but rather his ability to listen and to act. I understand more and more that his silence is precisely what speaks to us and, beyond scientific knowledge, wishes to guide me to wisdom.”
Later, the pope describes how St. Joseph is known through his decisive actions, since no word of his appears in Scripture. Repeatedly, God reveals a certain course of action to St. Joseph, and every time St. Joseph pursues that course immediately upon realizing it is God’s will.
His life was a constant “yes” to God, his actions speaking louder than words ever could: As Pope Benedict XVI put it: “His silence is at the same time his message.”
2. Love and joy at the origin of missionary work
Pope Benedict XVI reflects in the book on what role missionary work has in today’s world, when interreligious dialogue often takes its place.
He wrote: “Joy needs to be communicated. Love needs to be communicated. Truth needs to be communicated. Someone who has received a great joy cannot simply keep it for himself; he has to hand it on. The same is true for the gift of love and for the gift of recognizing the truth that is manifested… Let us proclaim Jesus Christ, not in order to gain as many members as possible for our community, much less for the sake of power. Let us speak about him because we feel that we must hand on this joy that was given to us. We will be credible announcers of Jesus Christ when we have truly encountered him in the depths of our being, when, through the encounter with him, we have received the gift of the great experience of truth, love, and joy.”
3. The message of God’s mercy is greatly needed today
In a lengthy passage in the chapter called “Faith is not an idea, but a life,” the pope explains that modern man craves assurance of God’s mercy, something he calls a “sign of the times.”
Referring to the parable of the Good Samaritan, he writes about how important it is “that men deep in their hearts expect that the Samaritan will come to their aid; that he will bend down to them, anoint their wounds, care for them, and carry them to safety.”
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He wrote that St. John Paul II and Pope Francis both made mercy central to their message as popes: “Mankind is waiting for mercy… In the final analysis, they know that they need God’s mercy and his tenderness. In the hardness of a technological world where feelings no longer count for anything, nevertheless, there is a growing expectation of a saving love that is freely given.”
4. Reflections on Father Alfred Delp
Pope Benedict XVI has a personal connection to Jesuit Father Alfred Delp, who was martyred in Nazi Germany, and urges the faithful to “revive the memory of this great witness to Jesus Christ in dark times,” explaining Delp’s legacy in these words:
“Father Delp certainly could be killed in the body by the executioners of the time, just as his hands could be chained, but the word of God is not chained and speaks to us again and again precisely through the bloody testimony of the martyrs. May the Lord help us, in our time and in the way that we ask, to be witnesses to Jesus Christ once again.”
Isabel Barry is a freelance writer living in Chicago, Illinois.