John Paul II: Man of Humility

The following talk was presented by Fr. David Lord, Rector of the National Shrine of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, on the first anniversary of the passing of Pope John Paul II.

Good afternoon, brothers and sisters.

I want to read from the scriptures to root my sharing with you this afternoon about our Holy Father of beloved memory in the word, out of which the entire strength of his life arose.

And this passage is from the first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 13, very famous.

We'll almost know it by heart.

You could say it along with me almost.

If I speak with the tongue.

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

And if I have prophetic powers and understand the greatest mysteries in all knowledge, and if I have faith so as to move mountains, but I have not love, I'm nothing.

If I give away all that I have and deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love.

Is patient.

Love is kind.

Love is not jealous or boastful.

It is not arrogant and it's not rude.

Love does not insist on its own way.

It is not irritable or resentful.

It does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices with the truth.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends.

As for prophecy, they'll pass away.

As for tongues, they will cease.

As for knowledge, it will pass away.

For our knowledge is important.

Our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect.

But when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away.

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.

But then I became a man and I gave up my childish ways.

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.

Now I know in part, and then I shall understand fully, even as I am fully understood.

So faith, hope, and love, these three remain.

But the greatest of these is love.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Dear brothers and sisters, I want to begin my sharing with you today by just telling you a little story.

Do you mind?

Huh?

And it goes something like this.

There was a young man who was seeking the meaning of life, its purpose, trying to understand what was life all about.

And he was very affected by a priest whose name was Bernard of Clairvaux.

And so this young monk went off to this priest.

To ask him, what are the four things, the four cardinal virtues, that I need to get to heaven?

What are the four things, Father, that I need to get to heaven?

And St. Bernard of Clairvaux responded, humility, humility, humility, humility.

And the young monk said, well said, my father.

You are right in saying, but how do you get them?

And St. Bernard responded, practice, practice, practice, practice.

You see?

Practice makes?

Yeah, don't be afraid to say that.

Practice makes?

That's right.

But the way to perfection, though, is through the virtue of humility.

Amen?

Amen.

Humility is love.

Right?

So, today I want to spend a few minutes just sharing with you about our Holy Father, John

Paul II.

And I believe that the secret to his greatness is his humility.

And I believe further that the reason why his is one of the most outstanding and the

outstanding lives of the 20th century, and in my opinion, the iconic life, the epic life

of the 20th century, is because he was a humble man. He was not a man that was full of himself,

but he was a man that was full of this love of God that St. Paul talks about in his letter

to the Corinthians this afternoon. And I think that one of the best ways for us to see this

love and humility of our Holy Father in action is to remember him in his interaction with

children and with young people. Do you remember that? Do you remember that it was on April

13, 1981, in St. Peter's Square, just before the bullets that nearly took his life rang

out?

Peter crossed the square and struck him. What was he doing just before that? He was holding up a

little girl high up above in the air, sort of tossing her up in the air like this, and playing

with her. And he had just handed this little girl back to her father, and then the bullets rang.

And the Pontiffs'

white men would,

went back to their homes.

White cassock was now stained with his own blood.

But moments before that, though, he had been laughing and playing with a little child.

This poet, athlete, statesman, this priest, bishop, and pope

was a humble man, from the bottom of his socks to the top of his zucchetto.

He was a man of profound humility.

And he was a man that we all felt deep affection for. Amen?

And part of the reason why he's so beloved to each of us

is because when he spoke,

we felt that he was a man of profound humility.

We felt like he was speaking directly to us, right?

And even though he was talking to vast multitudes of people,

he was speaking to each one of us individually and to each one personally.

And that's why when he died a year ago today,

there were tears in the world, because our father had just died.

And I would just like to spend a few minutes

reading to you,

from a book of letters of children to the pope,

so that we can get a glimpse here into the humility of Karol Wojtyla.

Here's a couple of them.

Your Holiness, Pope John Paul II,

although I'm not a Catholic,

I still want to write to you

to tell you that the work you've done over the years

and the goodness and peace you spread

has inspired me.

To be a good person at heart, as you are,

I wish I could be as caring, holy, and compassionate as you are.

Very truly yours, Jacqueline.

Dear Papa, I read you liked to ski when you were younger.

