Living the Truth in Love Our Blessed Mother and Blessed John Paul II We have just celebrated the Beatification of the great Pope John Paul II on a Sunday that was especially important for him -- that of Divine Mercy. Blessed John Paul II has given our modern world a monumental example of love and holiness which has touched the lives of many so evident in the crowds that turned out for his Beatification. It is so fitting that his Beatification took place, not only on the Sunday of Divine Mercy, but also on the first day of May, a month which is dedicated to our Blessed Mother. Pope John Paul II s devotion to Mary was a cornerstone of his life as was evidenced by the predominant "M," for Mary, on his coat of arms and his well known motto, Totus Tuus-totally yours for Mary. Our Lady always had an important part in all of the writings of Blessed John 1
Paul II. He consistently emphasized her role as a model Christian who embodied the meaning and the living out of the Gospel of her Divine Son, Jesus Christ. One of his monumental writings on Mary was his Apostolic Letter, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, the Rosary of the Virgin Mary. He gave us this gift on October 16, 2002, which was the 25th anniversary of his own election as the Successor of St. Peter. It was in this Apostolic Letter that he also added five new decades to the Rosary -- the "Mysteries of Light." It is so appropriate to reflect upon this Letter, not only for the month of May, dedicated to Mary, but also to understand and emulate more the life and holiness of the recently beatified Pope John Paul II. It contains so much that it has to be read several times and each reading will bring a new level of spiritual meaning. It is also an excellent instrument of catechesis on Mary. While Pope John Paul II tells us much about Mary and the Rosary in his Letter, he also tells us much about himself, both directly and indirectly. Directly, he tells us of his great devotion to Mary and of his own personal praying of the Rosary. We learn that the Rosary was his favorite prayer and how it accompanied him in moments of joy and difficulty. He tells us how he set his ministry to the daily rhythm of the Rosary. The Holy Father's words are very moving as they reflect his personal devotion, which set him on the way to sainthood. His reflection is inspiring as we see in Pope John Paul II's personal life his faithfulness 2
to prayer which motivated him in every aspect of his life. However, Pope John Paul II also tells us much more in his letter about his personal prayer life in an indirect manner. From his Apostolic Letter on the Rosary, it is obvious that Pope John Paul II was a mystic. He was continually in deep union with God and truly a contemplative in action. Pope John Paul II was a monk whose monastery was the world. It is no wonder that this mystic, living so publicly and joyfully in the midst of the world, inspired so many to recognize his humble holiness, as was manifest at his Beatification. While growing up in Poland, Pope John Paul II was attracted to a contemplative way of life. At an early age, he followed a Polish layman who led a group of young people into an appreciation of contemplative prayer. Through this experience, he participated in a "living Rosary" and became familiar with the works of the great Spanish mystics, St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross. The young John Paul II considered becoming a Carmelite but, although he never did, he never lost his attraction to contemplative prayer. This attraction was so obvious in his love for nature and his being alone in the mountains where he loved to vacation. It also is revealed in his doctoral dissertation on St. John of the Cross. 3
In the Rosary of the Virgin Mary, Blessed Pope John Paul II refers to the words of St. Paul in his Letter to the Romans where we are told that, "The Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings" (Rom 8:26). This passage was a favorite one of Pope John Paul II to which he referred often in many of his other writings. As a mystic, he truly turned himself over to God when he prayed. In his personal book, Crossing the Threshold of Hope, Pope John Paul II speaks about his personal prayer life and again quotes Romans 8. Here he says, "We begin to pray, believing that it is our own initiative that compels us to do so. Instead, we learn that it is always God's initiative within us." Anyone who was ever in the presence of Blessed Pope John Paul II when he prayed before Mass knows that he turned his complete self over to God's initiative. It was from this prayer and the Mass that he allowed God to use him as an instrument throughout the day. Pope John Paul II has also given us an insight into his outlook on life which involves the total person: mind, heart, body and soul. Prayer is neither a matter of separating mind and body nor of separating one s self from one's surroundings in the world. Prayer involves the total person and leads to action. He expresses this understanding well when he says, "While Christian spirituality is familiar with the 4
most sublime form of mystical silence in which images, words, and gestures are all, so to speak, superceded by an intense and ineffable union with God, it normally engages the whole person in all his complex, psychological, physical, and relational reality." Pope John Paul II's emphasis on the total person's involvement in prayer revealed his philosophy of the acting person about which he wrote another dissertation. It is easy to see the mystic in him, but a mystic who was totally engaged in the world through activity. Even when he became elderly and frail through his illness, he used all of his mental and physical capacities to their fullest capability. He also used his illness as a means of communicating God's love. As we celebrate this month of May, we look to our Blessed Mother as an example of how to live our Christianity in the midst of the world. Blessed John Paul II gives us a wonderful example of doing this in the modern world in such a public fashion. His Letter on the Rosary is an invitation to all of us to deepen our appreciation for prayer and the role of Mary in our lives. Pope John Paul's devotion to Mary and the Rosary is a key factor in understanding how he has come to the road of sainthood and how he accomplished so much in this world. May our Blessed Mother guide us during this month to living our lives in a 5
manner similar to that of Blessed John Paul II in the different vocations and circumstances to which He has called us. Holiness is not limited to a few. It is the call of everyone. Most Reverend Gerald M. Barbarito May 6, 2011 6