May 21, 2012

“Mondays with Mary” – In a Time of Crisis…Mary Should Not Be Forgotten

As I was thinking about what do for this week’s “Mondays with Mary”, I came upon in my class notes from my course in graduate school on Mary – Six Reasons Why We Should Not Forget About Mary In A Time of Crisis by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI). Initially this was an interview Cardinal Ratzinger gave back in 1984, but I think it proves to be as essential today, if not more, then when it was first published. Cardinal Ratzinger said that Mary is the fundamental, the most important remedy when the Church is dealing with those who either don’t understand her [that is the Church] or have a false pretense of what she proposes; when there is a great crisis of morality – such as today with the evils of abortion and attacks on marriage, especially recently with the push for same-sex marriage; and finally when women seem to be in crisis. The “state-run” media has hijacked this last point along with the current U.S. Administration in the sense that they are using women as a means to push their agenda against the Church and against Religious Freedom with the announcement of the HHS Mandate. This mandate is a crushing blow to all people, especially women. If there was ever a time in U.S. History that Mary is needed, it certainly is now!

You can read the actual interview provided above if you wish, but I will summarize the six points Cardinal Ratzinger gave in his interview as well as give my own commentary on the points. 

First, the Four Existing Dogma’s (Theotokos, Perpetual Virginity, Immaculate Conception, and Assumption into Heaven) protect the original faith of Jesus Christ in his Hypostatic Union (true God and true Man). It has been my experience that Christology has its foundation in Mary. When you say something wrong about Mary, you are usually saying something wrong about Christ. We see this when Nestorius attacked Mary and called her Christotokos (Mother of Christ) instead of Theotokos (Mother of God). She was declared Theotokos in 431 A.D at the Council of Ephesus. I will explain the false claims and this Dogma in a future “Mondays with Mary.”

Second, the Four Dogma’s are founded in Scripture “like a seed that grows and bears fruit in the life of Tradition.” Although the Four Dogma’s are found in Scripture, it is through Sacred Tradition (Church Fathers & Saints of the Church) and the Magisterium that assist in the definition and explanation of these Dogma’s. They grow organically just as the Church has grown organically through the centuries.

Third, in her very person, Mary unites the faiths of Judaism and Christianity in her Fiat (YES!) in the Gospel of Luke and fulfills the Old and New Testaments. She is the New Ark of the Covenant. “In her we live the unity of Scripture in its entirety.” This means that she unites the people of the Old Testament and New Testament as one. She understands both the synagogue and the Church.

Fourth, man is not merely reason nor merely feeling, but both. As Cardinal Ratzinger said, “The head must reflect with lucidity and heart must feel warmth.” Devotion to Mary protects a proper integration of head and heart. The Rosary is the perfect integration of head and heart. As I tell my students all the time, theology is both heart and mind or philosophically, faith and reason. Mary had a great faith in God, but she never checked her reason at the door and she was never pure emotion. We see this clearly at the Wedding Feast at Cana and during the Crucifixion of Jesus. She is always in control of her thoughts and pondered all events in her heart. 

Fifth, Mary is a figure “image” and “model” of the Church. Cardinal Ratzinger said, “Beholding her the Church is shielded against the aforementioned masculinized model that views her as an instrument for a program of social-political action.” This is something that dissident “Catholics” often accuse the Church of these days. They claim that the Church is not the Church that Christ established, that Jesus is the religion and not the Church and that the Church is a masculine group of old men. They obviously don’t have a clear understanding that Jesus left the Church in his stead (you know that guy Simon Peter? He was given Authority by Jesus a few different times in the Scriptures…look it up!). The Church isn’t to be a checklist organization, but is called to be radical lovers, almost foolish lovers. It is Mary our Mother who keeps the Church as radical lovers. Man can be so project orientated (I know I am). The Catholic Church is first Marian before she is Petrine. “If Mary no longer finds a place in many theologies and ecclesialogies the reason is obvious. They have reduced faith to an abstraction and abstraction does not need a Mother.” Not only does she point us to her Son, but she protects our relationship with Him as well, as a good Mother should.

