Dear Friends,
As we continue with this Fall semester and approach the DIA Schools Summit, we are drawing close to the Feast of St. John Paul II who was a major inspiration to the beginnings of DIA. Therefore, I wanted to highlight a few different aspects of the person of Pope St. John Paul II and his virtues as how his life can be an inspiration to us today.
First, Pope John Paul II was a man centered on Jesus Christ. John Paul in a particular way helped the Church to recenter herself of Jesus. Indeed, his first encyclical as Pope was on the person of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of Man.
Secondly, Pope John Paul II was known for his dynamic representation of eternal truths. He helped to explain the perennial teachings of the Church in a way that was both inspirational as well as in a manner that people of the Modern world could understand. He was able through for example the teaching of the Theology of the Body to give a new expression and richness to the teaching of the faith of the dignity of the human person and the beauty of the gift of human sexuality.
Third, Pope John Paul II was a man of deep prayer and holiness. He started each day by taking time in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament as well as celebrating Holy Mass. Even though he did an incredible amount of work for the benefit of the life the Church, he always rooted in and remained faithful to his own personal prayer life.
These three characteristics of John Paul II namely his Christ-centeredness, his dynamic teaching, and his deep prayer life are all virtues of his that we can strive to imitate and prayer for. May God fill you with those gifts!
In Christ,
Fr. Paul Kostka