10 Reasons To Keep JPII’s Legacy Alive
I was giving a talk to a group of Catholic high school students not long ago on the Church’s advice for discerning messages in the media. Naturally, JPII came up, as he had a ton of great wisdom to say on the subject. (And because I’ll use any excuse to sneak him into a talk.)
His photo came up on the projector next to a quote. “Do you guys know who this is?” I asked, trying to encourage interaction.
Blank stares.
“Does anyone recognize him? Show of hands?”
Out of 100 kids, a few meager hands were raised.
I hope the shock wasn’t noticeable on my face. Really? Do you have any idea how important this man was?? Arguably the holiest man of the last century, and you can’t even recognize him?
Now, it’s possible they were holding out on me – I know when I was in high school, I usually didn’t raise my hand when a speaker asked any question. But I could tell from their blank stares that some of them honestly did not know who Pope John Paul II was.
And maybe you’ve encountered something similar. I know that this was not an isolated event for me – since then, I have repeatedly encountered Catholic kids who barely know of JPII. And if they know “who” he is, they don’t know much about him. And if they know a thing or two about him, they still don’t have a strong appreciation for him.
Realization #1: I am no longer a teenager. And I haven’t been for 5 years, but it feels like yesterday. I guess it’s time to admit that the youth of today are an entirely different generation than my own. These high school freshmen were 6 years old when JPII died. They simply don’t have the same emotional connection to him that many of my peers do.
Realization #2: It’s not their fault. As far as these teenagers are concerned, JPII is someone from the history books. And that effect will only grow with each passing year. Line him up next to Reagan, and Columbus, and Betsy Ross. Whoever educated these kids about Catholic heroes – or about influential world leaders – left a gaping hole.
Now, I don’t have any statistics to show you – just the simplicity of my own experiences. However, it gave me cause to start thinking:
Why is this man worth remembering?
Why should I care if young Catholics don’t know anything about him?
In celebration of his feast day, and in anticipation of his canonization, let’s go back and remember why we love JPII so much.
During the Nazi occupation, Karol formed an underground acting society to keep Polish culture alive. He heroically saved multiple Jews from capture and death. He studied to be a priest in a clandestine seminary, continually putting his life at risk.
When you read all his writings, realizing what he personally went through, it’s hard not to respect the man.
By age 26 he became a priest, and at 58 became Pope John Paul II.
Know what, this meme says it better than I ever could:
2) The downfall of communism
John Paul II played an instrumental role in the downfall of communism in Eastern Europe. As Gorbachev himself said: “The collapse of the Iron Curtain would have been impossible without John Paul II.”
One of my favorite movies on JPII is a documentary about his watershed trip to Poland in June of 1979, which helped spark a peaceful revolution in his native country. Do yourself a favor and watch it: Nine Days That Changed the World.
(Seriously, stop reading this blog post, and just go order it)
3) Theology of the Body
In a century confused by widespread deterioration in sexual morality, JPII took the Church’s timeless teachings on love, marriage, sex, and family – and presented them in a new light. He helped us understand why we believe what we believe, and ultimately showed us that Catholic sexual ethics are in fact truly liberating
4) A brilliant linguist
So… while in college, JPII mastered at least 9 languages (and studied more). This came in handy, as he would later become the most well-travelled Pope in history, visiting his flock in 129 different countries.
When I was in college, I barely mastered English.
It’s hard not to respect brilliant people. And it’s impossible not to respect them when they use their gifts for Good.
5) Christian Personalism
Repeatedly throughout his papacy, JPII preached the dignity of each and every human person, in all stages of life. He reminded us that persons are made for love, not for use. And he echoed the words of our Savior when he told us, “Man cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of himself.”
Life is about people, not things. In a culture where self-gratification, fortune, and fame are the ultimate goods, and in a society where objectification of persons is common practice, this was – and still remains – a message the world desperately needed to hear.
What really makes us love JPII though, is not just the message, but the fact that he embodied this philosophy with the way he lived his entire life. Remembering the names of his Swiss guards. Humbly serving his flock for over 20 years. Discarding formalities and embracing those who tried to kiss his ring. He had a certain way about him where you knew he deeply cared about you, even if he barely knew you. JPII sincerely made his life a gift to all of us.
6) A saint in the 21st century
JPII showed us what it looks like to be a saint in the modern world. And more importantly, he showed us it could be done.
Who among us wasn’t inspired by his holiness? Striving for sainthood became something attractive. Living a life of prayer and virtue was something that, maybe I too, could reach for.
JPII understood young people; he understood their desires and their fears. World Youth Day anyone? JPII drew such enormous crowds because his messages were challenging, yet filled with hope. Compassionate, yet not watered down. We knew in our hearts that he spoke the truth, and each message was a cause for contemplation.