Sixth, in a time when womanhood and femininity are being threatened like never before, it’s Mary as both Virgin and Mother who projects the ideal light meant for women of all times and cultures.  Mary, as Icon, is the perfect idea of radical feminism. She should be viewed as the arch-type of femininity. It’s through her quiet presence in the Scriptures that allow her to be a woman of obedience and courage. We often think of Mary floating on a cloud three feet off the ground, but she is one tough Jewish woman. She travels up to the hill country to visit Elizabeth alone, she rides a donkey nine months pregnant to Bethlehem as Joseph leads her and she stands at the foot of the Cross and watches Jesus be crucified. If that is not radical feminism, then I don’t know what is. When I think of femininity, I think of the woman from Proverbs 31. Mary is the fulfillment of Proverbs 31 and the perfect model for women…and men.

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May 18, 2012

The Magisterial Teachings of Blessed John Paul II

Today, in 1920, Karol Józef Wojtyla was born to Karol Wojtyla and Emilia Kaczorowska in the Polish town of Wadowice. If Blessed John Paul II was still with us today, he would 92 years old. As many of my readers know, I have a real love for our former Pope and try to write on him often for the New Evangelization was indispensable in the pontificate of Blessed John Paul II. Through this blog, it’s my mission to assist the Church in reaching those individuals that were never evangelized or were evangelized incorrectly. There are a lot of lapse Catholics out there that just don’t understand the faith properly. Let’s win them back with the teachings of Blessed John Paul II who had a great devotion to Jesus and His Mother, Mary.

The words and wisdom of Blessed John Paul II have only begun to penetrate the hearts and minds of the Catholic Church. It is my personal opinion that the teachings of Blessed John Paul II will continue to have a major impact on the Church in the decades and centuries ahead. When I have given talks in the past so many people say they have a difficult time understanding him. I think many people struggle with the Magisterial documents, the documents he wrote as the head of the Magisterium (the official teaching office of the Church), because he writes as a philosopher, where Pope Benedict XVI writes as a theologian. It’s my mission to help you understand this great Pope and his teachings.

Below are small excerpts from two of his Magisterial teachings with a short commentary. These two documents are in the top five of my favorites from Blessed John Paul II.

1. Encyclical Letter – Fides Et Ratio (On the Relationship between Faith and Reason)

“On her part, the Church cannot but set great value upon reason’s drive to attain goals which render people’s lives ever more worthy. She sees in philosophy the way to come to know fundamental truths about human life. At the same time, the Church considers philosophy an indispensable help for a deeper understanding of faith and for communicating the truth of the Gospel to those who do not yet know it.” Paragraph #5

The Holy Father is saying that with the help of philosophy, the theological teachings of faith come alive and bring us to a fuller understanding. In the ancient world, faith and reason ran parallel to one other. During the medieval world, faith and reason were synthesized (this is known as the Medieval Synthesis). Although the Medieval Synthesis occurred before Sts. Albert and Thomas Aquinas, these two theological giants took the reason of Aristotle and essentially baptized him and his teachings. Through reason, we now come to understand our faith better. Philosophy helps us to understand the Natural Law (the law written on our hearts), but with the assistance of philosophy our understanding of the faith comes alive to know Jesus Christ and the Gospel. As Catholics, we don’t check our reason at the door. We use our intellect to help us know Jesus Christ and the Gospel message.

2. Apostolic Exhortation – Catechesi Tradendae (Catechesis In Our Time)

“All in all, it can be taken here that catechesis is an education of children, young people, and adults in the faith, which includes especially the teaching of Christian doctrine imparted, generally speaking, in an organic and systematic way, with a view to initiating the hearers into the fullness of Christian life.” Paragraph #18

The Holy Father is saying that the teaching of the faith (catechesis – “to sound down”) is fundamental to all believers – from children to adults.  Just because you have received the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Holy Eucharist and Confirmation) does not mean that you are no longer responsible to know and grow in your faith. This has been a problem in the Church in recent time. Many people think it’s over after Confirmation, BUT it’s only the beginning.

When he says that Christian doctrine should be “organic and systematic”, he means that catechesis needs to have a logical progression to it and that the teachings develop from one another. All the teachings of the faith consist of the same truth. You can’t follow one teaching and ignore another. They all come from the same source of Truth, Jesus Christ.

Catechesis requires us to use our reason (see Fides et Ratio) to understand the faith. The doctrines of Christianity grew organically over the centuries as an acorn grows into an oak tree. The Church is not a static organization nor it is a “club”, but it’s a living organism that continues to grow. (See the book – The Spirit of Catholicism by Karl Adam).

