Pope Benedict-Friendship with Jesus
Pope Benedict XVI’s adolescent years were not so carefree to say the least. From being diagnosed with diphtheria to entering into the seminary with unwelcoming peers to being drafted into the war, it is obvious that young Joseph Ratzinger experienced some hardships in the most important years of his early life. I feel that for all of us, hardships early in life force us to put our life in perspective and from there, make determinations so that we can live our life to the fullest. This is exactly what Pope Benedict XVI did. For example, before entering the seminary, he did not take his studies so seriously due to the fact that he found studying easy. After returning to the seminary after the war, he took his studies seriously and earned the title of Father Joseph Ratzinger. The challenging experiences in between his times at the seminary truly did influence this young man and changed him for the better. Even though the common adolescent might not experience hardships as difficult and severe as Ratzinger did, we can make sense of how challenges in our lives provide windows of...
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