Tag: Pope St. John Paul II

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Saints

Pope St. John Paul II

Michael R. Heinlein

June 2, 2023 10:52 pm June 2, 2023

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Unshakeable faith and wisdom amid suffering

1920-2005

Feast day: Oct. 22

A life defined by suffering in his early years drew to a close with another kind of suffering. Having lost his mother at age 8, his brother at 12 and his father at 21 — in addition to the atrocities and injustices perpetrated against his Polish countrymen during World War II — Karol Wojtyla drew the strength necessary for his survival from the Eucharist. Resolved to become a priest, despite the dangers and difficulties it presented to him, Karol knew in his heart the fruits that the Eucharist can bear in our lives. And, as an elderly man suffering from the effects of Parkinson’s disease, his celebration of the Eucharist — with a quivering voice, shaky hands and weakened body — gave a great witness to the whole world of Christ’s love made present in the Eucharist.

The images of the beleaguered pontiff in his final years have left a lasting memory for many today. The reverence for the Eucharist radiated from his tired eyes; the need for the Eucharist was understood by his perseverance through infirmity. John Paul II’s great love for the Eucharist prompted his declaration of a “Year of the Eucharist,” still underway when he died on April 2, 2005.

“Let Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament speak to your hearts. It is he who is the true answer of life that you seek. He stays here with us: he is God with us.”

So much can be said of John Paul II’s pontificate. He was a key player in the collapse of communism in Europe, which forced him from university to hard labor in a limestone quarry and necessitated his studies in an underground seminary and ordination in secret in 1946. In the wake of widespread confusion among the faithful and ecclesiastical in-fighting after the Second Vatican Council, John Paul II — who became a bishop in 1958 and was an active participant in the council — brought clarity and unity. He contributed extensively and definitively with a robust magisterium, also overseeing the publication of the new Catechism of the Catholic Church and a revision of the Code of Canon Law. He was one of the most consequential figues on the world stage in the 20th century, and he left a mark on the life of the Church not soon to be forgotten.

CNS file photo by Nancy Wiechec

To a world that adopted what he called a “culture of death,” John Paul also provided a lasting legacy by his witness of strength through weakness. That is in many ways what made his very public final illness and suffering a display of life’s meaning and worth. He presented to the world what’s at the heart of Eucharistic discipleship: that in Christ alone does man find meaning.

John Paul’s teachings offered a unique motivation to promote Eucharistic renewal in the life of the Church so that Catholics could truly come to recognize the sacrament as the source and summit of its life and activity. He invited Catholics to restore “Eucharistic amazement” to their spiritual lives through various initiatives and pastoral texts that continue to educate, inspire and share the Church. He wanted “to banish the dark clouds of unacceptable doctrine and practice so that the Eucharist will continue to shine forth in all its radiant mystery.” And he led the way by example. “Let Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament speak to your hearts,” he said in 1997. “It is he who is the true answer of life that you seek. He stays here with us: he is God with us. Seek him without tiring, welcome him without reserve, love him without interruption: today, tomorrow, forever!”

So captivating and respected was John Paul that his funeral brought together the largest gathering of heads of state outside of a United Nations gathering. And it likely was one of the largest assemblies in Christian history, with more than 4 million in Rome for the nine days of mourning. Pope John Paul II was canonized in 2014, a formal recognition by the Church of what the crowds sought when they chanted “santo subito” (immediate sainthood) after his death.

Michael R. Heinlein is editor of OSV’s Simply Catholic. He writes from Indiana. Taken from the “Inspired by the Eucharist” saint booklet.

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7 min read

Church Documents

‘Veritatis Splendor’ at 30: Four essential truths taught by St. Pope John Paul II

Carl E. Olson

April 30, 2023 9:00 am April 30, 2023

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Aug. 6 marks the 30th anniversary of Pope St. John Paul II’s encyclical Veritatis Splendor (”The Splendor of Truth”). It is the first and only papal encyclical focused on moral…

Aug. 6 marks the 30th anniversary of Pope St. John Paul II’s encyclical Veritatis Splendor (”The Splendor of Truth”). It is the first and only papal encyclical focused on moral theology. Its continued importance cannot be underestimated, even while its teachings are often overlooked or even ignored.

It is a rather dense document, making for difficult reading at times. But it is also very direct in addressing postconciliar confusion about foundational truths regarding morality, freedom and conscience. Here are four essential truths the pope taught through the encyclical.

