POPE JOHN PAUL II, THE GREAT PRO-LIFE APOSTLE

Pope John Paul II was the greatest of the great. He will be viewed in history as the Church’s greatest Doctor and the greatest Pro-life Apostle of our times. This is reflected in his mighty masterpieces on the Trinity, the Eucharist, Mary, the Angels, the Church, the Liturgy, Prayer, the Family, Life, Truth, Ecumenism, Culture, Poverty, etc. He was a unique universal leader to over one billion Catholics. He was a Pope of the People reaching out to all in Global Visitation of the five continents, appealing to many by his love of God, Church, Humanity, and Youth. He challenged each of us to become saints, to be the salt and light of the world.

He was a powerful prophet with a Pro-life vision. He read the signs of the times and preached the truth about Respect for Human Life, in spite of countless dissenters, within and outside the Church, whose lifestyles reflected self-centeredness, self-pleasure and personal convenience. He helped to topple two dictatorships and one empire. He analyzed the current evils of the Culture of Death, the terrible threats to life and family in our time: the sexual revolution; reproductive technology; population control; etc. He challenged the prevalent immoral philosophy of secularism, materialism, relativism, nihilism, and modernism. He exposed the evils of promiscuity, contraception, abortion, sterilization, euthanasia, and pornography. He fearlessly fought for respect for human life at all stages from conception to natural death.

He was an energetic Evangelizer, a man of God, a man of Faith, a man of the Word. He was a Eucharistic person, a Resurrection person, a Scriptural person, a Spiritual person. He taught how basic Pro-life Principles can help the Christian Culture of Life survive and grow: Solidarity; Subsidiarity; Ultimate Good; Personhood; Inalienable Right to Life and Liberty; Prioritizing of Individual Rights; Protection of the Life and Liberty of the Preborn; the Handicapped; the Elderly; and the Terminally Ill. He opposed experimental embryonic stem cell research and cloning. He challenged the moral bankruptcy in governments, pointing out that underdevelopment and poverty have their origins in the injustices, the immorality, incompetence, lethargy, corruption, the imbalance, and concentration of wealth, as well as bad organization. He defended religious liberty and the institution of marriage. He was a great model for Holiness. His answer was his example: the way he lived, loved, suffered, and died. His way was through Mary to Jesus, through Jesus to the Father, with the help of the Holy Spirit. Totus Tuus - a total surrender to the will of God of his life. His way was Prayer followed by Action in the name of Jesus Christ. His was the way of the Saints.

He was a remarkable teacher, an outstanding Witness to Truth. He shared his values with us in his writings: 14 encyclicals, books, catechetical documents, letters, addresses, etc. He attempted and succeeded in establishing firm foundations for moral theology, for a New Civilization of Life and Love. This is evident in his numerous papal decrees and especially in The Gospel of Life: the defense and promotion of the value and inviolability of human life; The Splendour of Truth: the relation of Christian Faith and Christian Morality; and The Theology of the Body: Original Unity of Man and Woman, Blessed are the Pure of Heart, The Theology of Marriage and Celibacy, and Reflections on Humanae Vitae.

Pope John Paul II, the Great, was a giant in terms of intellectual capacity and personal work ethic. His monumental achievements leave one amazed and awed. Such an outpouring of knowledge and effort is difficult to grasp and comprehend. In order to capture a little of his wealth and wisdom, in order to taste a little of his spiritual nourishment, in order to share a little of his words of life, let us recall and review briefly some of his recommendations. In his program it is Christ who calls out to us to know, love, imitate and proclaim Him.

Let us examine his seven practical pastoral priorities as stated in his plan for the New Millennium, and adapt them to the Pro-life Apostolate: Holiness; Prayer as a Reciprocal Conversation with God; the Centrality of the Eucharist in Catholic Belief and Practice; Frequent Confession; Living by Grace and by the Holy Spirit; Frequent Meditation on the Scriptures and the New Catechism; the New Evangelization (Novo Millennio Ineunte, Pope John Paul II, Jan. 6, 2001). It is an existing plan found in the Gospel, in living tradition with Christ as its center; a plan which does not change with, but allows for the shifts of times and cultures; a plan for all times; a pastoral revitalization; a work involving all who wish to participate. The essence of the seven-point plan in contemplating the face of Christ is the Eucharist. The eighth pastoral priority is to contemplate the face of Christ in union with Mary as our Guide in the New Evangelization, crowning our Jubilee heritage with a daily recitation of the Rosary (Rosarium Virginis Mariae, Pope John Paul II, Oct. 16, 2002). To encourage and promote this plan, Pope John Paul II wrote the encyclical; Ecclesia De Eucharistia (April 17, 2003) and inaugurated the Year of the Eucharist (October, 2004).

