Ratzinger presided over the Mass today before the Cardinals entered the conclave. Mark Brumley over at Ignatius Insight has the text of his homily.
All of the newsmedia reports you see of course quote his [accurate] remarks about the defiencies of relativism. That is to be expected since it is classic Ratzinger. I, however, found this passage (the last three pararaphs) much more powerful:
The other element of the Gospel that I would like to dwell on is what Jesus says about bearing fruit: "I appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain" (Jn 15:16). Here appears the dynamic dimension of the existence of a Christian, of an apostle: I appointed you to go...
We must be imbued with a holy restlessness: the restlessness to bring to everyone the gift of faith, of Christ's friendship. In truth, God's love and friendship was given to us so that it reaches also others. We received faith in order to give it to others -- we are priests to serve others. And we must bear a fruit that remains. Everyone wants to leave a trace behind. But what remains? Money, no. Even buildings do not remain: nor do books. After a certain amount of time, more or less long, all these things disappear. All that rests, that rests eternally, is the human soul, man created by God for eternity. The fruit that remains is therefore that which we have sown in the soul of men -- love, knowledge, the gesture that can touch hearts, the word that opens the soul to the joy of the Lord. So then we go and pray the Lord, that He may help us to bear fruit, a fruit that remains. Only in this way can the earth be changed from a valley of tears to God's garden.
Let us return, once again, to the Letter to the Ephesians. The letter says, with the words of Psalm 68, that Christ, ascending to heaven, "gave gifts to men" (Eph 4:8). The vanquisher distributes gifts. And these gifts are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Our ministry is a gift from Christ to men, to build His body -- the new world. Let us live our ministry in this way, as Christ's gift to men! But in this hour, above all, let us pray with insistence to the Lord, that after the great gift of Pope John Paul II, he gives us again a pastor according to his own heart, a pastor that guides us to knowing Christ, to His love, to true joy. Amen.
