Denver Catholic

31 DENVER CATHOLIC | MAY 23-JUNE 26, 2020 The gift of John Paul II on his 100th birthday W ell, I'm not in Poland. As you may recall, last winter I told you I was leading a pilgrimage to celebrate St. John Paul II's 100th birthday in Poland. I was really excited about it. I love him, and I couldn't imagine a better way to celebrate his cente- nary than to visit his homeland, walk in his footsteps and bask in everything about his life. But COVID -19 is a destroyer of dreams, and this one bit the dust early in the course of the pandemic. So, instead of waking up today to the first morning of our Polish adventure, I woke up to another day at home, in my sweats. Day 400,000 of quaran- tine...or so it seems, anyway. But all things work for the good for those who love Him. Apparently the good Lord had his own ideas about how we should be celebrating the birthday of his beloved servant. And He certainly delivered. A few weeks ago, I received an invi- tation to participate in the Theology of the Body Virtual Conference. Over 50 speakers, all giving talks on St. John Paul II's beautiful meditations on our creation as image and likeness of God. I enthusiastically agreed. And went to work preparing, recording and sub- mitting my talks. Meanwhile, the participant count grew. I believe there were 10,000 registered when I signed on. That's a LOT of people for a conference. But then it was 20,000, then 30,000. They sent us graphics with registration numbers to promote the conference on social media. They kept sending new versions. 40,000. 50,000. The last one I received said 68,000. The final email reported a grand total of over 77,000 participants! That, my friends, is a lot of people to be interested in the message of a 100-year-old pope. Why? What is it about his message that still resonates so strongly, 15 years after his death? For some insight into that, let's look at some of the talk topics. I gave three: Sex, Love and the Theology of the Body; The Theology of the Body and the Feminine Genius; and the Theology of the Body and Work. Others spoke on the TOB and: heal- ing, the afterlife, same-sex attrac- tion, marriage, the family, single life, justice, infertility, sports, vocations, COVID -19, prayer . . . need I go on? St. John Paul II was beloved for many, many reasons. He was acces- sible. He was the first Pope to really travel the world. It has been said that he was likely seen in person by more people than any other human being. Ever. And when he saw those people, he brought love. Not just his own love, but the love of Christ. He radiated it. It seemed to ooze from every pore of his being. But those who have delved a little deeper into his writings have found deeper reasons to love him. He met us "where we live." He talked about things that matter to us — not in a shallow, superficial way, but with a combination of depth and accessibil- ity that can only come from the grace of God. And he presented truths that still apply, 40 years later, in circum- stances he could have never foreseen during his earthly life. I discovered the Theology of the Body in 1985, shortly after he finished giving the talks. And as I have written many times before in this space, it changed the course of my life. Those beautiful meditations on our human- ity revolutionized my understanding of God's plan for sex, love and mar- riage. But, as you can see from the list above, their impact doesn't stop there. They touch virtually every area of our lives. And, thanks to the e™orts of speakers, authors, teachers and theo- logians all over the world, that mes- sage is still spreading from its origins in St. Peter's Square 40 years ago and reverberating throughout the world. And it is being applied to every area of life. Not because it is some kind of new theological invention. But because it is a fresh presentation of the eternal truths of Scripture, the truth about our creation, our dignity and our redemp- tion by the God who loves us. I have spilled a lot of ink on these pages over the years, trying to unpack for you the wisdom of St. John Paul the Great, and to help you apply it to your daily life. God willing, I will spill many gallons more in years to come. But for today, I simply want to o™er encouragement, and thanks. First, the encouragement. Papal biographer (and fellow Denver Cath- olic columnist) George Weigel has said that the key to understanding St. John Paul II's e™ectiveness was "radiant, Christ-centered faith." He was a "radically converted Christian disciple." It wasn't him. It was God, working through him, because he had turned himself over completely. His life o™ers us an example of what that looks like, and the reminder that we are called to do the same. I want to encourage you to do that. A good start along that path would be to immerse yourself in the works of that great example. Read his encyc- licals and apostolic letters. Learn about the Theology of the Body. Sign up for the TOB Virtual Conference — access to the talks is still available. Let his mind transform your mind — and your heart. And finally, I want to o™er thanks to God, for bringing this amazing man into our Church and our lives. The good Lord spared his life many, many times, so that he could lead us to the fullness of life in Christ. Countless lives were changed. The 77,000 who signed up for our conference were a good start, but I'd be willing the bet that figure is merely a drop in the bucket. He touched the hearts of mil- lions. Hundreds of millions. Thank you, Lord, for the great gift of St. John Paul II. St. John Paul the Great, pray for us. And Happy Birthday!!! Guest Column Mary Beth is a Denver- based real estate agent and syndicated columnist. She is the author of We're on a Mission from God and Real Love. She can be reached via her website at www.mblovesdenver.com. MARY BETH BONACCI link the priesthood to the complete gift of self expressed in the Church's worship and Christ's o™ering within the Eucharist. In the first part of the book, Benedict argues that "the cultic act proceeds by way of an o™ering of the totality of one's life in love. The priesthood of Jesus Christ causes us to enter into a life that consists of becoming one with him and renounc- ing all that belongs to us" (26). In the Old Testament, ritual purity required abstinence during priestly service. "But because of the regular and often even daily celebration of the Eucha- rist," he continues, the entire of life of priests "is in contact with the divine mystery. This requires on their part exclusivity in relation to God" (41). There is an ontological conformity of the priest to Christ, so that the priest must "continually be purified and overcome by Christ so that he is the one who speaks and acts" through him (59). In Cardinal Sarah's longer section of the book, he o™ers an appeal for renewal: "Dear priest, dear seminar- ians, let us not allow ourselves [to] get caught up in haste, activism, and the superficiality of a life that gives priority to social or ecological com- mitment, as though time dedicated to Christ in silence were lost time. It is precisely in prayer and adora- tion in front of the tabernacle that we find the indispensable support for our virginity and our priestly celibacy" (130). He contends that a greater emphasis on evangelization and prayer will bear more vocations to the priesthood and will bolster the Church's mission in this diªcult time (120). He specifically responds to the married priesthood of the East, seeing it more as a later historical concession than a norm, and con- tends that even within the Eastern rites, a celibate monasticism and epis- copacy retain a spiritual preeminence (81). Sarah argues that celibacy pro- vides a necessary sign for all people, including those of Amazonia, calling not only priests but all the faithful to greater fidelity to Christ. The Church certainly needs renewal. As the world changes and the Church faces new challenges, she must remain faithful to the faith and mission given her directly by Christ. The laity and clergy must work together in this mission, although our priests bear the special grace of representing Christ sacramentally. As we seek renewal, Pope Benedict and Cardinal Sarah give us a strong defense of the importance of celibacy and its enduring relevance for the life of the Church.

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