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May 14, 2012

“MONDAYS WITH MARY” – Our Lady of Fatima

The apparitions at Fatima continue to be the most magnificent of all the Marian apparitions to affect the world in the modern era. Mary under her title, “Our Lady of the Rosary” at Fatima gave us specific instructions that would lead us closer to her son, Jesus Christ. She asked that the Rosary be prayed on a daily basis; she asked that our daily sacrifice’s be offered up for the conversion of sinners; that we would adore the Blessed Sacrament more frequently; that there would be an increase of devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary; and an offering of the First Saturdays of Reparation.

The apparitions at Fatima occurred during the First World War and the messages from Our Lady declared that if the world did not stop offending God, then another war even greater than the current war would occur. She is obviously talking about World War II, the war that began during the pontificate of Pius XI, a fact that was also declared at Fatima.

The July 13, 1917 apparition could be called the most important private revelation of the Age of Mary.  The message that came this day speaks of how fundamentally important it is to have a devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary; there was a vision of Hell and souls that are suffering there; the potential chastisement that would come upon the mankind during the 20th century; and the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and that the Immaculate Heart will triumph. She says in one of the messages, “To prevent this I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart…if my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not she will spread her errors throughout the world…” Lucia, one of the very young visionaries (she was 10 years old; Jacinta was 7 and Francisco was 8), asked Our Lady what was to be done. Our Lady said, “Sacrifice yourselves for sinners, and say many times, especially whenever you make some sacrifice: O Jesus, it is love for You, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”

Throughout her apparitions to the three young children, specifically in the third Fatima message, she emphasizes the importance of the Holy Rosary, her title as “Our Lady of the Rosary” and the importance of praying the Rosary on a daily basis for world peace and end of World War I. She said in one of the messages, “I want to tell you that a chapel is to be built here in my honour. I am the Lady of the Rosary. Continue always to pray the Rosary every day. The war is going to end, and the soldiers will return to their homes.” Not only was the Rosary to be prayed until the war has ceased, but we must continue to pray the daily rosary today. In a time with so much strife and hostility, the daily rosary is a prayer that can fight the evils of the time. St. Pio of Pietrelcina said it’s the greatest weapon against Satan.

There is also the event known as “The Miracle of Fatima” or “How the Sun Danced at Noon over Fatima” where 70,000 pilgrims witnessed the “solar miracle.” The sun danced in the sky and appeared to give off different types of color. It is also approached the earth very rapidly and then returned to its place in the sky just as rapidly.

Although there are many other events, visions, and messages from Fatima, I will conclude here and allow you to continue to read about this great Marian apparition on your own. Below are some links that will guide you in your study and devotion to Our Lady of Fatima –

  1. The Official Website of Fatima in English
  2. Pope Benedict’s Homily from 2010 at Fatima – “I too have come as pilgrim.” This is a fantastic homily and truly displays the Holy Father’s love for Fatima and his ability to teach so eloquently with the Scriptures. Sacrifice is the key when it comes to Fatima.
  3. Fatima Prayer Petitions
  4. Rosary Army

Our Lady of Fatima…Pray for Us!

Our Lady of the Rosary…Pray for Us!

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May 13, 2012

Motherhood, Mary, and Blessed John Paul II

On May 2nd, Pat Ryan of Relevant Radio interviewed me here in Austin (the interview will air in the middle to late June). One of the first questions he asked me was about Blessed John Paul II and how important he is to my ministry with this blog. I shared with Pat that Blessed John Paul II has been a major factor in my life as a whole and especially in my life as a small-time theologian trying to do God’s work for the Catholic Church. If it was not for my friend BK, I may never have grown to love Blessed John Paul II as much.

Karol Józef Wojtyla was born to Karol Wojtyla and Emilia Kaczorowska on May 18, 1920 in the Polish town of Wadowice. He was the youngest of three children. In 1929, at the age of nine years old, his mother died. At the death of his mother, young Karol Wojtyla said to the Blessed Mother that she now had to be his mother. All through his life, Blessed John Paul II had a great devotion to Our Lady, specifically under her title, Our Lady of Fatima. Today is the Feast Day of Our Lady of Fatima and also the anniversary date of the assassination attempt on his life in 1981. Blessed John Paul II had such a devotion to the Blessed Mother that he prayed all 15 mysteries of the Holy Rosary (20 mysteries in 2002) on a daily basis and he was the first Pope in history to place the letter “M” on his Papal Shield representing Mary the Mother of God. Blessed John Paul II attributed his life being saved in 1981 to the Blessed Mother under her title as Our Lady of Fatima. Tomorrow’s Mondays with Mary will discuss Our Lady of Fatima.

