Wednesday, April 20, 2005

Pope Benedict XVI's books & articles

Ignatius Press front-page now lists all of his major works translated into English.

Communio has created a special webpage of articles from Pope Benedict XVI. It's worth checking it out as well.

Yesterday when I got home from work, my Winter 2004 issue of Communio had just came in the mail. I looked at the Index and what did I see? An article from Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger - Funeral Homily for Monsignor Luigi Gissani (1922-2005). He is no stranger to Communio by any stretch of the imagination, but what is the chance of this issue arriving on the day he is elected to be Pope, not to mention, the content of his piece? This was no accident and I thank Our Lady for an overflowing amount of grace on this day.

I would like to quote a portion of the Introduction by Adrian Walker (Associate Editor 0f Communio)

We publish here the homily given by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger at the funeral of Msgr. Luigi Giussani, who died in Milan on 22 February 2005. Msgr. Giussani, founder of the ecclesial movement Communion and Liberation and longtime friend of Communio, was one of the most significant figures in the post-conciliar renewal of Catholic thought and life. Next is a brief 'Obituary for Louis Bouyer (1913-2004)' by Jean-Robert Armogathe, who notes the passing of one of the great pioneers of theological ressourcement in twentieth-century Catholic theology. Since 2004 is also the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Madeleine Delbrel, we have chose to publish her short 'Spiritual Will and Testament,' which sums up the themes of her thought and mission. In 'A Doctor Reflects on Suffering,' Daniele Alberti reflects simply and movingly on his experience with sick children, explaining how the challenge facing the doctor is not simply to make their pain go away, but to help them find meaning in their pain in union with Christ. Finally, Jean-Rodolphe Kars closes the issue on a note of joy in 'Joy in the Compositions of Olivier Messiaen,' which shows how the composer's life and work were possessed by a deep conviction that the great fact on which the world hangs is God's happiness in himself, in the trinitarian bliss that no evil can dim. It is joy that saves the world, as Luigi Giussani, Madeleine Delbrel, and Louis Bouyer testified in their different ways.

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