Memorial of Saint John Paul II
Everyone knows John Paul II: his face, his characteristic way of moving and speaking; his immersion in prayer and spontaneous joy. Many of his words have been forever engraved in our memory, starting with the fervent summons with which he introduced himself to the people at the beginning of his pontificate: "Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ.!", “The entire pontificate is summarized in this sentence. It is as if he would like to open the door to Christ everywhere and he would like to open for people the gates that lead to true life, to true love” said Pope Benedict XVI.
The life of the saint radiates the light of the Gospel; therefore, the Church received an invaluable gift in the person of Saint John Paul II. With his life, he showed the radiance of God's fatherhood in man, or, as Saint Paul calls it, "new life in Christ" (cf. Rom. 6: 4)
Childhood
"I lost my mother before the First Holy Communion at the age of 9" - Karol Wojtyła.
Karol Józef Wojtyła was born on May 18, 1920 in Wadowice, Poland, and was the youngest of three children. Although he was born into a loving family, he suffered pain and loss in his early years. His older sister, Olga, died in infancy, and by the time Karol was 12, his mother, Emilia, died of kidney failure, and his older brother, Edmund, had died contracting scarlet fever from the patients he devotedly dealt with. Karol, known to his friends as Lolek, grew up under the loving eye of his father and was a lively young man who practiced sports, studied well and showed acting skills.
The Young Man
"My father's words played a crucial role here, because it’s made me a true worshiper of God." - “After her death, and then after the death of my older brother, the two of us stayed; me and my father, a deeply religious man. Every day I was able to observe his life, which was a harsh life… my father's example was some kind of first home seminary”. - Karol Wojtyla
In 1938, the young Karol began his studies at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, where he studied Polish Language, literature, theater and poetry. He also appeared in local theater productions and was one of the founders of the Rhapsodic Theater in Krakow. It was at this time that he met his spiritual mentor Jan Tyranowski and learned about Carmelite mysticism for the first time by reading the writings of St. John of the Cross. This meeting had a great impact on his life, guiding him on the path that led him to the priesthood. Nevertheless, his studies were interrupted when Nazi Germany invaded Poland in September 1939.
In order to stay in the country, not to be taken to work in the German Reich, Karol was forced to work in a quarry and also to work night shifts at the Solvay chemical plant. During this time, Karol experienced the loss of his father, who died of a heart attack on February 18, 1941. Later in 1944 he was hit by a German truck and only miraculously survived. During all these experiences, his vocation matured and his priestly identity was shaped.
Priest and Bishop
"As a young priest, I learned to love human love ... if you love human love, then arises the need to commit all your strength to 'beautiful love', because love is beautiful." - Pope John Paul II. Karol entered a secret seminary led by Cardinal Sapieha and was ordained priest by him on All Saints' Day in 1946. Then he went to Rome for doctoral studies. After returning to Poland, he became a vicar in the parish in Niegowić, where he began his pastoral work with young people.
After about five years of lecturing at the Jagiellonian University and assuming the professor’s chair of ethics at the Catholic University of Lublin, on July 28, 1958, Father Wojtyła was ordained bishop and was appointed auxiliary bishop in Krakow - the youngest bishop in Polish history. One of the first to hear about his appointment were the young people who traveled with him. Always caring for people, Bishop Wojtyła encouraged spiritual and cultural resistance to the communist occupation of Poland, giving his countrymen hope in the face of severe persecution. Bishop Wojtyła participated in the sessions of the Second Vatican Council, which began in 1962, and had an influence on the preparation of the final documents of the Council. In 1967 Archbishop Wojtyla was elevated to cardinalate. His insight and ability were also crucial in the drafting of the Humanae Vitae Encyclical, promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1968.
Pope
"Do not be afraid! Open wide the door to Christ ... Christ knows 'what is in man' Only He knows it. - Pope John Paul II in his inaugural speech at St. Peter on October 22, 1978.
Cardinal Wojtyła was elected Pope on October 16, 1978 and took the name of John Paul II. He was the 263rd successor of Peter, and his pontificate, one of the longest in the history of the Church, lasted almost 27 years. He kept his episcopal motto taken from the writings of Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort "Totus Tuus" - All Yours. With time, it will become more and more apparent to the whole world that his pontificate was the embodiment of this motto and a direct response to God's Love, which manifested itself in love for men.
Immediately after his election, John Paul II began his pastoral journeys all over the world in a missionary spirit. He made 104 apostolic journeys to 129 different countries "to the ends of the earth" (Acts 13:47), starting from the West, Mexico and the United States, to preach the Gospel. His love for young people led him to establish the World Youth Day, which was celebrated 19 times during his pontificate, and which attracted millions of young people from all over the world. The Pope's concern for marriage and family found visible expression in the establishment of the World Meeting of Families. Wednesday's catechesis on human love, and the founding of the Pontifical Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family of John Paul II.
The presence of the Pope in the international arena contributed to the gradual and peaceful overthrow of communism in the countries of Eastern Europe, prevented a war between Chile and Argentina, and started the process of restoring peace and reducing divisions between major world religions.
