Saint John Paul II The Great

Pope John Paul II died yesterday after a long battle with severe health problems. I would like to offer my small tribute which I have culled from various news sources today. The magnificent story of John Paul II began unceremoniously, as he came from humble beginnings in Poland. As a child, born Karol Jozef Wojtyla, he often played with non-Catholic neighborhood children which, at that time, was not customary. His personal life was burdensome as he lost many family members early on. He went on to help shelter Jews being persecuted during the Nazi invasions. In fact, he himself had been oppressed by the Nazis as he would later find it necessary to conduct his theological studies "underground." It would have been very easy for him to succumb to the pressures of the time, yet he is known to have never displayed any signs of anti-Semitism. A trained actor, his theatrical skills were most-assuredly an asset later in his papacy as he believed actions spoke louder than words and became a master communicator worldwide. He was instrumental in developing a church in his native Krakow, which had been intentionally forbidden from offering places of worship by its Soviet occupiers. Later as Bishop and Cardinal of Krakow he further deepened his faith and in 1978, was elected Pope. His moral advocacy was an instrumental factor in the downfall of communism in Eastern Europe. Even an assassin’s bullet could not stop his righteous and idealistic leadership as he later met and forgave this very same individual who most would call an evil-doer. His papacy had been criticized at times as not being progressive enough or of not being in touch with the world of today. He was conservative on many issues, yet liberal on others, as highlighted in this insightful article. But, there is one fact that is not in doubt; his faith was unwavering and, even though his ideas may not have always been viewed as popular or politically-correct, he stood his ground to maintain traditional church doctrine. He refused to cower to majority rule and insisted on professing the truth as something worthy of protecting. In our society which is sometimes morally relativistic, his teachings were meaningful, sometimes beyond the comprehension of us mere mortals. God-willing, the next Pope will be similarly inclined to help steer us down the correct moral, ethical, and values-based path, instead of the dysfunctional path down which our society appears to be headed. To be perfectly honest, I was not aware of his unbelievable level of greatness until I viewed the countless hours of media coverage this weekend following his passing. Although I was, of course, aware of his goodness, I can now only envy those who were fortunate enough to have met this most marvelous, inspirational person. He was truly respected and beloved by individuals of many faiths. Some have speculated that his legacy will be reflected by him eventually being named Saint John Paul II The Great. This was indeed a man who was a bright light, a shining beacon, to the world and his life is something that we can now all celebrate. As many have intimated, his was truly a remarkable and wonderful life. Amen.     

PBS’ Frontline has a very enlightening account of the life of Pope John Paul II which you can access by clicking here.

Another thorough historical account of The Pope’s life is accessible here.

CNN.com presents an article here.