Papa Ratzinger Forum has a translation of the full text of the Pope’s Q&A with seminarians last week. It’s the Pope at his best – extemporaneous, learned, down-to-earth.

Then, it is important not to lose communion with other priests, with our companions along the way, and not to lose our personal contact with the Word of God, with meditation.

How to do this? I have a rather simple formula – to combine preparing for the Sunday homily with my personal meditation, so the words I say will not just be words but will truly be words said by the Lord to myself, and matured in personal conversation with Him.

In order to do this, I would say to start on Monday, because if one starts to do it on Saturday, it’s too late, you will be preparing in haste, and the inspiration will not always be there because we always have other things on our mind. Therefore, I say, on Monday, simply read the text for the following Sunday, which may appear rather inaccessible to us. A little bit like when Moses said before the rock at Mssa-Meeriba, “But how can I draw water from these rocks?”

But let it be, let the heart digest these texts – the words will work on our subconscious and everyday will become clearer. Of course, we should also refer to books if that is possible. And with this interior work, day after day, one sees how these words open up, become words addressed to me. And because I am their contemporary, the words are also addressed to others. Then I can start translating what I see in my own theological language to the language of others, but the fundamental thoughts remain the same for everyone.

And this way, one can have an ongoing contact with the Word, which does not demand too much time which we may not always have. But find a little time: that way, not only will a Sunday homily mature that will benefit others, but my own heart becomes touched by the word of the Lord: I remain in contact with Him even when circumstances leave me with little time at my disposition.

I will otherwise not dare to give other advice, because life in the great city of Rome is different from what it was 55 years ago in our Bavaria.

I think however those are the essentials: the Eucharist, the Daily Office of the Liturgy – daily prayer and conversation, no matter how brief, with the Lord, on His word that I must proclaim.

And never lose, on the other hand, friendship with your fellow priests, listening to the voice of the living Church, and be always available to the people who are entrusted to your care because it is from these people, from their suffering and from their experience of the faith, their doubts and difficulties, we can learn to look for and to find God, find our Lord Jesus Christ.

snip

We have found – or rather, we have been found by – the love of the Lord, and the more we allow ourselves to be touched by this love in the sacramental life, in our life of prayer, in our work, in our free time, the more we will understand that, Yes, I have found the true pearl, everything else does not matter. All the rest only counts to the degree that they have been given to me by the love of God. I am rich, I am really rich and exalted if I remain in this love. I will find in it the center of my life, its richness.

Then we allow ourselves to be guided, we leave it to Providence to do what it will with us.

I am reminded of story about St. Bakhita, this beautiful African saint who was a slave in the Sudan, and then found the faith when she came to Italy. She became a nun, and when she was much older, the bishop visited her monastery, her religious house, and did not recognize her.

He saw this tiny, already bent African nun, and he said to Bakhita: “And what do you do, sister?”

Bakhita answered, “I’m doing exactly what you are doing, Excellency.”

And the bishop, surprised, asked: “And what is that?”

Bakhita said; “Excellency, both of us want to do the same thing: to do what God wills.”

I think that is a beautiful answer. The bishop and the old nun, who was almost unable to work anymore, did, in their own ways, the same thing – they sought to to do the will of God, and that way, they did what is right.

I am also reminded of a statement by St. Augustine, who said “We are all only disciples of Christ, and his chair is much higher still, because it is the Cross. And that is the only true height, communion with the Lord, even in His passion.“

I think that if we begin to understand this, in a life of daily prayer, in a life of dedication, in the service of the Lord, then we can free ourselves of this all-too-human temptation.