Sayings Of The Saints - Pope Saint John Paul II
O Blessed Trinity, we thank you for having graced the church with
Pope John Paul II and for allowing the tenderness of your fatherly care,
the glory of the cross of Christ, and the splendor of the Holy Spirit,
to shine through him. Trusting fully in your infinite mercy and in the
maternal intercession of Mary, he has given us a living image of Jesus
the Good Shepherd, and has shown us that holiness is the necessary
measure of ordinary Christian life and is the way of achieving eternal
communion with you. Grant us, by his intercession, and according to your
will, the graces we implore, hoping that he will soon be numbered among
your saints. Amen.
Official prayer to ask favors through the intercession Pope John Paul II
God is always on the side of the suffering. His omnipotence is
manifested precisely in the fact that he freely accepted suffering. He
could have chosen not to do so. He could have chosen to demonstrate his
omnipotence even at the moment of the Crucifixion. In fact, it was
proposed to him:
"Let the Messiah, the King of Israel come down now from the cross that we may see and believe." (Mark 15.32)
But he did not accept that challenge. The fact that he stayed on the
Cross until the end, the fact that on the Cross he could say, as do all
who suffer,
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15.34)
If the agony on the Cross had not happened, the truth that God is
Love would have been unfounded. Yes! God is Love and precisely for this
he gave his Son, to reveal himself completely as Love. Christ is the One
who "loved...to the end." (John 13.1) "To the end" means to the last
breath.
Pope John Paul II from Crossing The Threshold of Hope
To save means to liberate from evil. This does not refer only to
social evils, such as injustice, coercion, exploitation. Nor does it
refer only to disease, catasrophes, natural cataclysms, and everything
that has been considered disaster in the history of humanity. To save
means to liberate from radical, ultimate evil. Death itself is no longer
that kind of evil, if followed by the Resurrection. And the
Resurrection comes about through the work of Christ. Through the work of
the Reddemer death ceases to be an ultimate evil; it becomes subject to
the power of life. The world does no have such power. The world, which
is capable of perfecting therapeutic techniques in various fields, does
not have the power to liberate man from death. And therefore the world
cannot be a source of salvation for man. Only God saves, and He saves
the whole of humanity in Christ.
Pope John Paul II, from Crossing the Threshold of Hope
The essential usefulness of faith consists in the fact that, through
faith, man achieves the good of his rational nature. And he achieves it
by giving his response to God, as is his duty - a duty not only to God,
but to himself. Christ did everything in order to convince us of the
importance of this response. Man is called upon to give this response
with inner freedom so that it will radiate that veritatis splendor
(splendor of truth) so essential to human dignity. Christ wants to
awaken faith in human hearts. He wants them to respond to the word of
the Father, but he wants this in full respect for human dignity. In the
very search for faith an implicit faith is already present, and
therefore the necessary condition for salvation is already satisfied.
Pope John Paul II, from Crossing the Threshold of Hope
What emanates from the figure of Saint Joseph is faith...Joseph of
Nazareth is a "just man" because he totally "lives by faith." He is holy
because his faith is truly heroic. Sacred Scripture says little of him.
It does not record even one word spoken by Joseph, the carpenter of
Nazareth. And yet, even without words, he shows the depth of his faith,
his greatness. Saint Joseph is a man of great spirit. He is great in
faith, not because he speaks his own words, but above all because he
listens to the words of the Living God. He listens in silence. And his
heart ceaselessly perseveres in the readiness to accept the Truth
contained in the word of the Living God. We see how the word of the
Living God penetrates deeply into the sould of that man, that just man.
And we, do we know how to listen to the word of God? Do we know how to
absorb it into the depths of our human personalities? Do we open our
conscience in the presend of this word?
Pope John Paul II from Daily Meditations
On my pastoral journeys around the world I always try to meet
representatives of the Jewish community. But a truly exceptional
experience for me was cartainly my visit to the synagogue of Rome. The
history of the Jews in Rome is a unique chapter in the history of the
Jewish people, a chapter closely linked for that matter to The Acts of
the Apostles. During that memorable visit, I spoke of the Jews as our
elder brothers in the faith. These words were an expression both of the
Vatican Council's teaching and a profound conviction of the part of the
Church.... The New Convent has its roots in the old. The time when the
people of the Old Covenant will be able to see themselves as part of the
New is a question to be left to the Holy Spirit. We, as human beings,
try only not to put obstacles in the way. Forgive us, Lord, when we fail
to foster genuine understanding between Christians and Jews.
Pope John Paul II, from Crossing the Threshold of Hope
Many people today are disoriented and lost in search of genuine
fellowship. Often their lives are either too superficial or shattered by
brokenness. Their work often is dehumanizing. They long for an
experience of genuine encounter with others, for true fellowship. Well,
is this not precisely the vocation of a parish? Are we not called to be a
warm, brotherly family together? Are we not people united together in
the household of God through our common life? Your parish is not mainly a
structure, a geographical area or a building. The parish is first and
foremost a community of the faithful. This is the task of a parish
today: to be a community, to rediscover its identity as a community. You
are not a Christian all by yourself. To be a Christian means to believe
and to live one's faith together with others. For we are all members of
the body of Christ.... For fellowship to grow, the priest's role is not
enough, even though he plays an essential role. The commitment of all
parishioners is needed. Each of their contributions is vital.
Pope John Paul II from Draw Near to God
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