Ever since the announcement yesterday, I keep thinking about how absurdly good God has been to us in giving us Benedict XVI as our new Holy Father. After a pontificate as rich as that of John Paul II, I was ready to accept that God might put us on a sort of spiritual “fast” until we begin to listen and act upon the many things JPII offered to us. Of course, that is imagining that God the Father is stingy with His gifts, or that He will withdraw them when we have not responded faithfully. But the scriptures remind us that God is prodigal… recklessly extravagant. And I think the gift of Benedict XVI demonstrates this once again.

I remember the first time I read something by Ratzinger, in college: a section from his Introduction to Christianity. It didn’t take long to recognize that I was encountering someone with a great intellect and a great heart at the same time.

I’m going to surface some of my favorite Ratzinger quotes over the coming week, and post them here. In the meantime, take a look at Benedict XVI’s first address today (kudos to Amy Welborn for posting an English translation so quickly). Our new Pope is clearly focused on the Eucharist, the unity of Christ’s church, and evangelization in the fullest sense of the word.

Once again, we are reminded that God is generous with us, beyond measure.