Also a Man with Faults and Sins

Way back in this post, when I was blogging the overwhelming experience of concelebrating with Benedict XVI, I tried to reproduce the spontaneous, touching words the Holy Father spoke at the end of Mass. So I was delighted to receive the Christimas gift of an edition of all Benedict's homilies and addresses during his time among us here in the U.S.A. Here's the actual text of what he said at the end of the Mass for priests and religious at St. Patrick's Cathedral here in New York:

At this moment I can only thank you for your love of the Church and Our Lord, and for the love which you show to the poor successor of Saint Peter. I will try to do all that is possible to be a worthy successor of the great Apostle, who also was a man with faults and sins, but remained in the end the rock for the Church. And so I too, with all my spiritual poverty, can be for this time, in virtue of the Lord's grace, the Successor of Peter.

It is also your prayers and your love which give me the certainty that the Lord will help me in this my ministry. I am therefore deeply grateful for your love and for your prayers. My response now for all that you have given to me during this visit is my blessing, which I impart to you at the conclusion of this beautiful Celebration.

Check out the book here.