Today, we see for the first time since the middle ages, our Pope “step down.” Some have struggled with such a decision. Why now, when this hasn’t happened for over 600 years? Why not follow in the footsteps of his predecessor who showed us all the dignity with which one can age, carrying his cross publicly before us even to the end? I don’t have the answers, but I know this…Pope Benedict XVI is a man in love with the Lord and his bride the Church (you and I). I trust that even this decision is the decision of a father wanting only the best for his children. And so, may we as the faithful flock of the One Lord Jesus Christ and therefore of the successor of Peter, the Rock, spend this day, not in speculation, discord, or anxiety, but in prayerful gratitude for Pope Benedict XVI, such a loving leader of our Church, and peaceful trust in the Lord’s promise that “not even the gates of hell shall prevail against her.”