Remembering Pope John Paul II

Whether Protestant or Roman Catholic, I suppose most of us in my generation who work in the Church or other Christian service serve in some way under the influenced of the ministry of Pope John Paul II.

In 1979, I was freshly graduated from college and beginning my career in Christian work. The then-new Pope John Paul II was honouring Chicago's Polish community with one of his early visits. I was unable to attend his mass in Grant Park in person, but I attended carefully to the radio broadcast.

His challenge to his congregation then is one that still echoes through my mind today. “We must all work together for the spread of the Gospel to the people who still are in need,” he said. We must not allow ourselves to be divided and distracted from this crucial task. And this task was crucial because, he said, “There’s no other name under heaven given amongst men whereby we must be saved.”

He was truly a spiritual and intellectual force to be reckoned with in our generation. His writings forcefully engaged the contemporary challenges to the gospel. In 1993, Veritatis splendor, the splendour of truth. In 1995, Evangelium vitae, the gospel of life. In so many more, he was a model of a passionate defense of the gifts of God.

In the apostolic faith that binds Christians together, his powerful expositions offered us encouragement and strength for our faith. In the areas where Christians disagree, his strong defense of his convictions forced us in response to think more deeply about what we believed. In agreement or disagreement, his influence still strengthened and deepened our faith.

Commentators have wondered how a person so sure of the truth of his beliefs could have the commitment to interfaith dialogue that John Paul had. It shouldn't be surprising. A dialogue requires at least two people with something to say. And Pope John Paul II knew he had something to say, and that it was worth listening to. That's as much a prerequisite for dialogue as being willing to listen -- which the Pope was also did. He listened and learned and spoke and taught. With his very life until the very end.