“It is Jesus that you seek when you dream of happiness; He is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you; He is the beauty to which you are so attracted; it is He who provoked you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise; it is He who urges you to shed the masks of a false life; it is He who reads in your heart your most genuine choices, the choices that others try to stifle.
It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be ground down by mediocrity, the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal.”
7) Forgiving his assassin
Not something most of us get the chance to do… but I imagine if we did, it would be extremely difficult.
JPII led by example – even when it was tough – and showed us what the Christian walk looks like.
8) The New Evangelization
JPII got us pumped to be Catholic again. He was an invigorating breath of fresh hope and promise to the Church, especially to us young people. And he reminded us of the need to be “evangelizers” to those Catholics in our lives who also need to re-experience God’s love and truth.
“I sense that the moment has come to commit all of the Church’s energies to a new evangelization and to the mission. No believer in Christ, no institution of the Church can avoid this supreme duty: to proclaim Christ to all peoples”
And as a media school, it’s hard not to get excited about his view for media in the new evangelization. JPII recognized technology as a gift from God that has huge potential to be used either for good or ill. He inspired many of us to take up media and use it for the betterment of culture.
“For the new evangelization to be effective, it is essential to have a deep understanding of the culture of our time in which the social communications media are most influential.”
9) His love for the arts
JPII had a huge passion for the arts, and understood how precious cultural traditions are. While a kid, his dream was to be an actor. He enjoyed literature, drama, and even movies. One of our favorite quotes at JPCatholic:
“I send from my heart a special blessing to all those who, with their different tasks, work in the cinema industry and also to those who endeavor to use the cinema as an authentic vehicle of culture for the integral growth of each person and of society as a whole.”
In 1999, he also wrote a Letter to Christian Artists, reminding them of their vocation as co-creators, and urged them to express Truth, Beauty, and Goodness with their artistic intuition.
10) That smile
What else? List why you love JPII in the comments below!
Joe Houde studied business and media at Franciscan University of Steubenville. He currently works in Admissions at JP Catholic University.
RELATED: 21 Awesome Facts You Didn’t Know About JP2
RELATED: Our 33 Favorite JPII quotesRELATED: A Catholic University Inspired by Pope John Paul the Great
His photo came up on the projector next to a quote. “Do you guys know who this is?” I asked, trying to encourage interaction.
Blank stares.
“Does anyone recognize him? Show of hands?”
Out of 100 kids, a few meager hands were raised.
I hope the shock wasn’t noticeable on my face. Really? Do you have any idea how important this man was?? Arguably the holiest man of the last century, and you can’t even recognize him?
Now, it’s possible they were holding out on me – I know when I was in high school, I usually didn’t raise my hand when a speaker asked any question. But I could tell from their blank stares that some of them honestly did not know who Pope John Paul II was.
And maybe you’ve encountered something similar. I know that this was not an isolated event for me – since then, I have repeatedly encountered Catholic kids who barely know of JPII. And if they know “who” he is, they don’t know much about him. And if they know a thing or two about him, they still don’t have a strong appreciation for him.
Realization #1: I am no longer a teenager. And I haven’t been for 5 years, but it feels like yesterday. I guess it’s time to admit that the youth of today are an entirely different generation than my own. These high school freshmen were 6 years old when JPII died. They simply don’t have the same emotional connection to him that many of my peers do.
Realization #2: It’s not their fault. As far as these teenagers are concerned, JPII is someone from the history books. And that effect will only grow with each passing year. Line him up next to Reagan, and Columbus, and Betsy Ross. Whoever educated these kids about Catholic heroes – or about influential world leaders – left a gaping hole.
Now, I don’t have any statistics to show you – just the simplicity of my own experiences. However, it gave me cause to start thinking:
Why is this man worth remembering?
Why should I care if young Catholics don’t know anything about him?
In celebration of his feast day, and in anticipation of his canonization, let’s go back and remember why we love JPII so much.
10 Reasons to Keep JPII’s Legacy Alive
1) His bio would be epic even if he didn’t become Pope
Karol Wojtyla’s mother died when he was 8 years old. By 20, he was the sole survivor of his family, alone in the world. Add to that growing up in war-torn Poland; experiencing the persecution of his people first by the Nazis and their death camps; then witnessing further oppression by the Communist regime. Karol was no stranger to suffering. If anyone had a right to give up hope, it would have been him.During the Nazi occupation, Karol formed an underground acting society to keep Polish culture alive. He heroically saved multiple Jews from capture and death. He studied to be a priest in a clandestine seminary, continually putting his life at risk.
