“As I read Light of the World, I was continually struck by the way in which abandonment of the self to God’s will underlies so much of what Pope Benedict says.

I think those puzzled by him, who try to fit him into this or that box, might do well to reflect on what he says on . . . everything . . . in this light.

Whether it’s matters of personal spirituality — how he reacted to and accepted his election as pope, how he lives and governs the Church — or the issues of the day, from the sexual abuse crisis to evangelization to liturgy — Pope Benedict consistently turns the question back to this spot. I am a Christian; that means, as Paul says, it is not I, but Christ who lives in me. The more I put my own ego, desires, and agenda aside, the more closely I cleave to Christ.”