Habemus Papam

I am back from my excuse filled hiatus from the blogging world! I am back on track with my Lenten Blogging Challenge-- and what better day to renew my spirit this Lent, than this day 3/13/13-- when Catholics around the world met their new pappa! Pope Francis had me and hubby glued to the TV today for HOURS, but seeing the white smoke and getting a TV blessing from our new Pope was a great day for us to share! With the excitement that a new Pope brings to the Church, I felt an extra push today to make sure that I get back on track with the blogging efforts I promised during Lent. 

Last weekend hubby, with the help of some other church members, put on an RCIA retreat for the Candidates and Catechumens-- those coming home to the Catholic Church this Easter! I have to say, it was a great retreat for me, so I can only imagine what they thought! It lit a fire in me and got me thinking. It allowed me to power down from the world, so that I could power back up for Lent.

During that retreat, I felt called to really help more with RCIA next year (not just teaching a class about sexuality) but by really helping design the retreat for next year and by opening my mind to teaching more with hubster-- he is talented in his religious teaching.... that has inspired me to also teach. Also during the retreat I thought more about how I can use the rest of Lent to focus my blogs on my religious life, as well as my other personal commitments.

From one Pope to another, from one Pope to all of us....B16 reminds us-

“Are we not perhaps all afraid in some way? If we let Christ enter fully into our lives, if we open ourselves totally to him, are we not afraid that He might take something away from us? Are we not perhaps afraid to give up something significant, something unique, something that makes life so beautiful? Do we not then risk ending up diminished and deprived of our freedom? . . . No! If we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful and great. No! Only in this friendship are the doors of life opened wide. Only in this friendship is the great potential of human existence truly revealed. Only in this friendship do we experience beauty and liberation. And so, today, with great strength and great conviction, on the basis of long personal experience of life, I say to you, dear young people: Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away, and he gives you everything. When we give ourselves to him, we receive a hundredfold in return. Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ – and you will find true life. Amen.”
― Pope Benedict XVI

Although we are all nervous about this new change in our church, we can learn something from our Pope Emeritus Benedict: by giving up something significant, we allow Christ to make us beautiful.
We can take our Pope Emeritus' advice that fear comes with change, but in that change comes Christ. Change in the Catholic Church might not have affected you if you aren't Catholic, but fear through change can come by starting a new diet, a new call from God, or even a new YES to something that we previously have said No to! B16 is still with us, he is now, just as we all are, giving total obedience to Pope Francis while giving everything to Christ and finding true life in change.