Pope St. John Paul II was a giant of a man.
Countless Catholics have been radically changed by his witness and words. Whether it is the many men who were inspired by the way he lived his priesthood to respond to their own call, or the many laypeople who were drawn to his holiness, John Paul II captivated people.
Why was this the case?
There are many ways that we can attempt to answer this question. Perhaps, part of it was simply his God-given personality and gifts. Maybe it was the way that he looked at others and the confidence with which he spoke of Christ. It also could have been his heroic courage and example or the way that he endured suffering in front of the entire world.
These are all edifying characteristics. However, there is one aspect of the heart of Karol Wojtyla (John Paul II) that grounded all of these: his daily commitment to personal and intimate prayer.
He was captivating to audiences as small as one-on-one and as large as the millions because he experienced the living Christ every single day.
In 1985, John Paul said: “Prayer joined to sacrifice constitutes the most powerful force in human history.” This man of great prestige and worldly acclaim. This disciple who was known by the world and experienced the tragic forces of communism and socialism, said that prayer is the most powerful force on earth.
This could only be due to his powerful experience of prayer in his own interior life. He spent hours in prayer each day. Beginning his day in his private chapel between 4:00am and 5:30am. He celebrated the Sacrifice of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Hours, the Angelus, and the Rosary, and was known to be in constant prayer throughout the day.
Yes, he prayed a lot. There was high quantity to his prayer life. More so, there was depth to his prayer life. He was intentional and sought intimacy with Christ, not mere recitation of words. His life revolved around Christ, that is why others were drawn to him.
In September 1987, the pope spoke to tens of thousands gathered in Louisiana Superdome Stadium in New Orleans. He said: “Prayer can truly change your life. For it turns your attention away from yourself and directs your mind and your heart toward the Lord. If we look only at ourselves, with our own limitations and sins, we quickly give way to sadness and discouragement. But if we keep our eyes fixed on the Lord, then our hearts are filled with hope, our minds are washed in the light of truth, and we come to know the fullness of the Gospel with all its promise and life.”
The pope sought to be a humble vessel that was used as an instrument of the Father. He shined with holiness, not false piety, because he desired to turn over his mind and heart to Jesus at all times. He was fixated on the eyes of Christ which enabled him to bring that light to others. Of course, this is all a grace, a gift from God. However, it also takes our serious cooperation and dedication.
In his message to young people in preparation for World Youth Day in 1995, he said: “The way Jesus shows you is not easy. Rather, it is like a path winding up a mountain. Do not lose heart! The steeper the road, the faster it rises toward ever wider horizons!”
The closer we are drawn into the heart of God in prayer, the more we know that we need Him but the more we also know that we are broken. This means that we are called to have our lives be changed because of our growth in the interior life. All of this occurs out of love. Love pushes us to go further than we would have on our own.
Love ushers forth a magnitude of the person who is truly alive with the light of Christ. That is how John Paul II captivated the world, that is what we are invited into as well.
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Image courtesy of Unsplash.
