"Even if I am withdrawing into prayer, I will always be close to all of you and I am sure that you will be close to me, even if I remain hidden from the world". - Pope Benedict's retirement statement.
I hear no conversation about the dignity, grace, and poignancy of this decision. The questions that arise within one's own spiritual being: what spiritual path takes one to a withdrawal from the world and its ever-present beauty?
There's kind of wistful envy: what blessed certitude of God's grace this man possesses, that he can turn away from the world into a life of deep relation to his God.
He did not turn away; I am certain myself that he was called. For me, it was a chilling spiritual event to experience being called. In moments of doubt I think I only responded to the concept of commitment and focus heard in the context of a beautiful church, a distinguished priest, and the Christian message of constancy.
In moments of transcendent happiness, I believe that I am being called to my purpose by God, that I am being warned and informed of what I am meant to do on this earth. It is an end; an end of the denials, distractions, and evasions. It's like standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon and knowing that I am supposed to jump and I will be only airborne, earthbound no longer.
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