I'm trying hard to learn, but I still fall down a lot.

Is it hard to ski in a dress?

Dear Papa,

does being a pope involve a lot of work?

A lot of religion?

Dear Papa,

maybe you could come to our church.

Our Monsignor needs a day off,

and you could work for him.

Dear Pope John Paul II,

I think, so far, you are doing a good job as the pope.

I was wondering if your mom still makes you eat broccoli.

Christopher.

Dear Pope John Paul II,

will you tell the Lord that I'm very grateful for everything?

The reason I asked you to tell him is because

I have a feeling he hears you better than he hears me.

Dear Papa,

do you think that you will visit the Middle East soon?

They could really use your spiritualness.

Dear Papa,

what color is God?

What color is God?

Dear Papa, you must be very devoted to God to be the pope.

Most people have a difficulty just going to church every day.

How do you do it?

You see, God is trying to use our Holy Father to laugh the truth into you.

You see?

And at its heart, when we're able to laugh,

then this betrays the virtue of humility,

which shows us that God is the true God.

You see? And at its heart, when we're able to laugh, then this betrays the virtue of humility,

which shows that springing up from beneath the person that we are

is the wellspring of love.

And this is the key to Carol Wojtyla's personalism in the world.

There is a story of the Holy Father

that I heard from Scott Hahn

about a priest who had left the pastoral ministry

and did not do a good job as a pastor.

and did not do a good job as a priest.

He was not a good priest.

And he left the pastoral ministry.

You see?

And he had become an alcoholic in Rome.

Well, he kept saying out there in the Piazza San Pietro,

I want to see the pope.

I want to talk to the pope, he kept saying.

Finally, the pope himself heard him

and said, who is that that's calling my name?

And they said, oh, Papa, it's just some beggar.

And the Holy Father said, bring him to me.

So they brought him into the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace.

And the pope visited with him.

And they closed the doors.

And the pope was in there for a long time with him.

And an hour or so later, maybe more,

the man emerged.

The man emerged in tears.

And they said to him, what happened when you were in there?

And they said, well, I was telling him all of my problems,

how I was beset by worries and concerns

and all the wrong things that I had done in my life.

And I told him that I wasn't a faithful priest

and that I'd left the pastoral ministry

and that I had a lot of problems.

And he said, and I told him,

that I was sorry.

And they said, well, what did the pope say?

They said, he handed me a stole

and asked me to hear his confession.

You see, now this priest has a very successful ministry

in the outskirts of Rome.

There's a story of Elena Bonnard,

the wife of Andrei Sakharov,

the wife of the Russian dissident.

And she wanted to see the pope.

She styled herself an agnostic.

But she wanted to see the pope.

Go figure that out, right?

She says she's agnostic,

but she wants to see the pope.

That teaches us that there is God

in every single human being on the face of the earth.

Well, she had a friend

who was a friend of Pope John Paul II.

And she arranged for the pope

to meet with her

into the same Clementine Hall

where the pope had met with the priest

that he restored to the Pope.

That was the priesthood.

An hour or so later,

Elena Bonnard emerges from the meeting

with the pope in tears.

Her friend says to her,

what's the matter with you?

She says, he's the most extraordinary man

I ever met.

Why?

Because he listened to me.

So whether it's to children,

to an agnostic,

or to a wayward priest,

or to a vast multitude of the faithful,

John Paul II's love for us radiated

and sort of tipped out of him

like a chalice full of wine tipped over,

you see,

full of the good stuff of heaven.

In order to understand the public persona

of John Paul II,

we have to understand,

brothers and sisters,

that from the inside out,

he was a humble man.

Do you know that he lived a life

full of poverty?

There were holes in his shoes.

He wore an old cassock.

He gave away the best items

that were given to him

and kept purposely and deliberately

the most simple,

the most inexpensive things.

But Carol Wojtyla was adorned

with the raiment,

the raiment of mercy,

the raiment of God's love.

And this allowed him the ability

not to take himself too seriously.

Amen?

But to take God very seriously.

And what Carol Wojtyla taught us to do

was to snuggle close to God.

You see?

And in the snuggling close to God's mercy,

to find the secret to our true humanity.

There's a gap between the person that we are

and the person that we are called to be.