Attempt on His Life
"In everything that happened that day, I felt the special maternal protection of Mary, who turned out to be stronger than the deadly bullet." - Pope John Paul II
On May 13, 1981, Pope John Paul II was the victim of an attack in St. Peter Square. Shocking the world, he gave a testimony of exceptional love and forgiveness when he personally visited the assassin Ali Agca in Rebibbia prison in 1983. After his recovery, Pope John Paul II continued his apostolic activity, meeting over 17,600,000 pilgrims in Wednesday audiences and with countless millions of believers on his apostolic visits around the world. He has met with numerous government leaders on 38 official visits and 738 audiences and meetings with heads of state, including two landmark appearances at United Nations headquarters, and 246 audiences with prime ministers.
Heritage
"The answer to this fear, which casts a shadow on human existence at the end of the 20th century, is the joint effort to build a civilization of love ... Thanks to these gifts and with the help of God's grace, we can build a civilization worthy of man in the coming century and for the benefit of the next millennium, a true culture of freedom . We can and must do it! " - Pope John Paul II's speech at the United Nations
The teaching legacy left by John Paul II is one of the richest in the history of the Church. He tirelessly guarded the deposit of the Church's faith and traditions from errors, promoting correct teaching in the field of theology, morals and spirituality. Saint John Paul II was also the author of numerous publications, many documents written by him are a real treasure for the Church. His writings include 14 encyclicals, 15 apostolic exhortations, 11 apostolic constitutions, 11 apostolic letters, moreover, many catechesis given during general audiences, speeches and homilies during apostolic journeys.
Pope John Paul II, emphasizing the universal call to holiness, beatified 1,338 people and canonized 482 saints, more than all previous popes combined in the last 500 years.
Great Jubilee
"The whole Christian life is like a great pilgrimage to the Father's house, whose unconditional love for every human being, and especially for the" prodigal son ", we rediscover every day ... The Jubilee ... is for everyone a call to take up ... the path of conversion” - Pope John Paul II
Throughout his pontificate, Pope John Paul II led and prepared the Church for the celebration of the Great Jubilee, the celebration of God's mercy and the forgiveness of sins, which began with the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter Basilica. In the 2000 Jubilee Year, eight million pilgrims came to Rome to pray when the Church and all mankind entered the third millennium after the birth of the Redeemer.
During this time, Pope John Paul II prayed and asked for forgiveness from God, he also asked for forgiveness of those who were hurt by the sins of Christians committed during the past two thousand years. John Paul II successfully encouraged dialogue with Jews and inaugurated the process of healing relations between Jews, Muslims and representatives of other religions. More than once he invited representatives of these groups to participate in prayer meetings for peace organized around the world.
The Year of the Redemption, the Marian Year and the Year of the Eucharist, announced at the initiative of John Paul II, were an expression of his concern for the spiritual renewal of the Church. He was convinced that the Church would receive courage and refreshment, even in the face of the great trials that mankind had experienced in the last century, by staying close to the Heart of Jesus in the Eucharist. He said: "... the Church looks constantly to her Lord, present in the Sacrament of the Altar, in which he reveals the fullness of his love." (John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 2003).
Christ's love, "love to the end" proclaimed by St. John Paul II with his whole life, became more and more understandable to the world as the day of his return to the Father's house was approaching.
Saint
"Death is something completely different from the experience of hopelessness: it is the gate of existence open to eternity, and for those who live it in Christ, is a participation in his mystery of death and resurrection." - Pope John Paul II
The Holy Father, suffering from the devastating effects of Parkinson's disease, the wounds suffered in the attempt on his life, numerous operations and loss of voice, in the last days of his life expressed the mystery of the crucified Lord.
While hundreds of thousands of young people outside the window of the papal apartment watched with candles lit during the Pope's agony, John Paul II whispered in reply: “I was looking for you and you came to me. Thank you". Pope John Paul II died during Vespers on the eve of the Sunday of Divine Mercy, April 2, 2005 at 21:37, right after he whispered the last heard words "let me go to the Father's house."
Over three million pilgrims came to Rome to pay homage to the Pope, some of them standing in line for more than 24 hours to pray and thank for their beloved Holy Father.
On April 28, 2005, Pope Benedict XVI announced that the traditional five-year waiting period for the initiation of the beatification and canonization process was waived in the case of John Paul II. On May 1, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI beatified Pope John Paul II, and on April 27, 2014, Pope Francis declared him a saint along with John XXIII.
"None of us can ever forget how in that last Easter Sunday of his life, the Holy Father, marked by suffering, came once more to the window of the Apostolic Palace and one last time gave his blessing "urbi et orbi". We can be sure that our beloved pope is standing today at the window of the Father’s house, that he sees us and blesses us. Yes, bless us, Holy Father." - Pope Benedict XVI, Funeral Mass of Pope John Paul II, April 8, 2005.
Until Tomorrow
fr. George