When you read all his writings, realizing what he personally went through, it’s hard not to respect the man.
By age 26 he became a priest, and at 58 became Pope John Paul II.
Know what, this meme says it better than I ever could:
2) The downfall of communism
John Paul II played an instrumental role in the downfall of communism in Eastern Europe. As Gorbachev himself said: “The collapse of the Iron Curtain would have been impossible without John Paul II.”
One of my favorite movies on JPII is a documentary about his watershed trip to Poland in June of 1979, which helped spark a peaceful revolution in his native country. Do yourself a favor and watch it: Nine Days That Changed the World.
(Seriously, stop reading this blog post, and just go order it)
3) Theology of the Body
In a century confused by widespread deterioration in sexual morality, JPII took the Church’s timeless teachings on love, marriage, sex, and family – and presented them in a new light. He helped us understand why we believe what we believe, and ultimately showed us that Catholic sexual ethics are in fact truly liberating
4) A brilliant linguist
So… while in college, JPII mastered at least 9 languages (and studied more). This came in handy, as he would later become the most well-travelled Pope in history, visiting his flock in 129 different countries.
When I was in college, I barely mastered English.
It’s hard not to respect brilliant people. And it’s impossible not to respect them when they use their gifts for Good.
5) Christian Personalism
Repeatedly throughout his papacy, JPII preached the dignity of each and every human person, in all stages of life. He reminded us that persons are made for love, not for use. And he echoed the words of our Savior when he told us, “Man cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of himself.”
Life is about people, not things. In a culture where self-gratification, fortune, and fame are the ultimate goods, and in a society where objectification of persons is common practice, this was – and still remains – a message the world desperately needed to hear.
What really makes us love JPII though, is not just the message, but the fact that he embodied this philosophy with the way he lived his entire life. Remembering the names of his Swiss guards. Humbly serving his flock for over 20 years. Discarding formalities and embracing those who tried to kiss his ring. He had a certain way about him where you knew he deeply cared about you, even if he barely knew you. JPII sincerely made his life a gift to all of us.
JPII showed us what it looks like to be a saint in the modern world. And more importantly, he showed us it could be done.
Who among us wasn’t inspired by his holiness? Striving for sainthood became something attractive. Living a life of prayer and virtue was something that, maybe I too, could reach for.
JPII understood young people; he understood their desires and their fears. World Youth Day anyone? JPII drew such enormous crowds because his messages were challenging, yet filled with hope. Compassionate, yet not watered down. We knew in our hearts that he spoke the truth, and each message was a cause for contemplation.
“It is Jesus that you seek when you dream of happiness; He is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you; He is the beauty to which you are so attracted; it is He who provoked you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise; it is He who urges you to shed the masks of a false life; it is He who reads in your heart your most genuine choices, the choices that others try to stifle.
It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be ground down by mediocrity, the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal.”
7) Forgiving his assassin
Not something most of us get the chance to do… but I imagine if we did, it would be extremely difficult.
JPII led by example – even when it was tough – and showed us what the Christian walk looks like.
8) The New Evangelization
JPII got us pumped to be Catholic again. He was an invigorating breath of fresh hope and promise to the Church, especially to us young people. And he reminded us of the need to be “evangelizers” to those Catholics in our lives who also need to re-experience God’s love and truth.
“I sense that the moment has come to commit all of the Church’s energies to a new evangelization and to the mission. No believer in Christ, no institution of the Church can avoid this supreme duty: to proclaim Christ to all peoples”
And as a media school, it’s hard not to get excited about his view for media in the new evangelization. JPII recognized technology as a gift from God that has huge potential to be used either for good or ill. He inspired many of us to take up media and use it for the betterment of culture.
“For the new evangelization to be effective, it is essential to have a deep understanding of the culture of our time in which the social communications media are most influential.”
9) His love for the arts
JPII had a huge passion for the arts, and understood how precious cultural traditions are. While a kid, his dream was to be an actor. He enjoyed literature, drama, and even movies. One of our favorite quotes at JPCatholic:
“I send from my heart a special blessing to all those who, with their different tasks, work in the cinema industry and also to those who endeavor to use the cinema as an authentic vehicle of culture for the integral growth of each person and of society as a whole.”
In 1999, he also wrote a Letter to Christian Artists, reminding them of their vocation as co-creators, and urged them to express Truth, Beauty, and Goodness with their artistic intuition.
10) That smile
Joe Houde studied business and media at Franciscan University of Steubenville. He currently works in Admissions at JP Catholic University.
RELATED: 21 Awesome Facts You Didn’t Know About JP2
RELATED: Our 33 Favorite JPII quotesRELATED: A Catholic University Inspired by Pope John Paul the Great
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