John Paul II

What a shame that John Paul II has to have so much negative attention thrown at him by people that have no interest, one way or the other, in whether or not his beatification happens.

The man took the gospel message of forgiveness to heart, and if he had a fault, it was in trusting others too much. Blaming him for others sins is not only illogical, but patently wrong in itself. Father Maciel, the founder of the Legion of Christ, was a mentally disturbed sociopath who not only fooled the Papacy, but thousands of the faithful as well. He was a sick man who did evil things, but John Paul II didn't see the same facts that we see today... he couldn't possibly be answerable for "protecting" Maciel, but if he is responsible for anything, it is in believing that Maciel repented his sins and was working to atone for them.

His efforts in every facet of his role as Pontiff so far outshine his possible failings that there can be no question that the latter counters the former. He almost single-handedly reshaped the manner in which the Church trains and grooms priests for ordination. He showed the world that hundreds of millions of young people across the globe WANT to live holy and spiritual lives, and that they are NOT growing less and less interested in matters of faith. He showed that acts of heroism and piety are not found only in the dusty tomes of hagiographies... but that they surround us in our daily lives each and every day.

Most importantly, he showed us that "saints" are real people... people we can know and understand first hand, rather than through reading religious history texts. The world (and I do mean the entire world) knew Mother Theresa, and there are hundreds of thousands of Europeans who knew the story of Fr. Max Kolbe from those that survived the Nazi death camps. He understood the power in knowing that all of us are called to live holy and virtuous lives... but that the difference can come from just one small act of supreme sacrifice or kindness, and not from a life dedicated to such efforts. In short, we are all human and none of us are "perfect", but God expects us to try anyway... and the rewards stem from small acts far more often than epic ones.

Is it any surprise that 99.99% of every voice that is critical of the Church's effort here is NOT even a practicing Christian? If they do have faith, it is tainted by a bitter and angry view of the Church as a whole, and is (seemingly) incapable of seeing John Paul in the context of his efforts.

I, for one, stand with those kids who stood just outside the Square of St Peter's during John Paul's funeral services, chanting over and over again... Santo subito! Santo subito! Santo subito!

A Saint Now!