To where is God leading us thru Pope Benedict XVI?

[YinYangMom]

Well, of course the answer is ‘to Him’…but I mean at this phase of man’s history…

If we look at the Old Testament and how God, never abandoning His people, let them wander when need be, but brought them back on track when the time was right…

And we look at how JPII seemed to have been led by God to speak to us about human life, our sacredness in His eyes, to bring God back to our youth on a personal level and so on…

and how Benedict XVI was chosen to succeed JPII…at first I thought it was God saying to JPII, “Well done, my faithful servant”… and then to Benedict XVI, “Now on to the liturgy and other basic tenets of the faith”…

I still believe Benedict’s legacy will be the liturgy, but this Turkey trip has me fascinated…One, that it is even taking place, Two, how dangerous a trip it is, and Three, the timing of the event.

Why, do you think, God has chosen this moment in our time to send Benedict XVI back ‘home’, so to speak?

What message do you think God is sending to us through this visit? We know what Benedict’s message to Turkey is, but what does that mean for us at home and other Catholics in the world?

It astounds me how few Catholics remain in the cornerstones of Catholicism. Seeing the images from the protesting going on there now alarms me to no end.

Did God allow these geographical regions to turn toward Islam in a way similar to how he allowed the Israelites to go homeless for so long?

If so, what was the failing of Catholics which led to our evacuation from the region?

What does the visit of the Pope signal for the future? Can we foresee a reunification down the road and a return to our dominance in the region? Given the animosity toward us from Islamists in the area it seems such a surmountable goal, but all things are possible with God, as history has shown…so what are your thoughts, if any, on this turn of events at this time in history?

 

[Image_of_God]

You surely do trust in the Divine Providence…

The failure that led to the loss of the region is partly do to us Christians. The dividedness between the Greek and the Latin Church cause much division and caused an inability to affectively defend the area. Let alone the destruction of Constantinople us Latins which lead to the fall of the Byzantine Empire.

The visit of the Pope assures us that unity will happen. It may or may not be soon, but Jesus’ will will prevail. His prayer tha “all may be one” will be fuffilled regardless of what happens.

 

[rwoehmke]

It is an interesting question as the Muslim parts of the world before 1923 were far larger than the Christian parts. They were also made up of countries or geographical areas that were once strongly Christian and for the first couple hundred years AD were where some of our most important beliefs were defined. Most of Western Europe was a backwater.

 

[SORROWS]

I believe it is this Popes destiny and the timing that is Gods will.

Pope John Paul II and now Pope Benedict XVI have proven to be Catholicism courageous leaders in this very scary and volitile time. What admiration I have for Pope Benedict!

I pray that Pope Benedicts journey will be safe and that God keeps him in His protective embrace. That two completely different cultures can come to a peaceful resolution of understanding.