HOLINESS

“What God wants is for all of you to be holy” (1 Thess 4:3). Holiness is a duty which concerns all faithful Christians and especially those called to be Pro-life disciples. Pope John Paul II points to Chapter V, ‘the Call to Holiness’, of ‘Lumen Gentium’, to clarify its meaning as the central theme of faith and the fullness of its realization, the life of faith: “Human sanctity brings God into man’s presence in a particular way, becomes a living witness to him and confirms the truth of the Gospel. The essential meaning of holiness is that it is always personal, and that each and every man is called to it. Each is called in a unique and unrepeatable manner” (Sources of Renewal, Collins, London, 1980, pp. 189-190). Making a Pro-life commitment implies choosing holiness as a vocation, a lifestyle, and an aspiration. It means further that charity is seen as the essence of holiness, with progress in sanctity being measured by the increase of one’s charity. It means a way of life inspired by the radicalism of the Gospel: “Be you perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt 5:48). It means living in the spirit of the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty, and obedience, ready and willing to be of service to God and His gift of Human Life, to protect and promote Human Life from conception to natural death, no matter what the cost. Ordinary Christian living is not enough. Today, to live in holiness as true Pro-lifers, demands a heroic stance. We must set aside prime time every day to listen to the Father and to Jesus. The alternative is not acceptable: a life without prayer, a life of mediocrity with a minimalist ethic and a shallow religiosity. It means accepting the radical nature of the Sermon on the Mount. It may mean martyrdom in our society, both spiritual and physical. The questions we must all answer are: Do you wish to be holy? Are you ready to be a Pro-life Disciple?

PRAYER AS CONVERSATION

Pro-life disciples should love to pray, for prayer enlarges the heart. Mother Teresa is to the point: “It is not possible to engage in the direct apostolate without being a soul of prayer”. Pope John Paul II often speaks about prayer: “Training in holiness calls for a Christian life distinguished above all in the art of prayer....Prayer cannot be taken for granted. Prayer develops that conversation with Christ which makes us His intimate friends: ‘Abide in Me, and I in you’” (Jn 15:4); (Novo Millennio Ineunte #32). The more we are intimate with Christ the more we can act like Christ. He urges us also to study the Masters of Spirituality: St John of the Cross, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and St. Catherine of Siena. This means, also avoiding those authors Rome tells us to stay away from such as Teilhard de Chardin, Hans Küng, Carl Jung, etc. We must rather direct ourselves to genuine schools of prayer and spirituality that obey the Church rather than dissenting individuals or groups who choose to follow New Age teachings or the latest in relativistic theories, trends, or practices. In his book of Spiritual Exercises, Pope John Paul II teaches that prayer is contact, is conversation with God. In prayer, we affirm that God exists, and we seek Him out and believe in Him. He explains: “Prayer is conversation... Deep conversation takes place when we exchange not only words but also thoughts, hearts, and feelings, in other words, when we give of our own selves” (The Way to Christ, Pope John Paul II, 1984, p. 86). Pope John Paul II teaches that prayer is a meeting between the human will and the will of God. He calls to our attention the prayer of Gethsemane, where the human will of Jesus speaks by means of the heart and expresses the human truth: “If it be possible may this cup pass me by” (Matt 26:39). At the same time, the human will of Jesus surrenders to the will of God, the Father: “Nevertheless let it be as you, not I, would have it” (Matt 26:42). We are being taught to share in the prayer of Christ Himself: “Our Father... Thy kingdom come... Thy will be done...” (Matt 6:10).

CENTRALITY OF THE EUCHARIST: CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE

Pro-life disciples who participate in Mass and receive the Holy Eucharist daily are following the example of the early Christians in the 3rd and 4th centuries who found it to be a necessity for their faith. It is also our Holy Father’s advice for dealing with the crisis of faith and life today. Pro-life disciples need the graces and gifts of wisdom, power, love, and mercy to defeat the Culture of Death and build a Culture of Life. Pope John Paul II taught that the Eucharist educates in life and love and creates true witnesses of those who receive it with repentance and joy. He explains that while it is the Church that makes Eucharist, it is the Eucharist that builds up the Church. He stresses that the Eucharist is a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving: “The Eucharistic sacrifice is the source and the summit of the whole of the Church’s worship and of the Christian Life. The faithful participate more fully in this sacrament of thanksgiving, propitiation, petition, and praise, not only when they wholeheartedly offer the sacred victim, and in it themselves, to the Father with the priest, but also when they receive this same victim sacramentally” (Eucharisticum Mysterium #3e, the Vatican, Sacred Congregation of Rites, May 25, 1967).

In regard to worship of the Eucharist outside of Mass, Pope John Paul II points to the words of St. Alphonsus Liguori: “Of all devotions, that of adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the greatest after the sacraments, the one dearest to God, and the one most helpful to us” (Ecclesia de Eucharistia, #25).