1. Man can know the truth. Truth makes man what he is. We are called to know truth; it is truth that sets us free.

The opening lines of the encyclical state: “The splendor of truth shines forth in all the works of the Creator and, in a special way, in man, created in the image and likeness of God (cf. Gn 1:26). Truth enlightens man’s intelligence and shapes his freedom, leading him to know and love the Lord” (Veritatis Splendor, No. 1).

This is a summary of what we call “natural law.” As St. John Paul states a bit later in the document, “Only God can answer the question about the good, because he is the Good. But God has already given an answer to this question: He did so by creating man and ordering him with wisdom and love to his final end, through the law which is inscribed in his heart (cf. Rom 2:15), the ‘natural law’” (Veritatis Splendor, No. 12).

Truth is what is real. To grasp truth is to see things and relationships as they are, through use of reason and correct judgment. Contrary to the relativistic and even fatalistic views popular today, we are created in truth and for truth.

2. Christ is the true light: St. John Paul begins by reflecting on original sin. We are tempted to turn away from God and toward idols. “Man’s capacity to know the truth is also darkened, and his will to submit to it is weakened” (Veritatis Splendor, No. 1).

The solution to that darkness is “Jesus Christ, the true light that enlightens everyone,” he writes. “The “decisive answer” to all of our questions “is given by Jesus Christ, or rather is Jesus Christ himself.”

St. John Paul then focuses on Christ’s statement: “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free,” words that contain “both a fundamental requirement and a warning.” We must avoid false and superficial “freedoms”; we need, as St. John Paul wrote earlier in Redemptor Hominis (”Redeemer of Man”) to “see Christ as the one who brings man freedom based on truth, frees man from what curtails, diminishes and, as it were, breaks off this freedom at its root, in man’s soul, his heart and his conscience” (Redemptor Hominis, No. 35).

The first major section of Veritatis Splendor is focused on the dialogue of Jesus with the rich young man (cf. Mt 19). Which brings us to the third truth.

3. True freedom is freedom for the good. John Paul II notes that for the rich young man, “the question is not so much about rules to be followed, but about the full meaning of life.” Which is why Jesus responded: “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good” (Veritatis Splendor, No. 6).

If we are honest, we recognize our desire for Something or Someone beyond ourselves. The transitory things of this world cannot satisfy us. We long for what is good: “Only God can answer the question about what is good, because he is the Good itself. To ask about the good, in fact, ultimately means to turn towards God, the fullness of goodness” (Veritatis Splendor, No. 9).

But if God alone is the Good, our natural human efforts, including keeping the commandments, cannot fulfill the Law. “The essence of legalism is the conviction that doing the right things will suffice.” What must be done? We must participate in the very life of God, by his grace and mercy, in order to attain the beatitude and happiness we desire (cf. Veritatis Splendor, Nos. 12 and 41).

Many people mistake “freedom” with individual autonomy. But true freedom is not given so man can do whatever he pleases, but so he can choose the good. “Genuine freedom is an outstanding manifestation of the divine image in man” (Veritatis Splendor, No. 34).

In sum, true freedom is freedom for the good. In this true freedom, we find our real dignity. “Freedom then,” writes St. John Paul, “is rooted in the truth about man, and it is ultimately directed towards communion” (Veritatis Splendor, No. 86).

4. One’s conscience judges an act. It does not determine moral truth. “Conscience” is a key word in Veritatis Splendor, appearing 108 times. St. John Paul knew that many people erroneously think their conscience is the final guide to what is truth and good. “The individual conscience is accorded the status of a supreme tribunal of moral judgment,” he writes, “which hands down categorical and infallible decisions about good and evil” (Veritatis Splendor, No. 32).

He notes that some people set aside truth and replace it with “a criterion of sincerity, authenticity and ‘being at peace with oneself,’” which can lead to “a radically subjectivistic conception of moral judgment.”

Ironically, those claiming they have attained “truth” by appealing to their conscience actually deny the existence of a universal, objective truth. The problem worsens when they construct a morality based on whims divorced from universal truth. The conscience is given “the prerogative of independently determining the criteria of good and evil and then acting accordingly.” This reflects “an individualist ethic, wherein each individual is faced with his own truth, different from the truth of others” (Veritatis Splendor, No. 32).

Ultimately, this leads to a denial of “the very idea of human nature.” There are two ways of approaching reality: trying to create our own reality, which is destructive, or conforming ourselves to reality — to what really is.

