St. John Paul ii

One

We live in fear.

For a long time, Satan has been spreading a two-fold lie.

The first part of that lie is that you are totally alone in the world. This is a godless universe. Life on earth came from nothing, we are headed toward nothing which means life means nothing. Therefore, nothing governs the world. There is no God, and you are totally alone in the world. 

The second part of this lie is this: since you are alone in the world you have to create your own identity and value. So, unless you can prove your worth by some great achievement or human relationship, then you are nothing. And if you fail at this, well, then you will die. Because no one has your back. 

To live under that pressure is overwhelming. That pressure drives us to a competitive fight for survival that leads to envy and anger and greed and all manner of addictions to escape the pressure or a deep fear that paralyzes us from taking the risks associated with responsibility. Because, again, we think that if we fail, we die. 

Humanity lives in this fear. And another word for habitual fear is anxiety. 

Do you feel as though your life is overwhelming and you are alone?

Two

Karol Wojtyla knew the fear of being totally alone in the world.

Born in 1920, his only sister, Olga, died in infancy. His mother died before his ninth birthday and his brother Edmond died when he was twelve. At nineteen, Hitler and the Nazis invaded Poland and murdered 7,000,000 Poles. Then, shortly after WWII began, his father died. 

By the time Karol Wojtyla was 20 years old, his Father, Mother, brother, and sister were all dead. He had no family in the world and his country was plunged into WWII.

I am sure he knew what it was to be alone and afraid in the world.

Do you feel alone and afraid in the world?

Three

Slave Laborer 

During WWII the Nazis forced all able-bodied Polish men into a kind of slave labor workforce. 

Young Karol Wojtyla worked at the Savoy Chemical Plant. But God the Father Almighty was watching over all things. And God sent an introverted tailor named Jan Tyranowski to befriend and mentor Karol. 

Jan gave Karol the book True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis De Montfort, which he took to the factory and which he carried with him the rest of his life, still covered with chemical stains. 

This was the turning point in his life. Meditating on this book during his night shift at the factory he came to realize he was not alone in the world. Mary was his mother. She led him to know God his Father and Jesus his Savior and Lord. 

Mary helped young Karol to know who he was, his true identity. He was a son of God by grace. His identity and value were not based on any earthly thing, not on achievements or relationships or the freedom of his country. It was founded on God alone. 

God was his Father, Mary was his Mother, and he was not alone in the world. With that knowledge, he was able to go forward in life with confidence. 

Four

Ordination 

Under the mentorship of Jan Tyranowski, Karol Wojtyla entered the clandestine seminary in Poland, even though they were still under the Nazi and then Communist occupations. He was ordained a priest in 1946. In 1953 the Soviet Communists arrested and placed the top Polish cardinal, Stephan Wyszynski under house arrest. There, in the silence, Cardinal Wyszynski reflected on Poland’s history, that every time their situation looked hopeless, they turned with confidence to Mary, re-consecrating themselves to her, and she set them free. 

This gave him the inspiration to send word secretly to all the people of Poland to consecrate themselves to Mary once again for the freedom of the Church and of Poland. Three years later, on May 16, 1956, one million Polish people gathered at Czestochowa, where the miraculous icon of the Black Madonna resides, to consecrate themselves to Mary. After each verse of the consecration, one million Poles cried out, “Queen of Poland! We Promise!” Two months later, Wyszynski was set free. 

One of the priests present at that famous consecration was Karol Wojtyla, who said that that consecration was deeply engraved on his heart.

On October 16, 1978, Karol Wojtyla became Pope John Paul II, the first non-Italian pope in 450 years.

In a homily at Czestochowa, John Paul said, “I have, in fact, taken with me from Poland to the chair of St. Peter in Rome this “holy habit” of the heart (entrustment and confidence in Our Lady of Czestochowa) which has been built up by the faith of so many generations, has been tested by the Christian experience of so many centuries, and is deeply rooted in my soul.” (p. 118 Totus Tuus by Calkins)

He took as his Episcopal Moto “Totus Tuus”: I am totally yours and all that is mine is yours dear Jesus through the hands of Mary 

Five 

In his first address as Pope, John Paul proclaimed, “Do not be afraid!”

St. John Paul II said, “We need, perhaps more than ever, the words of the Risen Christ, “Be not afraid!”…Peoples and nations of the entire world need to hear these words. Their conscience needs to grow in the certainty that Someone exists who holds in His hands the destiny of this passing world; Someone who holds the keys to death and the netherworld (cf. Rev 1:18); Someone who is the Alpha and the Omega of human history (cf. Rev 22:13)—be it the individual or collective history. And this Someone is Love (cf. 1 Jn 4:8, 16) - Love that became man, Love crucified and risen, Love unceasingly present among men. It is Eucharistic Love. It is the infinite source of communion. He alone can give the ultimate assurance when He says, ‘Be not afraid!’” - Crossing the Threshold of Hope

Why should we have no fear? Because we are not alone, and we do not have to create our identity and worth! 

God is your Father Almighty! By grace you have been made a son or daughter of God. The Kingdom of Heaven awaits you. That is your identity and that means you are not alone in the world. You are safe. 

Satan wants you to forget this truth and live in the lie. 

So make the resolution, the choice to live in reality. Go forward and live and act and do everything with confidence that God is your Father. You are a child of God and that is your identity and value. You are never alone because He is taking care of you. Trust Him.