St. Pope John Paul II: The Vicar of Christ in Our Midst

The Vicar of Christ in Our Midst

P  eter is the rock upon whom Christ promised he would build his Church. John Paul II is a successor in direct line to St. Peter. He is therefore, the Vicar of Christ on earth today.

No wonder that his very presence among us here in New York, New Jersey and Maryland, on Oct. 4-8, has left such a profound impression on the hearts of so many believers and unbelievers alike. I, for one, no longer wonder what it must have been like for the truth-hungry crowds who were privileged to see and hear Christ, in person, two thousand years ago. Pope John Paul’s presence among us had to be almost just such a spiritual experience for most of us who saw him in person, or even just on T.V. In place of the jubilant Hosannas showered upon Christ upon his triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Lk 19:37-38), Pope John Paul II was greeted everywhere with the heart-warming refrain: “John Paul II, We Love You!” which he immediately followed with the response: “John Paul II, Loves You Too!”

It was obvious that the Pope had a warm spot in his heart for our beloved country and its people.

It was obvious also, from the very outset of his visit, that a recurring theme would be his great desire to prepare the Church to celebrate the approaching third millennium of the Birth of Christ. Addressing himself to the youth of America – the future Church of America – he signaled out the youthful Virgin Mary surrendering herself, in faith, to God’s call through her world-redeeming “fiat,” thus co-operating with the Holy Spirit in the work of our redemption.

Be Like Mary: Allow the Holy Spirit to Help You

“Like Mary,” he said, “you must not be afraid to allow the Holy Spirit to help you become intimate friends of Christ. Like Mary, you must put aside any fear in order to take Christ to the world in whatever you do.”

Speaking to seminarians, the priests of tomorrow, he reminded them: “If there is one challenge facing the Church and her priests today, it is the challenge of transmitting the Christian message whole and entire, without letting it be emptied of its substance.”

Love the Cross . . .

He then went on to stress: “The Gospel cannot be reduced to mere human wisdom. Salvation lies not in clever human words or schemes. But in the cross and resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ”. He then pointed out that the seminary is the place where those preparing for the priest-hood must learn “the Wisdom of the Cross,” as opposed to the wisdom of the world.

I must admit that, as a Montfort priest, these words were music to my ears and a joy to my heart. They were a faithful echo of the rule our founder, St. Louis de Montfort, had written for his future priests in the Company of Mary. “The preaching of God’s Word,” he wrote, is the most far-reaching, the most effective and also the most difficult ministry of all.”

He then enjoined upon us, his followers, the following: “The missionaries will, therefore, study and pray unceasingly that they may obtain from God the gift of wisdom so necessary to a true preacher for knowing and relishing the truth, and getting others to relish it.” Our Saint had already written that Jesus, Incarnate Wisdom, “has so truly incorporated and united himself with the cross that in all truth we can say; Wisdom is the Cross and the Cross is Wisdom”.  (LEW No. 180).

. . . and The Rosary

As a Montfort Father and preacher of the Rosary, what impressed me most is that the Holy Father didn’t just talk about and encourage us all to say the Rosary, but that he made it a point to stress its importance in our prayer life by dedicating the last afternoon of his all-too-short stay in the New York area, to publicly reciting it in St. Patrick’s Cathedral. He not only led the Rosary himself but remained on his knees for the entire recitation which lasted about forty-five minutes.

At the very beginning of his papacy, in October of 1978, he had said “The Rosary is my favorite prayer”!  That enough should tell us what a treasure the Rosary is in the Catholic Church, precisely because through its fifteen mysteries we can get to know Christ and Christ Crucified as well as the resurrected Christ, who lives in His Church and in all its faithful members.

John Paul II, We Love You!