And, importantly, one’s conscience can be wrong! “Conscience, as the judgment of an act, is not exempt from the possibility of error” (Veritatis Splendor, No. 62). The conscience cannot create moral truth; rather, it makes an informed judgment about actions, based on what is true and morally right, because conscience “is a moral judgment about man and his actions, a judgment either of acquittal or of condemnation, according as human acts are in conformity or not with the law of God written on the heart” (Veritatis Splendor, No. 59).

In 1998, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger described Veritatis Splendor as “a milestone in the elaboration of the moral message of Christianity” while noting that it had “more positive receptions among thinkers outside the Church than among some exponents of Catholic theology.”

The situation remains much the same today. Truths about man, Christ, freedom and conscience still require clear explanations and consistent applications. This great encyclical has yet to be studied, assimilated and applied as deeply as it should be.

Carl E. Olson is editor of Catholic World Report and Ignatius Insight and the author of several books. Follow him on Twitter @carleolson.

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3 min read

Saints

5 ways in which St. John Paul II embodied the Rosary’s fruits

By Gretchen R. Crowe

August 1, 2022 7:34 pm August 1, 2022

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It wasn’t long after his Oct. 16, 1978 election that the new Pope John Paul II — the former Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyla — began promoting Mary and the Rosary…

It wasn’t long after his Oct. 16, 1978 election that the new Pope John Paul II — the former Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyla — began promoting Mary and the Rosary as one of the best ways to proclaim Christ to the world. In a General Audience on Oct. 28, less than two weeks after his election, Pope John Paul II declared the Rosary to be “my favorite prayer.” He also called it a “marvelous prayer — marvelous in its simplicity and in its depth.”

Throughout his pontificate, Pope John Paul II remained close to the Blessed Mother, signaled in his motto — an adaptation of St. Louis de Montfort’s phrase “Totus Tuus” (“Totally Yours”)— describing his complete devotion to Mary and desire to be closer to her and her Son. He also had a deep love for the spiritual fruits of the mysteries of the Rosary as outlined by St. Louis de Montfort and promoted them in his 2003 apostolic letter on the Rosary, Rosarium Virginis Mariae. He wrote: “… it is worthwhile to note that the contemplation of the mysteries could better express their full spiritual fruitfulness if an effort were made to conclude each mystery with a prayer for the fruits specific to that particular mystery. In this way the Rosary would better express its connection with the Christian life” (No. 35, emphasis in original).

Like all saints, we can turn to the example of Pope St. John Paul II, who incorporated vividly the spiritual fruits of each mystery of the Rosary into his life. Here are 5 ways in which Pope St. John Paul II lived these out.

Pope St. John Paul II was humble. From the beginning of his papacy, Pope St. John Paul II habitually kissed the ground upon arriving in every country to which he traveled. This gesture, learned from St. John Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests, was a sign of great humility, and it was an action that conveyed respect, affection, and that showed him to be at the faithful service of those he was visiting.
Pope St. John Paul II had a great, lifelong love for the Eucharist. His encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia was dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament, and he directed the Church to dedicate an entire year — October 2004 to October 2005 — to deeper reflection on, and growth in, love of the Eucharist.
Pope St. John Paul II sought conformity to God’s will. When John Paul II was elected pope in 1978, he responded with the greatest obedience, wholeheartedly accepting God’s will for his life. Upon accepting the papal responsibility, he simply stated: “In the obedience of faith before Christ my Lord, abandoning myself to the Mother of Christ and the Church, and conscious of the great difficulties, accepto.”
Pope St. John Paul II showed patience in carrying his cross. Suffering was a significant part of John Paul II’s life, particularly in his final years as he battled Parkinson’s disease. But through infirmity and illness, John Paul II displayed a beautiful perseverance and humility, and he offered a witness to what it looks like to bear one’s cross with patience and purpose.
Pope St. John Paul II had a lively faith. John Paul II was a gifted teacher, and he was especially gifted when it came to teaching on matters of doctrine. His arguments were clear and compelling, and always rooted in Scripture and Tradition. Through his clarity and consistency, despite facing much resistance at times, he helped all who encountered him better know and understand the teachings of Christ and his Church.

Gretchen R. Crowe is editorial director for periodicals at OSV and author of “Praying the Rosary with Pope St. John Paul II.”

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