A Deo et Rege

                                                
I take the news of our Holy Father’s death with great
sadness and weeping, yet also with great rejoicing. The Pope was dear to my
heart, yet I know he has gone to be with our Lord, which as St. Paul says, is far better. I’m a young
Catholic, a convert too. John Paul II is the only Pope I’ve ever known. For me
and millions of other Catholics, his death and “what we were doing that day”
will always be etched forever in our minds, much like the assassination of John
Kennedy for many older Americans.

John Paul II leaves behind an amazing legacy, one that only
a few popes have ever achieved and one that few in the future ever will. I am
proud to have become a Catholic during his papacy and have no doubt that the
Catholic Church and history books alike will remember him as St. John Paul the
Great: the man who helped bring down communism and yet embraced the world’s poor and downtrodden.

Goodbye Papa, you are loved by so many.

Image is a detail Guercino: Angels Weeping (from Carol Gerten-Jackson)

I want to thank the hundreds of people (mostly coming via AOL News) who have shared their thoughts on our beloved Pope on my blog. Most are touching and heartwarming testimonies to the work God has done through Pope John Paul II. Thank you!

It’s been awhile since I’ve written about Catholic
misconceptions, but given the large number of questions and assumptions about this subject from
people visiting my prayer page for the Pope, I wanted to briefly address it. First,
Catholics do NOT believe that the Pope is God. The Pope is a man, albeit one
that we Catholics believe has been called to the highest office in the Church
and when exercising that office has special gifts and prerogatives. So, why do we
call him holy father then?

Even the word pope comes from the Latin for papa, i.e. dad.
The pope functions as an earthly father to God’s family, much like St. Joseph functioned as
a foster father to Jesus while on earth, or a child has his own earthly father.
None of these take away from God’s ultimate and supreme position as Father. In
fact, especially if the earthly father is holy and has integrity, then God’s
role as Father is more clearly modeled and understood. In this way, John Paul
II especially has revealed God’s love to so many people.

So, why do we call him “holy” father? This is related to why
we call the Church “holy” in the creeds. In spite of a membership of sinners,
she is holy because her head, Christ, is holy. The catechism states:

"The Church . . . is held, as a matter of faith, to
be unfailingly holy. This is because Christ, the Son of God, who with
the Father and the Spirit is hailed as ‘alone holy,’ loved the Church
as his Bride, giving himself up for her so as to sanctify her; he
joined her to himself as his body and endowed her with the gift of the
Holy Spirit for the glory of God." The Church, then, is "the holy People of God," and her members are called "saints." (#823)

Also, in spite of a Pope’s human frailties, he can be called holy because of his office as Pope.
Once again, the holiness that comes from this office comes not from him or his actions, but only from the
holiness and grace of Christ, which we believe he gives to all in the Church
who seek him.

In conclusion, please do not confuse what we are saying. However,
we speak with affection towards John Paul II because to Catholics, he is our
spiritual earthly father, one who has graciously modeled the love of the Father
in heaven to us. And, like an earthly father, his sickness and nearing death are
heartbreaking. This little essay is NOT meant to start a debate, but to help people understand where we come from, whether agreed or not.

Sources and further reading:

Essay XI: Rev. George D. Smith
Is the Pope A Holy Father?
Andrew Apologetic Ministries
Catechism of the Catholic Church

Amazing words from a man whose trust in God through his actions should inspire us all:

The natural aversion to death and this incipient hope of immortality are illumined and brought to fulfillment by the Christian Faith, which both promises and offers a share in the victory of the Risen Christ: it is the victory of the One who, by his redemptive death, has set man free from death, the wages of sin (Rom. 6:23), and has given him the Spirit, the pledge of resurrection and of life (cf. Rom. 8:11). The certainty of future immortality and hope in the promised resurrection cast new light on the mystery of suffering and death, and fill a believer with the extraordinary capacity to trust fully in the plan of God.

From The Theology of the Body (Human Love in the Divine Plan) (pp. 546-567)

I have had the privilege of becoming a Catholic during the pontificate of Pope John Paul II. His amazing life has touched more than just me, but billions of others inside and outside of the Church. Millions are living free in the former Soviet Union because he stood fast against the wiles of communism and urged others to do the same. He has worked to promote better relations and understanding with Jews, Muslims, and other Christians, especially the Eastern Orthodox. He has consistently stood on the side of life, standing up, even when it was unpopular, for the unborn, the poor, and even convicted criminals. He has modeled a life of charity, integrity and holiness, prompting the Protestant Billy Graham to call him one of the greatest moral and spiritual leaders of the (20th) century. He is the only Pope many Catholics have known and we are immensely blessed to have him, even if for a little longer, as our spiritual leader.

Matt Drudge was premature and the Vatican confirms the Pope is still living. He still needs our prayers. I apologize for posting about this when it was still unconfirmed.

It looks like the condition of the Pope has become quite grave. I’ve tried to stay away from all the speculation about his condition that has occurred in recent weeks, but this looks quite bad. He has been such a warrior for the Truth all these years and he holds the admiration of billions, Catholics and non-Catholics alike for his fight against Communism, his work on behalf of life, and his personal holiness and integrity. May God grant him healing and peace.

Since it’s been awhile…part one is here.

Next we visited a beautiful grotto devoted to the Sorrowful Mother. I asked her to pray for me while visibly shivering because of the cold. We continued along the path. There were many smaller monuments to various Saints, all of them donated by faithful pilgrims. These and more tree shrines lined the windy path that led to the bigger and more elaborate grottoes. The first of these we encountered was a beautifully recreated Spanish design that housed a statue dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe. I stayed for awhile at this grotto since it had special importance to me: I was engaged on her feast and she is the patroness of the Americas.

Next we visited some smaller grottoes, including ones dedicated to Our Lady of Czestochowa and Sts. Maria and Isodore. The first one is included because of the many Polish speaking pilgrims who come to the shrine. Ethnic pilgrimages are an important part of the shrine activities and they even provide services in various languages. Sts.  Isadore and Maria, however, represent the local culture. They are patron saints of farmers and at this grotto we said some prayers associated with that theme (provided by the shrine). It was great to see this Catholic recognition of rural life. Of course, the shrine itself is right in the midst of it!

After this, we moved along to the next major site, the Lourdes grotto. As a replica of Lourdes in France, it is one of the most impressive of all the grottoes. It was so cold, the water there was frozen! I would love to visit the real thing someday, if I can ever afford a tour of Europe!

Now we continued along the path, enjoying the scenery and getting into the spirit of the pilgrimage. I can attest that it’s easier to lift your mind to God in the midst of such wondrous nature. As we walked we noticed the beautiful stations of the cross markers as well as more tree shrines and monuments, including St. Catherine of Siena, the Paton saint of a very special person in my life. There was also a beautiful white crucifix that was especially moving since we were doing our pilgrimage during Holy Week. I noticed someone had put a rosary on it, which people had also done on many other statues. I’m not familiar with certain customs and it’s always great to learn more.

More to come…

Photo on left of Lourdes grotto; photos on right are tree shrine and Guadalupe grotto.
All photos taken by Jonathan Bennett