Many people are aware that Blessed John Paul II wrote many magisterial documents in his years as Pope, but what most people don’t know is that Karol Wojtyla was also a poet who wrote poetry as early as 1939. It wasn’t until his election to the papacy in 1978 did these poems come to light. They are the reflections of a man of God who understood his place in the Church and the world. It is my personal opinion that the acting and the poetry transformed him to be the Renaissance Man that he became as a Priest, Bishop, Cardinal, and Pope. The poetry of Blessed John Paul II is published in the only English version approved by the Vatican – The Place Within. Since today is Mother’s Day and he found motherhood to be very important, especially the motherhood Our Lady showed him, I have chosen to give you a taste of his poetry under the title of Mother. There are other poems under this title in book.

Her Amazement at Her Only Child

Light piercing, gradually, everyday events;

a woman’s eyes, hands

used to them since childhood.

Then brightness flared, too huge for simple days,

and hands clasped when the words lost their space.

In that little town, my son, where they knew us together,

you called me mother; but no one had eyes to see

the astounding events as they took place day by day.

Your life became the life of the poor

in your wish to be with them through the work of your hands.

I knew: the light that lingered in ordinary things,

like a spark sheltered under the skin of our days –

the light was you; it did not come from me.

And I had more of you in that luminous silence

Than I had of you as the fruit of my body, my blood.

To All the Mothers Today – Happy Mother’s Day! To my Mother, Joyce Perna – Thank you for always being the shining beacon and foundation of our family. Your love for Carla and I is beyond words. As a grandmother, we get to observe the love you gave to us as children. We love you dearly.

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May 7, 2012

“MONDAYS WITH MARY” – The Holy Rosary

After my students and I finish each new theology chapter, I like to take them to the school chapel for prayer. I think it’s important to pray with our students since theology is both heart and mind or understood philosophically, faith and reason. The greatest Doctors of the Church, those saints who had a great impact on the theology of the Church, had great prayer lives and probably would tell us that prayer and having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and his Church is just as important, if not more important, than studying the faith academically. As great a saint and theologian that St. Thomas Aquinas was, his prayer was fundamental for his studies. I have a book in my personal library with the many prayers written by the great Angelic Doctor of the Church.  Simply, prayer is our conversation with God. Once the students are finished with each academic chapter, going to the chapel and praying with them, I believe, is fundamental to their overall understanding and relationship with Christ and his Church.

Being that May is the Month of Mary, I decided today (and tomorrow) to take my sophomores and juniors to the school chapel to pray the greatest Marian prayer – The Holy Rosary. Since this is my first Mondays with Mary (the LATE LATE EDITION), I will briefly explain the Rosary. If Mondays with Mary continues after May, I will focus a good amount on the prayer that St. Pio of Pietrelcina called, “the greatest weapon against Satan.”

The Holy Rosary is one of the most popular lay devotions among Roman Catholics worldwide (and even some Protestants have begun to take up this devotion). Its formal name is the “Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary.” Most Church historians also call it the Dominican Rosary, the Marian Rosary, and the Vita Christi (Life of Christ Rosary) to set it apart from other Roman Catholic bead-prayers such as the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.

St. Dominic de Guzmán (1170-1221 A.D.) is closely associated with the Holy Rosary. He is the founder of the Order of Preachers also known as the Dominicans. The Dominicans have been the major promoters of the Holy Rosary since the time of St. Dominic.  If you ever see a Dominican priest or religious sister, look at what is around their waist – you shall see the Holy Rosary. Historically and through strong contemporary academics, the Rosary, in its basic form, can be traced back to the Apostolic Church.  The mysteries that focused on the Marian devotion were visualized through cycles in the early Jerusalem and Palestinian churches. The cycles were the pre-cursor for the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries.

As the devotion of the Holy Rosary made its way through Europe, it reached the lay faithful of the Church through voluntary confraternities. At one point, there were many versions (close to 200) of the Holy Rosary that competed for attention, but St. Pope Pius VI (a Dominican) settled the matter in 1569. In that year, the Holy Father wrote an Apostolic Letter that set the Rosary at 15 mysteries – it was now the official Church version that could be prayed by the entire Church. In the year 2002, Blessed John Paul II published the Apostolic Letter, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, that added five new mysteries known as the Luminous Mysteries to the original 15 totaling 20 mysteries. Blessed John Paul II often said that the Holy Rosary was his favorite prayer. 

