Monday, April 04, 2005
Pope John Paul II
So much has been written about this man that it seems spilling digital ink is a severe waste of time, and yet I feel compelled to add my own two cents, however unworthy.
Et introibo ad altare Dei; ad Deum qui laetificat juventutem meam
I have known only one Pope in my lifetime. He came to the throne of Peter a year and a half after my birth, so obviously I have no memory of his predecessor. Pope John Paul II has been a fixture of my life just as every bit as my own family.
The past few days have witnessed an outpouring of grief that, historically speaking, is quite astonishing. Some five hundred years ago Martin Luther tacked his 95 theses to the wall and forever changed the course of Christianity. No more was there one Church, but instead many. Ever since there has been bitter rivlarly, and even outright bloodshed. Though all Christians believe that Christ is the redeemer, our dogmatic divisions are so virulent that the animosity between sects has been quite palpable and destructive. But over the past half century or so those divisions have been eased greatly, and the aninomosity cooled. It has cooled so much that our Protestant President shall be the first American president to attend a papal funeral. If one does not believe this to be all that significant, they should read up on their Thomas More.
But the grief expressed by non-Catholic Christians and Jews cannot match that felt by my Roman Catholic brethren. The Vicar of Christ has gone to his eternal sleep, and though this is in a sense a matter of joy, it is also intensely sorrowful as the greatest leader this Church has had in a century or more has departed this mortal realm. And for that we grieve.
To think that the Church was on the brink of irrelevancy. This 2,000 year old institution which had survived so much seemed like it was finally ready to succumb to the realities of modernity. And yet mother Church finds itself reinvigorated, if still challenged. The seminaries are as yet not near capacity, but those within those walls have a profound energy that the Church has not seen in some time. What's more, the new faithful are more dedicated to upholding the mystical traditions of this great Church than those that preceded them. All one has to do is attend a Latin Mass in DC and see the throngs of youhtful worshippers to realize that the Church has been revitalized, and that these young Catholics are committed to upholding the sacred traditions of our faith. And for that we can thank John Paul II, who stood up for tradition while at the same time embracing the modern world - in a certain sense. He motivated so many of my generation to greater faith and devotion, and we currently witness those seeds as they sprout.
There is so much that still divides us, but Pope John Paul II eased those fractures. And he did so much more than that. He stood up to the vile face of Communism. He did not let the Church fall prey to the useful idiots of the Communist ideology who touted the nice sounding but ultimately degrading "liberation theology." Along with Reagan, Thatcher, and so many lesser know personages, he contributed to breaking down the evil wall of Eupropean communism. His steadfasteness in the face of tyranny shall earn him his rightful place with the other saints.
And now 120 or so men of God shall choose his successor. There is little doubt that this individual will be a mere shadow to Karol Wojtyla, but with God's grace he shall continue Pope John Paul II's good work.
De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine: Domine exaudi vocem meam.
Finat aures tuae intendentes, in vocem deprecationis meae.
Si iniquitates observaveris, Domine: Domine quis sustinebit?
Quia apud te propitiatio est: et propter legem tuam sustinui te, Domine.
Sustinuit anima mea inverbo ejus: speravit anima mea in Domine.
A custodia matutina usque ad notem, speret Israel in Domino.
Quia apud Dominum misericordia: et copiosa apud eum redemptio.
Et ipse redimet Israel, ex omnibus iniquitatibus ejus.
Et introibo ad altare Dei; ad Deum qui laetificat juventutem meam
I have known only one Pope in my lifetime. He came to the throne of Peter a year and a half after my birth, so obviously I have no memory of his predecessor. Pope John Paul II has been a fixture of my life just as every bit as my own family.
The past few days have witnessed an outpouring of grief that, historically speaking, is quite astonishing. Some five hundred years ago Martin Luther tacked his 95 theses to the wall and forever changed the course of Christianity. No more was there one Church, but instead many. Ever since there has been bitter rivlarly, and even outright bloodshed. Though all Christians believe that Christ is the redeemer, our dogmatic divisions are so virulent that the animosity between sects has been quite palpable and destructive. But over the past half century or so those divisions have been eased greatly, and the aninomosity cooled. It has cooled so much that our Protestant President shall be the first American president to attend a papal funeral. If one does not believe this to be all that significant, they should read up on their Thomas More.
But the grief expressed by non-Catholic Christians and Jews cannot match that felt by my Roman Catholic brethren. The Vicar of Christ has gone to his eternal sleep, and though this is in a sense a matter of joy, it is also intensely sorrowful as the greatest leader this Church has had in a century or more has departed this mortal realm. And for that we grieve.
To think that the Church was on the brink of irrelevancy. This 2,000 year old institution which had survived so much seemed like it was finally ready to succumb to the realities of modernity. And yet mother Church finds itself reinvigorated, if still challenged. The seminaries are as yet not near capacity, but those within those walls have a profound energy that the Church has not seen in some time. What's more, the new faithful are more dedicated to upholding the mystical traditions of this great Church than those that preceded them. All one has to do is attend a Latin Mass in DC and see the throngs of youhtful worshippers to realize that the Church has been revitalized, and that these young Catholics are committed to upholding the sacred traditions of our faith. And for that we can thank John Paul II, who stood up for tradition while at the same time embracing the modern world - in a certain sense. He motivated so many of my generation to greater faith and devotion, and we currently witness those seeds as they sprout.
There is so much that still divides us, but Pope John Paul II eased those fractures. And he did so much more than that. He stood up to the vile face of Communism. He did not let the Church fall prey to the useful idiots of the Communist ideology who touted the nice sounding but ultimately degrading "liberation theology." Along with Reagan, Thatcher, and so many lesser know personages, he contributed to breaking down the evil wall of Eupropean communism. His steadfasteness in the face of tyranny shall earn him his rightful place with the other saints.
And now 120 or so men of God shall choose his successor. There is little doubt that this individual will be a mere shadow to Karol Wojtyla, but with God's grace he shall continue Pope John Paul II's good work.
De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine: Domine exaudi vocem meam.
Finat aures tuae intendentes, in vocem deprecationis meae.
Si iniquitates observaveris, Domine: Domine quis sustinebit?
Quia apud te propitiatio est: et propter legem tuam sustinui te, Domine.
Sustinuit anima mea inverbo ejus: speravit anima mea in Domine.
A custodia matutina usque ad notem, speret Israel in Domino.
Quia apud Dominum misericordia: et copiosa apud eum redemptio.
Et ipse redimet Israel, ex omnibus iniquitatibus ejus.
# posted by Paul Zummo : 10:58 PM
