St. Pope John Paul II

     Feast Day: October 22nd

We take a few minutes today to remember a new but familiar saint on our church calendar: St. John Paul II. He was canonized earlier this year, on April 27^th, 2014.

An ardent thinker (which distinguished him both during and after the Second Vatican Council), he had an ability to be bold in addressing new topics that needed attention and reflection, in the light of the truth found in both the gospels and in tradition. As many have recognized, he had a heart for the poor, and for those who were suffering.

Pope John Paul II was born Karol Josef Wojtyla in Wadowice, Poland, on May 18, 1920. He had a loving and fervently religious family life, despite the loss of his mother when he was only 8 years old. He experienced death again three years later when his brother (older by 14 years) died. Although his brother was 14 years older than he, and a physician, the two siblings were remarkably close. He and his father were also tightly connected. His father taught him that piety and manliness go together well. The experiences he remembered of his father’s spiritual devotion, of soccer games they played together), and shared prayer times helped shape his life even as an adult. His father died in 1941, when Karol was 21 years old.

   POPE JPII AUTO ROSARY

Karol’s college studies were brought to a halt by Hitler’s advancements into Poland, but he studied in a hidden seminary after the Nazis closed the university in Krakow where he was attending. He loved spending time in the surrounding countryside, and in theatre performances, and in poetry. After the war (in 1946) he was ordained a priest. Eighteen years later, he became the archbishop of Krakow. Not long afterwards, Pope Paul VI made him a cardinal in 1967—due in part to the wisdom made evident in his contributions to the Second Vatican Council convened by Pope John the XXIII during the early 60’s. He was elected pope in 1978—the first non-Italian pope in more than four centuries. After an eventful papacy, filled with many travels internationally and much writing and speaking, Pope John Paul II survived an assassination attempt in St. Peter’s square in 1981. He lived many years afterwards, during which he helped to bring an end to the Communist control of his beloved Poland. St. John Paul II died in Vatican City on April 2, 2005, at 84 years old, well-loved and well-remembered by many.

Saint John Paul II Patron of World Youth Day Pocket Token

The following are some quotes from St. John Paul II from the book, Listening to God with Blessed John Paul II, compiled by Amy Welborn for the Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division, 2011.

“We are often fascinated by apparent values, by exterior grandeur, by what is sensational, what agitates the surface of our psyche. Man becomes, in a certain sense, one-dimensional, detached from his own depth. He builds on foundations that are not deep.” (page 84, Angelus, March 4, 1979).

“…When we look at the real situation of each person, forced to confront his own frailty and loneliness, we realize that, more than we think, hearts are weighed down by anguish, by worry about the future, by fear of sickness and death… Christianity offers no cheap comforts, demanding as it is in requiring an authentic faith and a strict moral life. But it gives us reason for hope by showing us God as a Father rich in mercy who has given us his Son, thereby revealing to us his immense love. “ (page 26, Angelus, March 9, 1997)

St. Pope John Paul II Feast Day: October 22nd

“Indeed, Christ alone can free man from what enslaves him to evil and selfishness: from the frantic search for material possessions, from the thirst for power and control over others and over things, from the illusion of easy success, from the frenzy of consumerism and hedonism which ultimately destroy the human being.” (page 96, from the homily at St. Agapitus in Rome, March 1, 1998)

“…To look for Jesus personally, with the eagerness and joy of discovering the truth, gives deep inner satisfaction and great spiritual strength in order then to put into practice what he demands, even though it costs sacrifice… He alone, in fact, has words of eternal life! He alone is the way, the truth, and the life!” (page 86, Address to Youth, November 8, 1978)

“In the spirit of St. Francis, then, I urge you all to open your hearts to God’s love, to respond by your prayers and by the deeds of your lives. Let go of your doubts and fears, and let the mercy of God draw you to his heart. Open the doors of your hearts to our God who is rich in mercy. (page 35, Address at Mission Dolores Basilica, San Francisco, September 17, 1987)