A Simple Explanation on how to pray the Holy Rosary:

  1. We first make the Sign of the Cross.
  2. We begin with the Apostles Creed on the cross or crucifix.
  3. An Our Father (“The Lord’s Prayer) is said on the first bead after the cross/crucifix.
  4. On the three beads following the single bead, we pray the Hail Mary three times asking for an increase in the Theological Virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity (in my family growing up, these beads for were for the [New York] Yankees, Giants, and Rangers).
  5. After the three Hail Mary’s, we pray the Doxology or Glory Be and the Fatima Prayer (O my Jesus…)
  6. After those prayers are said, we then follow with an Our Father, 10 Hail Mary’s, A Glory Be and the Fatima prayer. We repeat each of those steps announcing the mysteries of the Rosary 5 times making our way around the rosary beads.
  7. Once we complete the five mysteries, we then pray the Hail Holy Queen.
  8. After the Hail Holy Queen, we can pray the optional prayer from the Roman Missal.
  9. We can also include the St. Michael the Archangel Prayer to help us fight against Satan and ask for the intercession of the Blessed Mother under her different titles – Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of China, Our Lady of Guadalupe, etc.
  10. We then end the Rosary as we began it with the Sign of the Cross.

The Rosary is fundamental to our lives as Christians for the prayer is Christ-centered. The Rosary focuses on the Gospel message whose center is Jesus Christ himself who came to redeem all of humanity. Personally, I love praying the Rosary. During this past Lent, I prayed a daily rosary! It would bring such peach and strength during those days of struggle and temptation. Once you begin to give your heart to Our Lady a.k.a. Our Mother, she will always look after you and care for you, just like a good Mom does.

Lastly, let us not forget what some of great saints and Popes of the Church have said about this prayer:

“The rosary is the scourge of the devil.” – Pope Adrian VI

“The rosary is a treasure of graces.” – Pope Paul V

“The rosary is the most powerful weapon to touch the Heart of Jesus, Our Redeemer, who so loves His Mother.” – St. Louis Marie Grignon de Montfort

“How beautiful is the family that recites the Rosary every evening.” – Blessed John Paul II

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May 6, 2012

May – The Month of Mary

Last weekend when I was home for my niece’s Baptism into the Catholic Church, I decided to wait to get her presents at the King’s House, a Catholic religious store, in Scottsdale, Arizona. As I was walking around the store, I noticed a small cart with books marked for sale. By the way, this is method to build up your personal library too – see Brandon Vogt’s blog on building up a library. As I looked through the books, one text caught my attention immediately! The text is a collection of documents on the Blessed Virgin Mary called Mother of Christ, Mother of the Church published by Pauline Press. As I picked up the text and started to flip through the pages, I noticed there were many documents that I had read before, but there was one that really caught my attention – The Month of May (Mense Maio), which was promulgated on April 30, 1965 by Pope Pius VI.

This encyclical on the “Occasion of the First May” is written about the importance of the month of May and how Mary through her intercession and throne brings mercy to all of God’s people in a magnitude of great abundance (remember: the mercy comes from God as she intercedes for us). I would suggest reading 1 Kings 2:19-21 to see where the Tradition of Mary as Queen began. During the month of May, it is my hope to write on her Queenship and I will start with this scripture verse.

A good chunk of Mense Maio focuses on the importance of World Peace. It was written at time in the mid 1960’s when so much turmoil was occurring around the world in many countries (see paragraphs 5-9). In light of the HHS Mandate and threats on religious liberty, I would encourage you to read this document (it’s super short!), take it to heart and contact your local and state politicians. In paragraph 6, His Holiness Paul VI states, “we beg all who hold responsibility in public life not to remain deaf to the unanimous desire of mankind which wants peace…continue at all times to foster and encourage conversations and negotiations at all levels…let efforts be made to single out for recognition every true and sincere yearning for justice and peace.” He is talking about justice as defined by St. Thomas Aquinas and Pope Pius XI (Social Justice), not that distorted idea of social justice that the world and Catholics who don’t understand the true meaning of this term promote. I will touch on this topic in the months ahead.

Beginning tomorrow and the three subsequent Monday’s of May, I will write a post on Mary – The Blessed Mother of God. This short series will be known as MONDAY’S WITH MARY. For this series to continue after the Month of May will be contingent on the response I receive overall from my blog followers and Twitter followers. Is Mariology (the theology of Mary) important to you? Do you have a desire to have a more personal relationship with Jesus Christ and do you think knowing his Blessed Mother will help? Are there things about Mary that you don’t know? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then let me know about it in the comment section of each of the posts or you can email me at catholictom@gmail.com to express your desire to know more about the Blessed Virgin Mary.

I will tell from my personal experience, since I took an entire semester course on the Blessed Mother in college, that once you attain more knowledge (academic and intellectual) about Our Lord’s beautiful Mother, you heart will be hers forever. There is a reason Jesus gave her to all of us through John the Apostle while he was being crucified on the Cross.

With that being said, I will conclude the post with some of the writings from Pope Paul VI on the Blessed Mother in his encyclical, Mense Maio –

“This pious practice, by which the Blessed Virgin Mary is honored and the Christian people enriched with spiritual gifts, gladdens and consoles us. Mary remains ever the path that leads to Christ. Every encounter with her can only result in an encounter with Christ himself” (MM 2).

“…the Church has always prayed from her earliest days, and in a special way calling on the intercession and protection of the Virgin Mary, who is the Queen of Peace” (MM 9).

“…let our prayers ascend to Mary in this month of hers, to implore her graces and favors with increased fervor and confidence” (MM 10).

“…do not fail to lay careful stress on the saying of the rosary, the prayer so dear to Our Lady and so highly recommended by the Supreme Pontiffs” (MM 11).

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May 2, 2012

The Beatification of Blessed John Paul II

Since the day that Pope John Paul II entered into heavenly glory (April 2, 2005), I had been praying for his Beatification. It was so important to me that I wrote it on my email signature so other people would see how important it was to me as well. Currently my email signature says, “Pray for the Canonization of Blessed John Paul II.” When the Vatican announced that he was going to be Beatified, I remember being very happy and excited to watch the Beatification Mass on EWTN, although other news broadcasts televised it as well.

On May 1, 2011, I decided to invite some friends over to watch the Beatification Mass that began at 2 a.m. in the morning here in Austin. Only a few people came over since it was in the middle of the night and I did not live in the most user friendly apartment complex, but it was still a great time watching the Holy Mass live from the Vatican with other Catholic young adults who claim Blessed John Paul II has their Pope as well. We are the JP 2 Generation!

Here is a picture of me celebrating the Beatification of Blessed John Paul II. I brought home all of the pictures that I have of Blessed JP 2 in my classroom to decorate my apartment for the party. I laid out all the documents that he wrote which are shelved in my library on my coffee table so my friends could view them during the Beatification Party.

On January 15, 1983, Pope John Paul II promulgated the norms of Divinus perfectionis magister governing the causes of the saints. The norms provided for a 5-year waiting period before the initiation of a Cause for Beatification and Canonization for any new saint. On May 9, 2005, Cardinal Vicar of Rome, His Eminence Camillo Cardinal Ruini asked that the 5-year waiting period be lifted for the life of Pope John Paul II. Pope Benedict XVI granted it. During an assembly of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome on May 13, 2005, the Holy Father announced the dispensation. The miracle that opened the Holy Father to Beatification was the healing of Sr. Maria Simon Pierre, a French religious sister who had Parkinson’s disease, the same disease that eventually took the life of Blessed John Paul II. Sr. Maria Simone was present during the Beatification Mass and carried up a vile of the late Holy Father’s blood. You can see her in the video above.

I long to see Blessed John Paul II canonized and hope to be in the City of the Saints when he is fully declared as St. Pope John Paul II. People often ask me if I think he will be a Doctor of the Church someday – without a doubt, I think the Church will declare him a Doctor. His theology has made such an impact on the life of the Church that it would be an injustice not to raise him up with the other Doctors. The Theology of the Body alone should allow him to have that title. The impact that the TOB is having on the Church now and will continue to have in the years to come is staggering. If there was any doubt before the TOB, then we could look at his 14 Encyclicals, 15 Apostolic Exhortations, 11 Apostolic Constitutions, 45 Apostolic Letters, his promulgation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the 5 books he published as a private Doctor, and the countless homilies and other speeches he gave as well.

If you have a Twitter account and ever talk about Blessed John Paul II, please use the hashtag – #BLJP2. Let’s catechize the Twitter World as Blessed JP II brought the faith to the world in the New Evangelization. It will be known as “Tweetalization.”

If you watched the Beatification Mass of Blessed JP 2 or have other experiences with him, please share your stories with us in the comment section below.

BLESSED JOHN PAUL II…PRAY FOR US!

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