As has been widely reported, the late Senator Edward (Teddy) Kennedy sent a letter to Pope Benedict XVI shortly before his death. Excerpts from the letter and the pontiff’s reply were read at Sen. Kennedy’s private burial service. I will only quote part of the reported reply from the pontiff.
“His Holiness prays that in the days ahead, you may be sustained in faith and hope, and granted the precious grace of joyful surrender to the will of God, our merciful father. He invokes upon you the consolation and peace promised by the risen savior to all who share in his sufferings, and trust in his promise of eternal life.
“Commending you and the members of your family to the loving intervention of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Father cordially imparts his apostolic blessing as a pledge of wisdom, comfort, and strength in the Lord.”
When one faces the end of life, one begins to think of everlasting matters, and so it was with Sen. Kennedy. He was a well-connected man, as was his whole family and one of the more prominent Roman Catholic politicians in the world. And so, it is no surprise that, like many highly placed Roman Catholics in previous centuries, he writes to the Pope. It is also no surprise that he wrote the pontiff because one or two of the political positions he held were not in accord with Roman Catholic teaching. These positions had brought him into conflict with some bishops, so, as a result, the pontiff was the correct person to address as he sought his prayers and as he tried to make sure to be at peace with God.
The Teddy Kennedy that we meet in the letter is one who is looking at eternity, not at this world. “I am 77 years old, and preparing for the next passage of life. . . . I know that I have been an imperfect human being, but with the help of my faith I have tried to right my path. . . . And though I have fallen short through human failings, I have never failed to believe and respect the fundamental teachings of my faith.”
Frankly, except for the one or two areas, he is correct about believing and respecting the fundamental teachings of the Roman faith. And, without going into details, he acknowledges his human failings, many of which are a matter of public record. There are those who would have argued that the pontiff should have sent him a strongly worded reply demanding repentance for those matters. But the pope’s reply is a masterful example of drawing someone to Christ in a very pastoral way. It called Sen. Kennedy to a “joyful surrender” to the will of God. In that surrender, the pontiff desires that Sen. Kennedy will “trust in his promise of eternal life.” Is that not almost the classic Protestant definition of salvation? Surrender and trust.
But he goes on and in a classical Roman fashion, the pontiff states that he will turn Sen. Kennedy over to the intercession of Mary and imparts a blessing, a blessing which he hopes will bring “wisdom, comfort, and strength in the Lord.” I am convinced that if the surrender and trust were present then there would be forgiveness of even those sins which one did not fully realize were sins. But, the growth in wisdom is the growth to slowly see where one has gone wrong (and where one has gone right). The blessing of comfort and strength are obvious to one who is facing the final slide into death. Few facing death are able to easily face it. It is the ending beyond which we have only faith to assure us of a new beginning. Yes, I, too, will need comfort and strength if my final time comes upon me slowly enough that I have to deal with it.
And, so, I am happy with the pontiff’s reply. His reply was the reply of a shepherd trying to make sure that one of his sheep will “trust” and “surrender” and then go “joyfully” into the arms of his Savior. May Sen. Kennedy have listened and obeyed the voice of the pontiff in the letter. May his soul have found its peace in God.
….would someone as lowly as me upon my death bed recieve such a gracious reply from a Pontif…..i think not …for i am not of ample esteem to garner “respect of persons”…
Well two thoughts:
1. Egalitarianism is a particular thought found only in certain cultures.
2. If you accomplish as much as a Sen. Teddy Kennedy (Democrat) or a Sen. Mel Martinez (Republican) both Roman Catholics, you will certainly get a full hearing.
No, I am not an egalitarian of the type that insists that everyone must have equal access to a world leader. No, I do not think that every Roman Catholic should be able to get a private audience with the Pope or get a personal answer to their letter. No, I do not think that any USA citizen should be able to get an appointment to talk to President Obama. Nor do I think that there is a strong Scriptural or philosophical backing for such a viewpoint.
I think that is a particular American cultural myth that we treasure, but that is all that it is.
I have always been a staunch political opponent of Senator Kennedy, and a fiercer opponent of his positions on the rights of the unborn, but I see in this letter a very flawed man (as we all are) reaching out to eternity for forgiveness, echoing St. John of Damascus’ prayer:
“O Lord, Lover of men, is this bed to be my coffin, or wilt Thou enlighten my wretched soul with another day? Here the coffin lies before me, and here death confronts me. I fear, O Lord, Thy Judgment and the endless torments, yet I cease not to do evil. My Lord God, I continually anger Thee, and Thy immaculate Mother, and all the Heavenly Powers, and my holy Guardian Angel. I know, O Lord, that I am unworthy of Thy love, but deserve condemnation and every torment. But, whether I want it or not, save me, O Lord. For to save a good man is no great thing, and to have mercy on the pure is nothing wonderful, for they are worthy of Thy mercy. But show the wonder of Thy mercy on me, a sinner. In this reveal Thy love for men, lest my wickedness prevail over Thy unutterable goodness and mercy. And order my life as Thou wilt.”
I pray that he found the mercy and forgiveness that he sought in his last days.
+Requiescat in Pace