The great state of Tex-afornia

For Karol

I have been thinking much lately about the passing of the Pope. As a former Roman Catholic I must admit that I have very little ties with my religious heritage. Many evangelicals are skepical that Catholics are even Christians. We see that all Catholics worship Mary and think good works get you into heaven. As a result we have lost respect for the Pope and I am ashamed of that fact.

Why is it that millions of people (Christian and non-Christian alike) can revere this man, yet those of us who are his Christian brothers and sisters have an ambivalence toward his life and ministry?

I found a few quotes from his writings to give you a taste of the Pope's heart

From a letter to the America's: "Put this way, the theme makes clear the centrality of the person of the Risen Christ, present in the life of the Church and calling people to conversion, communion and solidarity. The starting-point of such a program of evangelization is in fact the encounter with the Lord. Given by Christ in the Paschal Mystery, the Holy Spirit guides us towards those pastoral goals which the Church in America must attain in the third Christian millennium."

Concerning the centrality of Christ in the Christian Mission: "In my first encyclical, in which I set forth the program of my Pontificate, I said that "the Church's fundamental function in every age, and particularly in ours, is to direct man's gaze, to point the awareness and experience of the whole of humanity toward the mystery of Christ."

Some people accuse Catholics of creating a man-made barrier (the priest) between the masses and God. John Paul II said, "No one, therefore, can enter into communion with God except through Christ, by the working of the Holy Spirit. Christ's one, universal mediation, far from being an obstacle on the journey toward God, is the way established by God himself, a fact of which Christ is fully aware. Although participated forms of mediation of different kinds and degrees are not excluded, they acquire meaning and value only from Christ's own mediation, and they cannot be understood as parallel or complementary to his."

This man not only spoke about the supremacy of Christ, but lived it. He actively forgave a would be assassin and met many young people to encourage them in their spiritual journey. he was known to pray 6-7 hours a day.

Pope John Paul II was a man dedicated to the cause of Christ. I am sorry for not respecting him sooner. I rejoice in our present and future union in Christ. Join with me in praying for our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters as they select their next leader. May he be found as a man of full confidence in Christ and love for all humans.

posted by Kevin @ 10:46 AM