FREQUENT CONFESSION

Pope John Paul II, the greatest Pro-life Apostle, reminds us that realizing the ‘Culture of Death’ has invaded and predominates much of the world today with the darkness of sin and intrinsic evil, as well as the current crisis of the sense of sin, encourages and calls all Catholics to frequent individual Confession. Pro-life disciples should take this message to heart, for being in a state of grace is essential for spiritual pro-life combat. It is clear that they need the marvellous miracles of grace that take place in the Sacrament of Reconciliation: every bit of sin and guilt is washed away through absolution; all bitterness, unjust anger, and resentment are dispersed. Penitents are given the power to accept forgiveness and get on with their lives. Pope John Paul II challenged priests to accept the Jubilee Year message of the return of many people, especially youth, to the Sacrament of Penance: “Pastors should arm themselves with more confidence, creativity, and perseverance in presenting it and leading people to appreciate it” (Novo Millennio Ineunte, #37).

Pope John Paul reminds us of the price paid for this Sacrament: “The Sacrament of Penance flows from a great love and was bought at a high price, a price which Jesus Christ has paid. However, each of us must pay it too, in proportion to his own human capacity. It must be paid with the interior effort of conversion, which brings liberation, and this liberation is not only subjective, on the conscious level, but also gives us true freedom” (The Way to Christ, Op. Cit., p. 116). Pope John Paul II considers the priest as the steward of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. “The priest is the witness and instrument of divine mercy... a special witness... a steward of the invisible and priceless treasures belonging to the spiritual and supernatural order… He should go regularly to confession himself and receive spiritual direction... It is in the confessional that His spiritual fatherhood is realized in the fullest way” (Gift and Mystery, 1996, p. 86-87).

Pro-life disciples need this gift of Divine Mercy available in the Sacrament of Reconciliation to carry out their Apostolate to the Service of Life. They need the spiritual fatherhood of priests to prepare them, to guide them, and to give them sound spiritual direction for their ministry to protect and defend life at all stages.

LIVE BY GRACE AND BY THE SPIRIT

Pope John Paul II reminds us of the essential principle of the Christian view of life: “the Primacy of Grace” (Novo Millennio Ineunte, #38). So many think that results depend on our ability to act and to plan. It is true that God asks all of us, asks Pro-life disciples to co-operate with His grace, to be wholehearted in serving life, to commit all our resources, our intelligence, will, and energy to protecting and defending His gift of life. We must not forget that without God we cannot be, without God we cannot do: “Cut off from me you can do nothing…” (Jn 15:5). Prayer, a prime weapon of Pro-lifers, reminds us of the primacy of Christ, of His gifts, His graces, and the primacy of the spiritual life and holiness. Without grace we are like the apostles who fished all night without results: “We worked hard all night long and caught nothing...” (Lk 5:5). In Pro-life ministry, we must act in faith, and trust as Peter did, in God’s words: “If you say so I will let down the nets” (ibid.). We need to grasp the mystery of grace, the presence of the mystery of redemption, the grace of hope that with God we can do what is required of us as Resurrection people and as Pro-life people. We have to believe in Him and trust in His promises: “I tell you that the one who believes in Me will also do the works that I do, and in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father” (Jn 14:12). We are to be set free from our limitation of experiences of bondage as in the Culture of Death: “slavery to decadence” (Rom 8:21). We have to understand that in our state of creation after original sin - weak, perishable, and graceless - we need the gifts of the Spirit, the pouring out of amazing grace so we may have the liberty of the children of God. The principle is clear: Redemption operates in man’s soul by means of the gifts of the Spirit. “All of us, who possess the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (Rom 8:23). Pope John Paul II explains this graceful process: “Redemption is the way to the resurrection. The resurrection constitutes the definitive accomplishment of the redemption of the body” (The Theology of the Body, 1997, p. 252). To build a Culture of Life, a Civilization of Love, we need all the graces, all the gifts, available to us through the Holy Spirit.

