Habemus Papam!

Pope Benedict XVI

Deo gratias! We have a new Pope!

It's been far too long since I posted last. Today was a very special day for the Church. A new successor to St. Peter, the Vicar of Christ, a Holy Father for the Universal Catholic Church, has been elected! He has taken the venerable name, Benedict, a name which has an important legacy for the Church. St. Benedict, the founder of Western Monasticism, preserved Western civilization, and his spiritual children spread the faith, first all over Europe, and then to the four corners of the world.

A very interesting article (at http://www.catholicity.com/commentary/20050419.html), brought up some very good points about the given name of the new Pope, and the name which he has taken. Here are some key excerpts, and my comments in response (which were first posted on Free Republic).

It is interesting the Holy Spirit chose a man baptized Joseph, and, that he, Joseph Ratzinger, chose Benedict as his pontifical name. Mr. and Mrs. Ratzinger, having no idea that their newborn son would one day be called to run the Catholic Church, decided to name their baby after Saint Joseph. Surely, Providence inspired their choice. Saint Joseph, among his many other titles, is known as the Terror of Demons.

St. Joseph is my favorite saint, and I took his name at my confirmation. For the past few years, I have invoked St. Joseph under the title, Terror of Demons, which is taken from the Litany of St. Joseph.

Sancte Ioseph, terror daemonum, ora pro nobis!

The Saint Benedict Medal, perhaps the most popular Catholic medal after the Miraculous Medal of the Immaculate Conception, is considered lead-pipe-lock insurance against the forces of evil for those who wear it.

If you don't do so already, I highly recommend the pious use of the St. Benedict Medal, in this age where the "evil spirits... prowl about the word, seeking the ruin of souls." See if you can get a Benedictine to bless it, in the traditional manner, though any priest has the faculties to bless it.

Saint Benedict is also known as the Father of Western Civilization.

He is also the patron saint of Europe. The legacy of Western Civilization, which is the legact of St. Benedict and his spiritual children, must be preserved!

Come, O Holy Ghost, fill the heart of the Vicar of Christ, Pope Benedict XVI, and fill him with the graces he needs to carry out the duties of the Office of Peter. May he be "wise as [a]serpent and simple as [a] dove" (Matthew 10:16), so he can lead the Church and protect Her sheep against enemies, both visible and invisible.

St. Joseph, pray for us!

St. Benedict, pray for us!