Teresa at the Papa Ratzinger Forum has finished translating Benedict’s Q & A with priests from the diocese of Albano last Thursday. I’m going to do the broken record thing and tell you all to go read the whole exchange, and then tell you to pass it on to anyone in your circle who’s still singing the "Ratzinger the German Rottweiler/Enforcer has nothing to say to the modern Church and is just trying to shut down dialogue" song.

I think we priests can learn from married couples, from their suffering and sacrifice. Often we think that only celibacy is sacrifice. But in getting to learn the sacrifices of married persons – think of raising children, the problems that arise from that, the fears, the suffering, the ailments, rebelliousness, or just think of the first years of having children, with sleepless nights attending to crying babies – there is much we can learn from their sacrifices, and our own sacrifices.

Together with them we can learn how beautiful it is to mature in suffering and to work for the sake of others. Don Pennazza, you have cited the Vatican Council which affirmed that Matrimony is a sacrament to save others – above all, this means, to save the other, the spouse, husband or wife, but also the children and ultimately, the community. Even we priests are able to mature in our encounters with our married parishioners.

On youth ministry:

I think that in this matter precisely is where we must exercise an integrated ministry because not every parish priest really has the time to occupy himself enough with young people. So we need a ministry that transcends the limits of the parish and even the limits of the priest’s work. A ministry that of necessity must involve many workers.

It seems to me that, under the coordination of the Bishop, a way should be found, on the one hand, to integrate the youth into the parish, so that they can be the ferment for parochial life; and on the other hand, to find extra-parochial persons who can work with them. Both should go together.

It must be suggested to our youth that they can integrate themselves into the life of the diocese, not only in parish work but in other contexts which ultimately point them back to their parishes. One must favor all initiatives in this direction.

I think that the concept and experience of volunteer work is very important. Young people should not be left merely to indulging their diversions, but they should be given tasks in which they see that they are needed, in which they have a sense of doing something good for others.

If they feel this impulse to do something good for humanity, for someone, for a group, then they will have a reason to involve themselves and will even find their own positive way of
getting involved, their own expression of the Christian ethic.

It is very important that they find tasks that need their involvement, that enable them to render positive service inspired by Christ’s love, so that they themselves will look for the sources they can draw on to find the strength and the commitment for these services.

I think there is great wisdom here, and it’s something we’ve talked about here often. I think the model of youth ministry which focuses on serving and catering youth is a dead end. The best mode of youth ministry is one that rather challenges youth to serve: simply a variation of and preparation for life as an adult Catholic: discipleship. The Church isn’t here to entertain you – you’re here, a baptized Christian to love Christ and serve others, filled with that love. Would that parishes learn and live by this: emphasize continued spiritual and formation of all parishioners, as well as encourage discipleship – offering opportunities within the parish as well as pointing outward toward the mission territory right outside the door – of all parishioners, old…and young.

Finally, on liturgy (remember he’s speaking to priests) – among the many jewels, this struck me:

St. Benedict, in his Rule, tells his monks, speaking of the recitation of Psalms: "Mens concordet voci." The voice, words, precede our thinking. Normally, it isn’t that way: first, one thinks and then thought becomes words. But here, the words come first. Sacred Liturgy gives us the words: we should enter into these words and find agreement with the reality that precedes thought.

Teresa, who translated this into English  for the Forum (grazie!) remarks:

I have just finished translating the Pope’s colloquy with the diocesan priests of Albano … and am completely blown away by it.

Not just by the content, which is the equivalent of five off-the-cuff homilies by him, but by the incredible and truly singular opportunity that it gives us to ‘know’ him even better, and in the most engaging and absorbing way.

Benedict XVI has not only written far more than any other Pope in their lifetime. He is also the first Pope in the era of modern communications to have spoken out so often and at length without a text but for the record; and 16 months into his Papacy, a compilation of his extemporaneous homilies, remarks, interviews and answers at public Q-and-A sessions already make up a very impressive volume!

And yet, how sad and how telling, that out of all the words he said at the session with the Albano priests, the Italian media only picked out a short fragment in which he spoke about St. Francis of Assisi, not even reporting it in the context of why he said it – that he wanted the life of St. Francis to be an example to the youth of today of what it means to be converted to the way of Christ and immeasurably expanding their lives that way.

Once again, I am struck by how Benedict shows himself to be, above all else, a priest. When he tells other priests to live up to their vocation and how, he is telling us in very concrete terms how he does so himself, and it is an awesome, privileged glimpse into the interior life of a fully-committed man of God. And all in down-to-earth terms, devoid of false pieties.

I couldn’t agree more.