HSH emphases and [comments]
WORDS OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
AT THE LUNCHEON WITH THE CARDINALS
Hall of Dukes, Apostolic Palace – Monday, 21 May 2012
Your Eminence, Dear Brothers,
At this moment my words can only be of gratitude. A “thank you” first of all to the Lord for the many years he has given me; years filled with many days of joy, marvelous times but also with dark nights. Yet, in retrospect, one understands that those nights were necessary and good, a cause for thanksgiving. [He is using his experience in the spiritual life to teach the Cardinals. He never says things that are not needed to be spoken. He is confirming his brothers in the faith. These are not mere words of nostalgia, but the testimony of someone who knows that death will come sooner than later, but only by way of very, very dark times, with much evil afoot, but with much goodness being brought out of that evil, for the greater glory of God. He is rightly imposing on the hearts and souls of the Princes of the Church. He is calling on them to be faithful, now, and in times to come, no matter what. Lets see:]
Today the phrase ecclesia militans [the Church Militant, or better, reflecting the participle: The Church Being Militant!] is somewhat out of fashion [put out of fashion by those who would have the Church surrender, as they have done, to the enemy forces, to Satan himself...] but in fact we can understand ever more so that it is true, that it contains within it the truth [The Church on earth is only the Church inasmuch as it is Militating against the Evil One. Being with Christ Jesus in His victory, in the ultimate victory in the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, in The Battle spoken of in Genesis 3,15, is where this battle is done par excellence.]. We see how evil wishes to dominate in the world ["dominate" = it's always about power. Always. Non serviam! I will not serve! For I, Satan, want to be God!] and that it is necessary to fight against evil [necessary to fight = sine qua non. Passifists just go to hell. Consensus builders with Satan go to hell. Nicey nice people who never stand up in all truth and charity for all truth and charity just go to hell. To repeat: "It is necessary to fight."]. We see that it [evil] does so in so many ways: cruelty, through the different forms of violence, but even disguised as good and thereby undermining the moral foundations of society. [such as giving Holy Communion to pro-abort politicians who mock God, the Church and their fellow man. This erodes the moral foundations of society. This is using the Blessed Sacrament to further divide the Church. "But I was just trying to be nice!" Nope. You've lost the battle. Those who are not with Christ are fighting against Him.]
St Augustine said that all history is a struggle between two loves: [1] love of self to the point of despising God; and [2] love of God to the point of despising oneself, in martyrdom. [He's saying that he's been prepared to be a martyr, and that he is asking his cardinals to be martyrs with him. Martyrdom is fullest sign of love of neighbor as well, for this is a witness to the love of God, an invitation to believe in a love that is stronger than death, a love that calls ones enemies, "friends", just as Christ did to Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane even as Judas was betraying Jesus (see Matthew 26,50).] We are caught up in this struggle and in this struggle it is very important to have friends. [Remember, the first collegial act of the apostles was recalled in one short verse, Mark 14,50: "And abandoning Him, they all fled."] And as for myself, I am surrounded by my friends in the College of Cardinals; you are my friends and I feel at home with you, I feel safe in this company of great friends, who are here with me and all together with the Lord. [Our Holy Father is always, always the most perfect gentlemen, always trying to attract by way of goodness and kindness. It's not that he is unaware of the presence of Judas among the ranks. It is because he is aware of this that he so graciously says such things in the hope of winning them over for Christ before it is too late for them.]
Thank you for this friendship. [Those who are true will feel that friendship themselves. Those who are with Judas will feel only contempt.] Thank you, Your Eminence, for all you have done for this event today and for all that you always do. Thank you for the communion in joys and in troubles. Let us move ahead, the Lord said: Courage, I have conquered the world. We are on the Lord’s team, hence on the winning team. [just to use the terminology of the consensus builders. Hah!] I thank you all. May the Lord bless all of you. And let us raise our glasses. [The fraternity of the saints in heaven is very wonderful indeed. We have nothing to fear with being martyrs. Let's us arise and go forth!]
© Copyright 2012 – Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Did I mention that “For Greater Glory” (Cristiada) is now playing. Go and see it!
Accompany me, Father George David Byers, S.S.L., S.T.D., as I begin life as a Catholic Priest-Hermit by choice. Holy Souls Hermitage is dedicated to the sanctification of my fellow priests, bishops, deacons & seminarians going through the purgatory of this life or the next. Prayer and sacrifice go up, of course, for both Benedict XVI and the next Successor of Saint Peter. 
Great insights, Father. With inexpressible gratitude for the Holy Father, for you, for all who have, since the first Holy Thursday, answered the call and been “with Christ Jesus in His victory, in the ultimate victory in the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, in The Battle spoken of in Genesis 3,15, where this battle is done par excellence. “
Hi father, I saw Glory after Mass on Sun-it is a terrific movie, and very timely. It made it easy to imagine troops bursting in to our churches. I think that was one of the points of its release before the election. I was surprised to find that the theater was packed, and that people were very emotional. If you see it, remember the Kleenex.