FREQUENT MEDITATION ON SCRIPTURES AND THE NEW CATECHISM

Pope John Paul II calls to our attention the principle to listen, discern, and obey the Word of the Lord and the Church’s Magisterium. Jesus always listened, always discerned, and always obeyed the Word of His Father. “My food is to do the will of the One who sent me” (Jn 4:34). What is implied is that we cannot do the will of the Father or please Him unless we are aware of what it is. We cannot know what His will is unless He tells us. Meditating on the Scriptures while calling on the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, as well as attentively studying the Magisterial teachings in the New Catechism will go a long way in this process of directing and shaping our lives. Pope John Paul II explains: “If the reading of Scripture is to shape faith, or if it is to shape our faith, then the reader must not only thoroughly understand the biblical texts, he must penetrate beyond their content to Him, who in the text of Scripture communicates Himself. It is quite a distinct mode of knowledge, not so much a question of knowing God as of making His acquaintance” (Be Not Afraid, 1985, p 54). He further states: “The Church’s Magisterium has the duty to state that some trends of theological thinking and certain philosophical affirmations are incompatible with revealed truth” (V.S., #29). “The principles are laid down for discerning what is, and what is not, sound moral doctrine. He answers certain questions such as: What is man?; What is the meaning and purpose of Life?; What is good and what is sin?; What is the origin and purpose of suffering?; What is the way to attain true happiness?; What is death, judgment and retribution after death?; What is the final mystery that embraces our lives and from which we take our origin and toward which we are going?” (V.S., #30).

THE NEW EVANGELIZATION

Pope John Paul II directs us not only to listen to the Word but to proclaim by example and total commitment. There needs to be a return to Gospel Values. What we witness so often to, today, is the opposite - men living as if God does not exist. They choose to kill rather than be guardians and servants of human life: “Each and every person, in the name of God, is called to protect, love and serve life - every human life” (E.V., #5). “It is therefore morally unacceptable to encourage, let alone impose, the use of methods such as contraception, sterilization, and abortion, in order to regulate births” (E.V., #91). “Abortion and infanticide are unspeakable crimes” (E.V., #62). Euthanasia is a grave violation of the law of God, since it is the deliberate and morally unacceptable killing of a human person” (E.V., #65).

Pope John Paul II’s genius as an Apostle of Life is evident in his papal decree: Evangelium Vitae. The role of the family in evangelization is decisive and irreplaceable. “As the domestic Church, the family is summoned to proclaim, celebrate, and serve the Gospel of Life” (E.V., #92). In procreating, raising, and rearing children, the family fulfills its mission to proclaim the Gospel of Life. The elderly have a valuable contribution to make to the Gospel of Life. “Thanks to the rich treasury of experiences they have acquired through the years, the elderly can and must be sources of wisdom and witnesses of hope and love” (E.V., #94). Elected officials, legislators, and physicians also have their role to witness in the proclamation of the Gospel. God alone has the power over life and death. “It is I who bring both death and life” (Deut 32:39). “In the proclamation of the Gospel, we must not fear hostility or unpopularity, and we must refuse any compromise or ambiguity which might conform us to the world’s way of thinking” (cf. Rom 12:2; E.V., #82).

Pope John Paul II does not forget anyone. He reminds us of the courage and serenity that the handicapped have witnessed to, when they are shown authentic love and acceptance. “The Church is close to those married couples who, with great anguish and suffering, willingly accept gravely handicapped children. She is also grateful to all those families which, through adoption, welcome children abandoned by their parents because of disabilities or illness” (E.V., #63). To be of service to life, Pro-life disciples must be first ‘Servants of the Word’.

FREQUENT RECITATION OF THE ROSARY

Pope John Paul II chose to be always under the influence and the mantle of Mary as is evident on his crest: ‘TOTUS TUUS’ - to Jesus through Mary. He crowned his pastoral plan with a call to pray the Rosary: “a prayer of great significance destined to bring forth a rich harvest of holiness..., though Marian in character, is at heart a Christocentric prayer… When we pray the Rosary, we sit in the school of Mary and are led to contemplate the face of Christ and to experience the depths of His love. Through the Rosary, the faithful receive abundant grace, as though from the very hands of the Mother of the Redeemer” (Rosarium Virginis Mariae, #1). Pope John Paul II describes the role of Mary to us, teaching that Christ entrusted His Church and all humanity to His Mother Mary, on the Cross, when, through John, He gave His Mother to be our Mother in Spirit. Mary is at once both the radiant sign and the inviting model of our moral life. In the words of St Ambrose: “The life of this one person can serve as a model for everyone” (V.S., #120). Pope John Paul II, like his predecessors, proclaimed Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother and Queen of the Americas, and on May 6, 1990, gave her a new title: “Star of the New Evangelization” (Mother of the Americas, 1992, Robert Feeney, p. 14). He recited an Act of Entrustment, consecrating to Mary, the present and past of the Americas. He declared her to be the one to lead, the one to follow, in our answering the call for a New Evangelization. Pro-life disciples well understand this, for just as she ended the killing of over 20,000 human sacrifices a year among the pagans in Mexico, after the miracle of her image she can do the same today for unborn children, the handicapped, the chronically ill, and the elderly, who are constantly under persecution and threats to end their lives. Pro-life disciples recognize her as the first evangelizer of the Americas and invoke her guidance in the New Evangelization. +

May his soul, and all the souls of the faithful departed,

through the Mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen