Tag Archives: Blessed John Paul II

“The Historical and Transcendent Event”

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“Christ is risen from the dead! Dying, he conquered death; To the dead, he has given life.”                                                        - Byzantine Liturgy, Troparion of Eater

What does the Catechism of the Catholic Church state about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ?

CCC 639 - The mystery of Christ’s resurrection is a real event, with manifestations that were historically verified, as the New Testament bears witness. In about A.D. 56, St. Paul could already write to the Corinthians: “I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve…” Apostle speaks here of the living tradition of the Resurrection which he had learned after his conversion at the gates of Damascus.” 

CCC 646 – Christ’s Resurrection was not a return to earthly life, as was the case with the raisings from the dead that he had performed before Easter: Jairus’ daughter, the young man of Naim, Lazarus. These actions were miraculous events, but the persons miraculously raised returned by Jesus’ power to ordinary earthly life. At some particular moment they would die again. Christ’s Resurrection is essentially different. In his risen body he passes from the state of death to another life beyond time and space. At Jesus’ Resurrection his body is filled with the power of the Holy Spirit: he shares the divine life in his glorious state, so that St. Paul can say that Christ is “the man of heaven.”

CCC 647 - O truly blessed Night, sings the Exsultet of the Easter Vigil, which alone deserved to know the time and the hour when Christ rose from the realm of the dead! But no one was an eyewitness to Christ’s Resurrection and no evangelist describes it. No one can say how it came about physically. Still less was its innermost essence, his passing over to another life, perceptible to the senses. Although the Resurrection was an historical event that could be verified by the sign of the empty tomb and by the reality of the apostles’ encounters with the risen Christ, still it remains at the very heart of the mystery of faith as something that transcends and surpasses history. This is why the risen Christ does not reveal himself to the world, but to his disciples, “to those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people.”

CCC 652 -  Christ’s Resurrection is the fulfillment of the promises both of the Old Testament and of Jesus himself during his earthly life. The phrase “in accordance with the Scriptures”  indicates that Christ’s Resurrection fulfilled these predictions.

For more on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, please see paragraphs 638-658. Remember that the Catechism of the Catholic Church is the tool of the New Evangelization (Scott Hahn). It must be read, studied, and passed on to others. If you don’t have a copy of it in  your home, you need to order one as soon as possible. Pope Francis is going to bring the New Evangelization to the Church like no other has before him.

On Good Friday, Fr. John Lankeit, Rector at Sts. Simon and Jude Cathedral in Phoenix, Arizona said that Blessed John Paul II opened up the doors to the New Evangelization, Pope Emeritus Benedict explained the New Evangelization to our minds, and now Pope Francis is going to bring the New Evangelization to our hearts. Heart and Mind or philosophically, Faith and Reason. As Catholics, we know our Faith through both of these avenues. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, these two avenues (or wings – Bl. John Paul II), intersect and synthesize with each other. Let us all come to know our faith with both heart and mind. The saints before us have done the same. It is now our time to do this and proclaim it to the world.

ALLELUIA!

HE HAS RISEN!

PRAISE BE JESUS CHRIST!

“Mondays with Mary” – What the Catechism of the Catholic Church Teaches about Mary

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Being that I have written on the Catechism of the Catholic Church and it’s role in the New Evangelization, today I have chosen some select paragraphs from the Catechism that speak about Mary.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church is the universal catechism that was promulgated in 1992 by Blessed John Paul II to help teach the faithful the correct and orthodox doctrines (Read CCC 11-12) that the Church has professed for nearly 2,000 years. Recently at a Catechetical Symposium here in Phoenix, Dr. Scott Hahn, said that the Catechism is the tool of the New Evangelization.

If you would like to read the extensive words of the Catechism on the Blessed Mother, I would encourage you to pick it up, flip to the back of the index, and look up the paragraph numbers (not page numbers!) that speak about Mary.  Here are a few of my favorites –

Paragraph #487 – “What the Catholic faith believes about Mary is based on what it believes about Christ, and what it teaches about Mary illumines in turn its faith in Christ.”

Paragraph #493 – “The Fathers of the Eastern tradition call the Mother of God “the All-Holy” (Panagia) and celebrate her as “free from any stain of sin, as though fashioned by the Holy Spirit and formed as a new creature.” By the grace of God Mary remained free of every personal sin her whole life being.”

Paragraph #502 – “The eyes of faith can discover in the context of the whole of Revelation the mysterious reasons why God in his saving plan wanted his Son to be born of a virgin. These reasons touch both on the person of Christ and his redemptive mission, and the welcome Mary gave that mission on behalf of all men.”

Paragraph #511 – “The Virgin Mary “cooperated through free faith and obedience in human salvation” (LG 56 [mine – Lumen Gentium, Vat. II doc on the Church]). She uttered her yes “in the name of all human nature” (St. Thomas Aquinas, STh III, 30, 1). By her obedience she became the new Eve, mother of the Living.”

Paragraph #971 – “All generations will call me blessed”: “The Church’ devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary is intrinsic to Christian worship.” The Church rightly honors “the Blessed Virgin with special devotion. From the most ancient of times the Blessed Virgin Mary has been honored with the title ‘Mother of God,’ to whose protection the faithful fly in all their dangers and needs…This very special devotion…differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration.”

Paragraph #2679 – “Mary is the perfect Orans (pray-er), a figure of the Church. When we pray to her, we are adhering with her to the plan of the Father, who sends his Son to save all men. Like the beloved disciple we welcome Jesus’ mother into our homes, for she has become the mother of all the living. We can pray with and to her. The prayer of the Church is sustained by the prayer of Mary and united with it in hope.”

Today’s “Mondays with Mary’s” is dedicated to my friends at My Mother Mary. If you have never visited their Facebook page, it’s a great treat with many beautiful pictures, quotes from the saints on the Blessed Virgin Mary, and other items covering the Church. 

Saying Good-Bye to a Pope

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It’s been on my mind to write a farewell post since the day Pope Benedict XVI dropped what we now know to be the ecclesiastical announcement of the past 600 years. I can tell you exactly the place and time when I learned of Blessed John Paul II’s entrance into glory, and years from now, I will be able to recollect how I awoke out of sleep to read about Benedict’s resignation on my Smartphone. When Cardinal Josef Ratzinger was elected to the Chair of St. Peter, it was an ecstatic day for many of my friends and I who knew of his work in the Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith. We hoped for another long papacy, but knew deep in our hearts that might not be the case. Even the words of Pope Benedict XVI should ring out to us, as he said only days after his election – he would be a transitional Pope. Are we that surprised now thinking back at his words from nearly 8 years ago? Honestly, I was surprised, but others who knew the man better than I maybe could see it coming.

Is it a sad day in the Church? Yes – most definitely. Is it a day of hope as well? Yes – most definitely. As Catholic Christians (yes, we are Christians!), we must keep in mind that the Church has seen her fair shake of ups and downs, scandals, and assaults throughout the centuries. What we must remember is that we are still here, we are still strong, and we are not going anywhere. We have at the center, the source and summit of our Christian faith – Jesus Christ in his body, blood, soul, and divinity. Benedict’s stepping down is yet another notch of history in the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. From the small Christian community in Jerusalem on Pentecost Sunday, we now have millions of Catholics around the globe in hundreds of countries (just attend a World Youth Day – and that is just the youth of the Church).

The Catholic Church is built upon Peter! Christ promised us that the gates of hell would never prevail against it. The gates of hell have tried, and may try in the future, but mark the words of Our Lord – the Church will always stand firm in the face of evil. Anti-Catholics, which includes fall away Catholics, uncatechized Catholics, general haters of anything religious, atheists, moral relativists, and others throw stones, little pebbles, at the Church. What they lack to see is that we just don’t have a rock, but we have THE ROCK, and Jesus Christ himself set that ROCK in place. In the weeks ahead, another Pope will be elected to the Papacy, and he will be yet another Rock in a long line of Rocks that have extended the centuries (Read Mt 16:13-20).

Holy Father – its never easy saying good-bye. But before you leave us, we thank you for your years of service to the Catholic Church as a Priest, Bishop, Cardinal, and Pope. Your words have inspired countless Catholics to deepen their faith during your Pontificate, especially during this Year of Faith. The documents you gave to the universal Church will be read and cherished. Just as your predecessor, Blessed John Paul II, inspired young men to give up their lives for Christ, your countless efforts to increase vocations to the priesthood, and bring a new breed of priests to the Church will not go unnoticed. The magnitude of scholastic work in the area of Scriptural exegesis will not be matched for centuries to come. Your love for the Holy Liturgy has inspired us to bring back sacredness and reverence to the Mass that was misguided in many places throughout the world. Under your Pontificate, we have experienced in the English translation, a renewal of the words professed in the Holy Mass.

Personally, I would like to thank you for the Synod on the Sacred Scriptures, which produced your Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Verbum Domini. As one who has studied the scriptures, it’s a great document that gives us hope in the Sacred Scriptures and the tools to teach it to Catholics in today’s Church. Picking up where Dei Verbum left off was a stroke of genius. You are the Biblical Titan of the modern age! I would also like to thank you for your recent Synod on the New Evangelization. Although the document for this gathering of Bishops has been put on hold for the time being, the propositions developed by you and Bishops will surely be implemented into the Church soon. You took Blessed John Paul II’s battle cry and developed it into a battle plan for the Catholic Church to win souls. When the souls return, we will have you to thank for it.

As you enter your life of prayer and study, we ask you to pray for us. We know full well that you are in communion with the Holy Trinity. See that the Church is led in the right direction, and that she, yet strong, become even stronger in the years ahead.

We thank you, we love you, and we will miss you. Good-Bye…

The Catechism of the Catholic Church and the New Evangelization

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Yesterday afternoon I had the privilege to attend the 3rd Annual Catechetical Symposium presented by the Diocese of Phoenix Kino Institute. I was pretty fired up to attend since my former academic advisor and professor at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Scott Hahn, was the keynote speaker. He spoke on the Catechism of the Catholic Church (also referred to as the CCC) and the New Evangelization – two topics that are very close to my heart and one that is the soul of this blog.

Knowing what the Catholic Bishops from the recent Synod in Rome had said about the New Evangelization taking place in Social Media, I brought my Apple MacBook Pro with me so I could tweet about the event and tweet some of the things Scott Hahn would talk about. After it was said and done, I had tweeted 42 times and could have really tweeted 84 times, if I was a faster typist.

To say that he gave us a lot to think about would be the understatement of the week. One of the biggest statements Scott Hahn made was how the Catechism of the Catholic Church would be the tool of the New Evangelization. If we want to re-evangelize the uncatechized or those cradle Catholics who were never catechized in the first place, we have the Catechism to lead the way. Below are some of my tweets from today. There are quite a few good ones I didn’t quote – check them out at @tom_perna on Twitter.

The Tweets below were either direct quotes or me paraphrasing to fit 140 characters -

Vatican II documents mention the term – evangelization – 206 times. ‪#vatican2

‪#NewEvangelization was coined in 1979 by ‪#BLJP2 in his native land of Poland.

‪#BLJP2 blew up the ‪#NewEvangelization in the document – Mission of the Redeemer.

‪#B16 is taking the torch of the ‪#NewEvangelization from ‪#BLJP2. The ‪#NewEvangelization is our marching orders. ‪#Catholic ‪#ScottHahn

We need to evangelize ourselves. Conversion is important for each of us. ‪#Catholic ‪#ScottHahn

The teachings of the Church don’t become ours until we TEACH them to others. ‪#NewEvangelization

We must come to know the term – Evangelical Catholic. ‪#ScottHahn ‪#NewEvangelization

“We are re-evangelizing the uncatechized.” ‪#ScottHahn ‪#NewEvangelization

The NewEvengelization is not a short-term process, but a life long journey. ‪#ScottHahn ‪#NewEvangelization

“The ‪#CCC is the most Scriptural saturated Catechism in the history of the Catholic Church.” ‪#ScottHahn

‪#BLJP2 and ‪#B16 have given us a tool – it’s called the Catechism of the Catholic Church. ‪#ScottHahn ‪#Catholic ‪#NewEvangelization

‪#CCC will unlock doors for the ‪#NewEvangelization. The ‪#CCC is not well understood or appreciated…not yet. ‪#ScottHahn

I would encourage you pick up the Catechism of the Catholic Church and begin reading it as soon as possible so you can appreciate this important document. You can subscribe to Flocknote.com/catechism and they will send you excerpts on a daily basis of the Catechism. The Twitter account @CatechismAPI and their website – Catholic Cross Reference is also another avenue that will assist you with the Catechism of the Catholic Church. @DailyCatechism is yet another Twitter account. The CCC has a Compendium that correlates with it and there is also the YOUCAT – the catechism that is written for the youth of the Catholic Church.

Your mission, if you choose to accept it – Buy a Catechism of the Catholic Church, Read it, and Evangelize others with it. The New Evangelization begins with you!  One more thing…in the words of Jesus Christ and Blessed John Paul II – BE NOT AFRAID!

Standing Up For Life and Humanity

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Today, thousands will gather in San Francisco for the West Coast Walk for Life (estimated crowd of 50,000), and yesterday, 500,000 – yes, ½ March for Life 2013million (some estimates claiming 650,000) people gathered for the March for Life in Washington, D.C. (even though the State-Run Liberal “Journalists” denied it was that large). Yesterday was the largest gathering of Pro-Lifers in this 40-year historical war between the forces of good and evil. Mark my words! – This is a war, and it is between good and evil. The Culture of Death, a phrase coined by Blessed John Paul II, is seeking to destroy all that is good and beautiful about the human person. As Christians, we must rise up and defend human life from conception to natural death. We must stand for marriage between one man and one woman (France, just did it!), we must fight against the evils of contraception, in vitro fertilization, cloning, stem-cell research that destroys human embryos, and child abuse. In the end, we must fight for the very good of humanity itself!!

The Culture of Death is not just about Abortion, but it contains all the forces of destruction that I have mentioned, which in the long haul will destroy civilization, as we know it. The effect these evils are having currently will only continue to disrupt and demonize humanity in the years to come. We can see it currently with the destruction of the family, the great strife between men and women in relationships, and the annihilation of the human person.

With 55 million children dead – 55 million children who had their lives in front of them – I say enough is enough! We must continue to fight for the unborn and for the beauty of the human person. Standing up for Life against the evils of Abortion is what we must do. It’s now part of who we are as humans in this historical period. In the words of William Wallace in the film, Braveheart, “Are you ready for a war?!” We are no longer fighting just battles, but it’s an all out war against the Culture of Death. We are not just fighting fellow humans, who justify Abortion as a “law” or because it’s the easy way out, but we are fighting against the spiritual world as well (Read Ephesians 6:10-18). As Christians, we must “put on the whole armor of God” so that we too can stand against the attacks by the devil. St. Paul knew this well – we must come to know it, live it, and fight for it, just like he did.

The Culture of Life must be the engaging force against “the present darkness.” With Jesus Christ as our source and summit, it is our fundamental duty as Christians to engage the culture, counteract the culture, and do all that we can to show the Light of the World to the culture. Our Lord is not a light that should be kept under a bushel basket, but He is the greatest light, the light brighter than a thousand Suns – Christ is the light that will pierce the darkness. Jesus Christ is the Heart – the very Core, of the Culture of Life, for He is Life itself. With Him…all things are possible!

Blessed John Paul II on the 1550th Anniversary of the Council of Ephesus

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It’s January 1, 2013 and the Catholic Church celebrates the great Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. While the secular world dives deeper into revelry and chaos, Catholics gather at the Holy Liturgy to celebrate Mary as the Mother of God. On this day, Mary is the Theotokos – the God-Bearer. She bore Jesus Christ who is both God and Man.

Theotokos - Orans

Since many of you know that I have a great love for both Mary, The Mother of God and Blessed John Paul II, it shouldn’t be any great surprise that on the first day of this new year, I would give you the words of Blessed John Paul speaking about Mary as the Theotokos.

Blessed John Paul II Although many popes have commented on the Council of Ephesus over the centuries, Blessed John Paul II distinctively professes the great magnitude of the Council when he says in his Apostolic Letter, 
A Concilio Constatinopolitano I of his Holiness John Paul II to the Bishops of the Catholic Church for the 1600th Anniversary of the First Council of Constantinople and the 1550th Anniversary of the Council of Ephesus,

“The Council of Ephesus thus had a value that was above all Christological, for it defined the two natures in Jesus Christ, the divine and the human, in order to state exactly the authentic doctrine of the Church already expressed by the Council of Nicaea in 325, but which had been imperiled by the spread of certain formulas used in the Nestorian teaching. In close connection with these affirmations, the Council of Ephesus also had a soteriological significance, for it illustrated the fact that-as the well- known axiom has it-”what is not assumed is not saved.” But just as closely linked with the value of these dogmatic truths was also the truth concerning the Blessed Virgin, called to the unique and unrepeatable dignity of being the Mother of God, the Theotokos, as was so clearly shown principally by the Letter of St. Cyril to Nestorius(6) and by the splendid Formula Unionis of 433.(7)”

“While we recall the joy and exultation that the profession of faith in the divine motherhood of the Virgin Mary (Theotokos) aroused 1550 years ago at Ephesus, we understand that that profession of faith also glorified the particular work of the Holy Spirit, the work composed of both the human conception and birth of the Son of God by the power of the Holy Spirit and, again by the power of the Holy Spirit, the holy motherhood of the Virgin Mary. This motherhood is not only the source and foundation of all her exceptional holiness and her very special participation in the whole plan of salvation; it also establishes a permanent maternal link with the Church, as a result of the fact that she was chosen by the holy Trinity as the Mother of Christ, who is “the Head of the body, the Church.”(14)”

May we all come to know Our Lord Jesus Christ better through his Holy and Blessed Mother, who on the Cross, was given to us all through John, and is now our Mother. Let us pray that her Mary’s Universal Motherhood stands for all time as our Queen Mother.

“Mondays with Mary” – The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Take Two

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The reading from the Gospel of Luke – 1:39-45 was read yesterday for the Gospel reading and was also read this week for the Gospel during weekly Mass. Instead of rehashing the entire reading, I give you my blog post that I wrote for the May 28 “Mondays with Mary” – The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I would also encourage you to read my post on – The Magnificat as well, even though that was not part of the reading yesterday and this week. Below are the words of Blessed John Paul II on the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary from his encyclical - Redemptoris Mater (Mother of the Redeemer) - 

Official JP 2 Papal Photo

“Immediately after the narration of the Annunciation, the Evangelist Luke guides us in the footsteps of the Virgin of Nazareth towards “a city of Judah” (Lk. 1:39). According to scholars this city would be the modern Ain Karim, situated in the mountains, not far from Jerusalem. Mary arrived there “in haste,” to visit Elizabeth her kinswoman. The reason for her visit is also to be found in the fact that at the Annunciation Gabriel had made special mention of Elizabeth, who in her old age had conceived a son by her husband Zechariah, through the power of God: “your kins woman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a Son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible” (Lk. 1:36-37). The divine messenger had spoken of what had been accomplished in Elizabeth in order to answer Mary’s question. “How shall this be, since I have no husband?” (Lk. 1:34) It is to come to pass precisely through the “power of the Most High,” just as it happened in the case of Elizabeth, and even more so.

Moved by charity, therefore, Mary goes to the house of her kinswoman. When Mary enters, Elizabeth replies to her greeting and feels the child leap in her womb, and being “filled with the Holy Spirit” she greets Mary with a loud cry: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” (cf. Lk. 1:40-42) Elizabeth’s exclamation or acclamation was subsequently to become part of the Hail Mary, as a continuation of the angel’s greeting, thus becoming one of the Church’s most frequently used prayers. But still more significant are the words of Elizabeth in the question which follows: “And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Lk. 1:43) Elizabeth bears witness to Mary: she recognizes and proclaims that before her stands the Mother of the Lord, the Mother of the Messiah. The son whom Elizabeth is carrying in her womb also shares in this witness: “The babe in my womb leaped for joy” (Lk. 1:44). This child is the future John the Baptist, who at the Jordan will point out Jesus as the Messiah.

While every word of Elizabeth’s greeting is filled with meaning, her final words would seem to have fundamental importance: “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord” (Lk. 1:45). These words can be linked with the little “full of grace” of the angel’s greeting. Both of these texts reveal an essential Mariological content, namely the truth about Mary, who has become really present in the mystery of Christ precisely because she “has believed.” The fullness of grace announced by the angel means the gift of God himself. Mary’s faith, proclaimed by Elizabeth at the Visitation, indicates how the Virgin of Nazareth responded to this gift.”

The Life and Times of Blessed John Paul II with the Catholic Jacks of Northern Arizona University

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On Thursday night, I had the privilege to speak at the Northern Arizona University Holy Trinity Catholic Newman Center in Flagstaff, Arizona. My talk was on the Life and Times of Blessed John Paul II at what is called – Newman Nights. The nights provide the students with guest speakers that come in to explain different topics on their Catholic faith. Fr. Matt Lowry, the Director and Pastor of the Holy Trinity Catholic Newman Center invited me up to speak. I know Fr. Matt Lowry from before he was even in seminary. He has now been in Flagstaff for just over four years and doing amazing work with the students. They are truly blessed to have such a fine young priest.

At the beginning of the talk, I told them to use the Twitter hashtag #BLJP2 during my talk if they liked something I said and wanted to tweet it. I also gave them my account – @tom_perna and their account – @naunewman. The first time I gave this talk I blogged about it as well but gave more information on Blessed John Paul II. Since the first talk on April 16, I have written many times on Blessed John Paul II, will do so in the future, and don’t feel the need to speak more about him here. You can view all my postings on #BLJP2 here.

Often people, who have tried to read his writings, find him difficult to understand. I understand this since I was at one time one of those individuals. After many years of reading his writings, and through the blessings of studying him, my lack of not knowing him has dissipated. When I advise individuals, such as young college students or high school students, on the writings of Blessed John Paul II, I tell them to begin with – Crossing the Threshold of Hope. It is my belief that this book is a good place for many people to start since it’s set up in a question and answer format and provides answers to important questions.

It was a true pleasure to speak to the Catholic Jacks at the NAU Newman Center, for so many of them are hungry for Jesus Christ and his Bride the Church. As one who has worked with high school students over the years, you can see in a young person’s eyes when they have found the light and the Truth we know to be Jesus Christ. Great things are happening in Flagstaff and the Holy Spirit is working.

I want to share one quick story from that night with you. After my talk, as I was walking out of the center to my car, a student starting shouting – “JP 2, We Love You.”  This of course was the cheer many young people shouted at the different World Youth Days during the Holy Father’s papacy. I mentioned this “shout out” in my talk. This young man was inspired to affirm my talk on #BLJP2 by cheering it and it was exciting to hear. I don’t know his name, but THANK YOU!! You made my night with your excitement for Blessed John Paul II.

To support the work of the Holy Trinity Catholic Newman Center, please make a contribution here.

Blessed John Paul II on Religious Freedom in America

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As this new dawn rises on America, it’s a day of sadness. It seems 50% and the electoral college (a flawed system at best) of the United States of America (united is now a loose term) have decided to re-elect a person that opposes religious freedom in this country. Actually, this individual is very hostile toward Christianity, but specifically Catholicism. For the 50% of Catholics (another term used loosely) who chose to vote for this person, what are you thinking? Do you have any idea what you have just done? You reap what you sow! I hope that at some point you will come to realize what your decisions could do to this country.

As Catholics, who are faithful to the teachings of the Church (not like the 50%), we must turn our gaze to the late great pontiff, Blessed John Paul II. He too lived through the Nazi Empire as well as the Socialists who ruled with Communism in Poland and most of Eastern Europe. Blessed John Paul was a fundamental figure in the writing of Dignitatis Humanae, the Declaration on Religious Freedom from the Second Vatican Council – because he was living through it! As faithful practicing Catholics who adhere to the teachings of the Church (not like those numbers above), we must storm heaven with prayers and ask the intercession of Blessed John Paul II, St. Thomas More (and the fight for religious freedom), St. John Fisher, the Mexican Martyrs, and all the other saints who lived under governments that oppressed religious freedom.

On October 8, 1995, in Baltimore, Maryland, no less, Blessed John Paul II said,

“The challenge facing you, dear friends, is to increase people’s awareness of the importance for society of religious freedom; to defend that freedom against those who would take religion out of the public domain and establish secularism in America’s official faith. And it is vitally necessary, for the very survival of the American experience, to transmit to the next generation the precious legacy of religious freedom and the convictions which sustain it.”

It would seem that Blessed John Paul II could see the “writing on the wall” in 1995 as his statement has a prophetic tone to it. So what can we do?  Storm heaven with our prayers and know that God is still God no matter who the person leading a country is and remember the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ and Blessed John Paul II – “BE NOT AFRAID!”

What a Day to Become a Priest

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On November 1, 1946, Karol Wojtyla was ordained to the Catholic Priesthood. Joining the “underground” seminary while the Nazi Empire still ruled Poland, Wojtyla knew his calling; his vocation was that of a Catholic priest. As many of you know, November 1, is the Solemnity of All Saints. This must have been a glorious day in the life of Karol Wojtyla and the other men ordained with him since it is the day the Church celebrates the lives of the many saints that lived lives of heroic virtue. One of the saints that impacted Wojtyla’s life is the great mystic – St. John of the Cross. St. John impacted his life so much that one of his two doctoral dissertations was written on his subject of faith.

After studying in Rome, he returned to Poland and was a parochial vicar (associate priest) of various parishes in Krakow as well as a chaplain to university students.  Since Catholic priests were forbidden to associate with university students, many of his students warmly called him “Uncle” instead of Fr. Wojtyla to protect him from the socialistic regime of Russia that occupied much of Eastern Europe. After more years of study and his second doctorate dissertation, he became a professor of Moral Theology and Social Ethics in the major seminary of Krakow and in the Faculty of Theology of Lublin until he was ordained the Auxiliary Bishop of Krakow.

Even as Pope of the Catholic Church, Karol Wojtyla (Blessed John Paul II) loved being a Catholic priest. His great love for the Holy Eucharist was witnessed many times over during this 26-year pontificate. He had a great devotion to the Blessed Mother and often taught on the Lives of the Saints. His impact on the Catholic Church and the priesthood will resound for decades to come.

In his Letter to Priests on Holy Thursday 2005, he says, “We priests are the celebrants, but also the guardians of this most sacred mystery. It is our relationship to the Eucharist that most clearly challenges us to lead a “sacred” life. This must shine forth from our whole way of being, but above all from the way we celebrate. Let us sit at the school of the saints! The Year of the Eucharist invites us to rediscover those saints who were vigorous proponents of Eucharistic devotion (cf. Mane Nobiscum Domine, 31). Many beatified and canonized priests have given exemplary testimony in this regard, enkindling fervour among the faithful present at their celebrations of Mass. Many of them were known for their prolonged Eucharistic adoration. To place ourselves before Jesus in the Eucharist, to take advantage of our “moments of solitude” and to fill them with this Presence, is to enliven our consecration by our personal relationship with Christ, from whom our life derives its joy and its meaning.”

When I read this quote from Blessed John Paul II, it reminds me of the many great men, the new breed of holy priests; that are answering the call to sacrifice their lives for the Catholic Church. It’s a blessing to know so many here in the Diocese of Phoenix and to work for two that exemplify the words of Blessed John Paul II – Fr. Kilian McCaffrey and Fr. Chad King. May Blessed John Paul II, on this great solemnity of All Saints, intercede for our priests.