J.P. II - The Role Model for Laity, Religious, and Bishops - Part 1

J.P.II – The Role Model for Laity, Religious, and Bishops – Part 1

In pursuit of the truth – www.cinopsbegone.ccom – St. Patrick’s Day, Thursday, March 17, 2011

Preface: Venerable Pope John Paul II fought the Nazis and Communists and he won. In America, we need to fight the culture of death philosophy and win. Compromise on evil is not an option.

Father Benedict Groeschel interviewed George Weigel on EWTN – Sunday, Feb. 20th – 4-5 P.M. They reviewed the book, The End and the Beginning, Pope John Paul II – The Victory of Freedom, the Last Years, and the Legacy.

George Weigel is one of the world’s leading authorities on the Catholic Church… Weigel is author of 15 books, including Witness to Hope: The biography of Pope John Paul II. His work has been translated into more than a dozen languages. I took some notes of the interview:

• Pope John Paul II restored to his people the truth about themselves. You are not what the communists say you are. He ignited a revolution of conscience which took form in the solidarity movement.

• Work together for a common cause…the grace of God was fundamental to all of this.

• He gave them a public vocabulary that allowed them to build communication with each other.

• He created most importantly a spark in young people. One who later became a priest said, “I don’t want to live the lie.” [ the lie of communism]

• The Polish people went to church big time. Going to church is the principle civic activity. Today Poland is intensely the most Catholic country in the world.

• Stalin said that to create communism in Poland is like putting a saddle on a cow.

• Looking further into the character of John Paul: His range of human gifts he had. He was a radically converted Christian. That discipleship was going to be before any other. Firstly, Jesus Christ is the answer to his life. His human qualities and mystical experience: He was an athlete and actor. He was a celibate who had a remarkable insight into marriage. He was a pastor…

• This May 1st is his beatification. What the grace of God did for him? He had an enormous range of human talent – an exemplary life.

• George Weigel was a formal witness to his beatification. Pope Benedict VI wanted all of this to be done the right way.

• The importance of letters that John Paul received from any who were not Christian and felt that he ennobled their lives.

• Father Groeschel shared the comment from a Jewish friend, “Don’t forget he is our pope too.”

• The world knows we have a pope. How is the pope? The people were asking.

• John Paul embodied the human drama of the years 1950-2000. He had fought Communism. When all the possibilities were closed, he showed us a way out, a new springtime.

• We had Einstein, Mother Teresa, Bonheoffer and Solzhenitsyn who said this happened because man forgot God. They forgot certain things about their humanity. Bad ideas have consequences. The bad guys, Hitler, Stalin and Mao.

• A focus of Vatican II was the restoration of the human being & who we are as human beings.

George H. Kubeck