And it is God's mercy

that enables us to be that someone,

that man, that woman,

that we're dying and desperately hoping to be.

It is God's mercy that helps us to do that.

And that's why we feel such intense affection

for John Paul II.

Because he showed us

the best of being a human being.

And he wasn't afraid either to say

when he made a mistake

or when the church made a mistake.

Do you remember on the first Sunday of Lent

in the great year 2000,

what did this old man do?

What did this old, frail man do?

Does anybody remember?

Anybody?

He what?

Yes, he knelt down

on the steps of St. Peter's Basilica

and he asked for forgiveness.

Do you remember that?

He asked for forgiveness

for the sins of the church

and the members of the church.

This is a man of intense humility.

Who said that

the church and each individual human person

could not be who they were called to be

unless they asked for forgiveness.

You see?

So we're never more human,

Carol Wojtyla taught us,

than when we are on our knees

asking to be forgiven.

For this is truly

makes us the most human.

The humility that allows us

to be free enough

to ask to be forgiven.

And this is the true weapon

that will change the world

in which we live.

Not the guns,

not the bombs,

not the mortar,

not the shock and awe

of a military invasion.

But the shock and awe

of God's mercy.

Wrapping and clothing each one of us

in His love.

Causing us to smile,

and to share the peace of Christ

with one another.

Carol Wojtyla's life

was a life full of grace.

Because he was a life

full of the love of God.

And I think that

this is his golden

witness to us.

This is why

on April 8th

the crowd in Rome

chanted

Magnus.

Santo Subito.

Say it with me.

Santo Subito.

Magnus.

Means the great, huh?

They were chanting this

from the inside out.

Not from something imposed

from outside of them.

But from deep within

the free person

that Carol Wojtyla

helped them to be.

This is his lasting legacy.

His greatest contribution.

His humility.

Let's read a few more

letters of the children

to the Pope.

Dear Holy Father,

what are you up to these days?

School is almost over,

so I'm happy.

I'm going to ask for extra credit,

so pray for me.

Peace out, Holy Father.

Dear Pope John Paul II,

how did you get your name anyway?

I got mine from my aunt.

How many times a day

do you pray?

I pray three times a day.

Dear Holy Father,

what's your favorite song?

Mine is Kiss the Girl

from The Little Mermaid.

If you write back,

please print,

we're just learning cursive.

Dear Papa,

did God ever talk to you

in your sleep?

Dear Papa,

I have a Catholic mom

and a Lutheran dad.

So normally,

I'm trying to find out

the best religion for him.

I'm trying to find

the best religion for me.

My dad tells me

that I should follow

the Holy Spirit,

but so far,

I haven't received any signs.

I'm not asking

for a burning bush

or any other miraculous sign.

Please help me.

Dear Papa,

I hope you live

to be 110 years old.

If Moses can do it,

so can you.

Dear Papa, I have a close friend who's a priest. His name is Father Ronald.

You see, Holy Father, when I was born, the doctors told my mom and dad that I had only a 1% chance to survive.

The doctors then hooked me up to a lot of machines to rest my lungs and to keep my heart beating.

My mom and dad called Father Ron and asked him to come to the hospital and baptize me, and he did.

He came to visit me a few times after that and prayed at my bedside with my parents.

After about three weeks, my health improved.

Father Ron called me his miracle baby, and he still does today.

I wish you plenty of good health and many more years as our Holy Father.

Dear Papa, in heaven, can't Jesus make us be good so we don't have to go to hell?

Why do we even have to die?

I'm sorry I have to say hell, but I didn't know how to describe it.

That word is also inside the Bible, you know, so I guess it's not that bad to write in the letter and write to the Pope.

Dear Papa, I'm going to the movies with a friend.

Do you still talk to your old friends that you had before you became Pope, or did you make all new friends all over again?

Dear Papa,

do you shower in holy water?

You see, brothers and sisters, the life of Karol Wojtyla was a life full of grace.

You see, he made children smile.

He inspired the smallest among us to write to him, drawing them into the mystery of the love of God.

Karol Wojtyla changed the world in which we live.

I only have...

one thing to say.

Santo Subito.

Make him a saint.

Not next month, not next year, now!

Santo Subito!