Your life is not your own

"Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” -- John 21:18 (NAB)

When I listened to the beautiful message given by Pope Benedict in his final Wednesday general audience, one aspect in particular stood out for me.

In his full message, translated into English by the Vatican Radio staff and available on the Vatican Web site, he commented on the fact that the pope is no longer a private person, and that will continue to be true of him as he resigns. He said that he cannot go back to a private life of talks, conferences, etc. Instead, he will continue to serve the Church in prayer, staying at the foot of the Cross with our Crucified Lord.

I was struck by the fact that many would think that what he described as a "private life" of talks, conferences, etc., was actually a very public and active life, while the life of prayer to which he is retiring is the private life. But Pope Benedict seems to understand it differently.

A private life is one in which you are free to "go where you want," as Jesus said to the first pope, St. Peter. A public life, on the other hand, is one in which you "stretch out your hands" and let someone "lead you where you do not want to go."

How accurately Jesus' words described the life of not only St. Peter, but of St. Peter's successor, Pope Benedict XVI.