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April 04, 2005

Summa Aesthetica tells us why we all should be reading the Pope...beautiful post!

Cameron over at Summa Aesthetica has a beautiful and wonderfully written post on the Pope, and why his writings are a must read for EVERYONE!

I have copied the whole post below.....but please visit Cameron's site for amazing and thoughtful reflection.

Sunday, April 03, 2005
On losing a great man
Yesterday the world lost a great man. I lost a hero.

It was inevitable that his age and health would finally get the best of him. Even the strongest eventually fall. And, I suppose, in light of the chaos that surrounded the death of Terri Schaivo, it was good that Pope John Paul II would die as he did. He was not whisked off to the sterility of a hospital. He chose to die at home, with "family" at his side and tens of thousands of "friends" on his doorstep.

He was a man of the times, an actor built for the largest stage. He understood people's need for a hero--an icon--to point the way to Christ in word, image, and presence. Yet, his persona was not mere propaganda, nor his actions just statecraft. He was real through and through.

A friend reminded me the other day that I had not fulfilled my promise to post a reflection about why evangelicals ought to read Pope John Paul II. While this list is brief, it would be wrong to miss this opportunity to give a great man his due:

On issues of life John Paul II was consistent. He had a coherent theology of life that went beyond an assertion of rights. So often the life conversation comes down to a shouting match between those asserting the rights of the unborn versus those asserting the rights of a mother. Pope John Paul II reminded us that Jesus called himself "the way, the truth, and the life." Furthermore, as a special creation made in the image of God, a human being is a unique manifestation of this life that demands our protection. The gospel itself is the message of life, because Christ came to give "abundant life." So when the Pope denounced abortion and euthanasia, it was because of his theological convictions about life. Even though he too uses rights language, clearly, it is only as an act of translation into secular language. His real convictions are theological in nature. This is why he went beyond abortion and euthanasia to question the use of capital punishment, the all too easy use of military force, and the instrumentalization of human life. His war was against the culture of death. (Interested? Read "Evangelium Vitae")

Beyond this, the Pope wrote brilliantly about politics and social justice. His was a moderate vision. He grasped the "via media"--the elusive middle way that allowed him to accurately diagnose the ills of modernity. With Leo XIII a century before him, he pointed out the pitfalls of radical socialism and unfettered capitalism. While he reaffirmed the value of private property, he clearly denounced the naivete of those who would turn the market loose to run itself, devouring the poor as another expendable resource. He stood up bravely to the liberation theologians who would politicize the gospel to the poor in the form of a Marxist revolution, just as he stood up to the neo-conservatives who would skip over Christ's repeated commands to care for the poor for the sake of an internalized piety without addressing unjust social structures. (For more on this see "Centissimus Annus")

Also, the Pope wrote beautifully about Mary. His encyclical about Mary was revolutionary for me. It enabled me to understand, for the first time, this cornerstone of Catholic devotion. More importantly, it forced me to realize that many of my opinions on this topic were based on nothing more than mistaken assumptions. This encyclical ought to be required reading for all protestants, especially those who are deeply suspicious of Marian devotion. (Take a look at "Redemptoris Mater")

Consider also his extensive and creative use of scripture, which I think is an intentional attempt to reach out to Protestants and demonstrate that Catholics read the Bible too. The result is a theologian worthy of serious consideration by all Christians.

All of this feels a bit academic, and inappropriate, to me at the moment. John Paul strikes me as one who was not meant to be debated about, but someone worth meeting--perhaps over coffee, definitely over bread and wine. It saddens me that I did not get to meet him. There are few people I would have like to spend time with and become more like.

A final reflection on this amazing life...
I am reminded of Dylan Thomas' Poem "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night." I think it might be instructive about what we have seen with the death of Pope John Paul II:

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, Rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage Rage against the dying of the light.

The Pope had a fierce love for life. He fought for life in general. When it came to his own, he fought hard as well. But when it became clear that he would soon die his tone shifted. Because of the hope he found in Christ he could face his own death with dignity and embrace the momentary suffering.

Here is a quote from an article from a news story that relates a widely reported scene from the day before his death:

On Friday morning, John Paul asked aides to read him the biblical passage describing the 14 stations of the Way of the Cross, the path that Christ took to his Crucifixion and burial, Navarro-Valls told reporters. The pope followed attentively and made the sign of the cross, he said.

John Paul also asked that scripture of the so-called "Third Hour" be read to him. The passage is significant because according to tradition, Christ died at three o'clock in the afternoon.

"This is surely an image I have never seen in these 26 years," the usually unflappable Navarro-Valls said.

Choking up, he walked out of the room.

Pope John Paul II lived an exemplary life and he died an exemplary death. May we all be as faithful to our vocations as he was to his.

Click here for the rest of the article!
posted by Cameron Jorgenson at 11:06 PM | 0 comments

Posted by Admin at April 4, 2005 06:03 PM

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