Saints in the life of John Paul II: Saint John of the Cross
St. John of the Cross - to discover human dignity
The Holy Father John Paul II confessed that it was thanks to this Saint, even before the formation of the priestly vocation, he was introduced into the world of interior life. After that, he repeatedly called him a friend and master of faith. At the beginning of his pontificate, John Paul II said that it was at the school of St. John of the Cross that he discovered human dignity and became its protector.
Although John Paul II had previous contact with the spirituality of Carmel, especially with its Marian and prayer dimension, in his childhood, He was fully introduced to the teaching of St. John of the Cross after he moved to Kraków. It should be emphasized that it happened thanks to the Servant of God Jan Tyranowski, who - as the Pope states - himself formed in the works of St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Jesus: "he was himself a living testimony to what the interior life is - or rather: who man can be (both inside and outside) if he allows God to act in him."
Spiritual formation with a master of faith
What was the influence of St. John of the Cross in the life of the Holy Father? The Pope himself confessed to us on November 4, 1982, when he visited the saint's tomb in Segovia: " I thank Providence that allowed me to come here to honor the relics and recall the person of Saint John of the Cross, to whom I owe so much in my spiritual formation. I got to know him in my youth and managed to establish an internal dialogue with this master of faith, with his works and thoughts, until I finished writing my doctoral dissertation. From then on, he became my friend and master who always showed me a shining light in the dark and lead me to God". Moreover, at the school of St. John of the Cross, John Paul II discovered human dignity and became its protector. He confessed it at the beginning of his pontificate, on April 22, 1979, during a visit the Discalced Carmelites in Rome in the "Teresianum" Pontifical Faculty of Theology with the Institute of Spirituality, which was then about to open a specialization in theological anthropology. Alluding to this intention and talking about his relationship with the saint, John Paul II summed up his reflection: "What can I say at the end? look at man from the perspective presented by the teaching of St. John of the Cross and only then will you understand what the word Man means! Then you will never forget about his dignity! ".
John Paul II surprised us many times. And he also surprised us with the fact that at the school of St. John of the Cross he learned not only how to pray , but he also discovered great human dignity. Therefore, in his papal proclamation and in specific gestures (e.g. visiting the poorest during his apostolic journeys, offering the ring to the poor from Brazilian "favelas", etc.), he always stood up for man, his dignity and rights.
Man was created for great things
Saint John of the Cross was constantly present in the teachings of John Paul II. He recalled his thoughts in his homilies, speeches, and even wrote an Apostolic Letter about him “Magister in fide” (Master in faith) (December 14, 1990). It seems to me, however, that the spontaneous statement of the Holy Father on the "Teresianum" is the key papal text about the Saint Doctor of Carmel. This was confirmed by the Pope himself when he made a similar statement on December 14, 1984, on the liturgical memorial of St. John of the Cross in the private papal chapel. The liturgy quoted the words of the prophet Isaiah: " Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name: you are mine " (Is 43:1). Starting from these words of Sacred Scripture, the Pope developed a spontaneous reflection on the dignity of the human person. He said: "Today a lot is said and written about human dignity. Often, however, one wants to give him freedom that is misunderstood, because freedom from commandments, from the Gospel, from moral principles, and, less often, or not at all, there is no talk about the rooting of human dignity and his freedom in the mystery of God. And it was Saint John of the Cross, this great contemplative of God and God's works, who had a great sense of human dignity and drew his attention, directly admonishing man not to diminish his dignity as a child of God by his preferences. If Saint John of the Cross was so demanding on the paths of asceticism and evangelical renunciation, he was so because he knew that man was created for great things and that he is dear in God's eyes and should belong to God "
Pseudo-rights on the attack
Today, no one questions that John Paul II was a symbol of defending the rights of nations and individuals, the rights of children and the elderly, the rights of the dignity of every human being in today's materialized and hedonistic world. Not everyone notices that while defending human rights and dignity, authentic rights - let's be clear - and therefore the right to life (let us mention here the painful problem of abortion), the right to religious freedom, the right to truth, the right to national culture, the Holy Father did not forget - which should be emphasized - on the doctrinal basis, on the theological foundation of the dignity and rights of the person.
These foundations are: Man was created in the image and likeness of God, was redeemed with the blood of Christ, giving to him - in Christ - God's sonship and calling him to live with God Himself for all eternity. And these aspects, these theological reasons, and not political reasons motivated the teaching of the Holy Father. The dignity of the human person is so great and his fundamental rights so important that he cannot be degraded merely to the "object in the process of production and consumption" - as it was said in communist times.
The dignity of a child of God can never be any laws contrary to the natural and moral law, and therefore the Holy Father strongly spoke against them. In fact, he called them pseudo-rights. In turn, they are more and more vivid in our liberal society: pseudo-right to abortion, pseudo-right to freedom of morals, pseudo-right to euthanasia, pseudo-right to the so-called homosexual marriages, pseudo-right to terrorism, pseudo-freedom from all ethical principles of human coexistence, etc. In view of these various pseudo-rights, John Paul always expressed objection and indignation with courage and this is why people of all races, languages, colors of skin and continents called him a saint.
When, Saint John Paul II, defended human rights, he was reminded of his duties and thus to defend God's rights, because man was created in the image and likeness of God, and "no one knows man as God does, no one loves him as God does and no one has put man at the center of the universe like God did"- as Holy Father told us on December 14, 1984.
Today, does each one of us have the courage to stigmatize the spread of all kinds of pseudo-rights? A Catholic cannot support anyone who, in his actions, decisions, and publications, does not respect human dignity and does not do anything about the principles of faith. Departure from God's laws always turns against man, against the entire nation. I am convinced that John Paul II, who already in his program encyclical "Redemptor hominis", said that man, his dignity and his rights will be the way of his pontificate, the way of the Church, the way chosen by Christ himself (cf. RH No. 13), and through the entire pontificate of more than a quarter of a century, confirmed this, he derived this direction from the teachings of St. John of the Cross.
This sends a great message to all of us and to the world. Man's striving for union with God, to "what is above", following the example of St. John of the Cross, cannot diminish, but should actually intensify, his commitment "to erect the buildings of this world", because " Our expectation of new heavens and a new earth, far from withdrawing us from history, intensifies our concern for the present life, which even now contains that newness which is the seed and a sign of the world yet to come. "(Ecclesia in Europa, 97).
Until Tomorrow
fr. george