Pope's Twitter

Pope Benedict the 16th steps down as of 2pm EST today. (Thats 8pm Rome time- Feb 28)

Here are the final words on his twitter:  @Pontifex - Feb 27

"If only everyone could experience the joy of being Christian,
being loved by God who gave his Son for us!"

Source: https://twitter.com/Pontifex

Some really insightful Twitter posts as well since the beginning of 2013!!!

Thought Id re-tweet them for you, as the "pope emeritus" (Latin for retired pope) twitter account will be inactive until a new pope is chosen, which their aiming to be before Easter Sunday. Hope this provides you with some inspiration. (see tweets below)

--------

Jan 1 -  May Our Lord bless you and watch over you in the new year.

 

Jan 2-When we entrust ourselves to the Lord completely, everything changes. We are children of a Father who loves us, and never leaves us.

 

Jan 6 - The Wise Men followed the star and reached Jesus, the great light that illuminates all of humanity.

 

Jan 9- Following Christ’s example, we have to learn to give ourselves completely. Anything else is not enough.

 

Jan 13- In this Year of Faith, may every Christian rediscover the beauty of being reborn in the love of God and living as his true children.

 

What happens in Baptism? We become united forever with Jesus, to be born again to a new life.

 

Jan 16- If we have love for our neighbor, we will find the face of Christ in the poor, the weak, the sick and the suffering.

 

Jan 20- What does the Lord ask of us as we work for Christian unity? To pray constantly, do justice, love goodness, and walk humbly with Him.

 

Jan 23- Many false idols are held up today. For Christians to be faithful, they can’t be afraid to go against the current.

 

Jan 25- I join all those marching for life from afar, and pray that political leaders will protect the unborn and promote a culture of life.

 

Jan 27 - What does Sunday, the day of the Lord, mean for us? It is a day for rest and for family, but first of all a day for Him.

 

Feb 6 - Everything is a gift from God: it is only by recognizing this crucial dependence on the Creator that we will find freedom and peace.

 

Feb 10- We must trust in the mighty power of God’s mercy. We are all sinners, but His grace transforms us and makes us new.

 

Feb 13- During the season of Lent which begins today, we renew our commitment to the path of conversion, making more room for God in our lives.

 

Feb 17 - Lent is a favourable time in which to rediscover faith in God as the foundation of our lives and of the Church’s life

 

Feb 24 - In these momentous days, I ask you to pray for me and for the Church.

 

 

----

 

If you ever had the chance to log onto the Pope's twitter account, as inspiring as these twitter posts are, unfortunately there is another side to the story.

 

If you click on "expand" and read the comments and tweets from those who viewed them.... Id say 99% of responses to these inspirational Christian posts were cruel and demeaning, mocking the words.

 

It really felt sad... knowing that behind the inspiration being provided, those who did not believe took to twitter to make fun of these words/truths.  

It reminds us of John 15 in the bible:  Jesus says... "If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: They hated me without reason.’

 

Makes me think... being a Christian has a lot of pressures from the outside world, but we cant lose faith or our love for God because of it.  

 

Being a leader who loves Jesus, probably has more pressures than the average person. No matter what Christian denomination the leader is from.

 

My prayer as the pope steps down today, is that any seeds of faith for Jesus- that were planted in his time of leadership, will resonate with those who heard those words. I pray that Benedict will know and genuinely feel that Christ's love and truth is stronger than any mocking words that may have been placed on his twitter, or said against him - and that everyone who wrote someting demeaning would experience Gods love in their life in some concrete way.

And I pray for his health, of course.

 

I also pray that the new leader they choose by Easter Sunday, is someone who genuinely loves God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength. And someone who can make a difference. Amen. :)