...and many more!!!

Hello all!


Happy Birthday of our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI. If you would like to send him a birthday greeting, then you should visit the Vatican's website here. They have established a link to wish our Pope Birthday greetings. I don't know for sure if he will actually read all of them, but to be honest it wouldn't surprise me if he did. He is the type of man who would persevere through these things, even if it would be very tedious.

Could you imagine having Birthday wishes from all over the world? At the same time, I am sure there will be those who will get word of this and send emails filled with hate or derision. I guess that is the danger of having these things online because anyone can send anything they want.

Nevertheless, we should remember to say a prayer for our Holy Father. Having lived in Rome, I know quite well there are many temptations on the streets of Rome. Moreover, living within the Vatican walls one can imagine that there are also many temptations to sin in ways which only those within the walls of the Vatican can know about. Then, on top of that, the usual temptations to doubt God's love and Mercy. It is a very harrowing thing being in charge of the Church of Jesus Christ! We laity sometimes may not appreciate these dilemmas for not only our Holy Father, but also our own Fr. Darrell. Let us take up the cause of support of our priests and our Holy Father.

Since you are reading anyway, here is the traditional prayer for the Pope:

Lord, source of eternal life and truth, give to your shepherd Pope Benedict XVI a spirit of courage and right judgment, a spirit of knowledge and love. By governing with fidelity those entrusted to his care may he, as successor to the apostle Peter and Vicar of Christ, build your Church into a sacrament of unity, love, and peace for all the world. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.