Pope John Paul II at Yankee Stadium, NY, 1979 (WikiCommons)The Polish Bishops’ Conference has sent a request to Pope Francis, asking him to consider naming St. John Paul II a patron of Europe and doctor of the Church.
May 8 “We are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has gone through. I do not think that wide circles of the American society, or wide circles of the Christian community, realize this fully. We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-church, between the Gospel and the anti-gospel. This confrontation lies within the plans of Divine Providence; it is a trial which the whole Church must take up.”
– Karol Wojtyla (St. John Paul II)
Today's Reflection
Why are so many blind to the spiritual battle that is being waged around us? How can we help the scales to be removed?
February 20
"Women will increasingly play a part in the solution of the serious problems of the future: leisure time, the quality of life, migration, social services, euthanasia, drugs, health care, the ecology, etc. In all these areas a greater presence of women in society will prove most valuable, for it will help to manifest the contradictions present when society is organized solely according to the criteria of efficiency and productivity, and it will force systems to be redesigned in a way which favours the pro-cesses of humanization which mark the 'civilization of love.'"
-St.John Paul II, Letter to Women
Today's Reflection:
In Letter to Women, we are invited to be part of the solution for the serious problems of the future. Take time today to ponder your part in building a civilization of love. What is that special gift that you bring to the world?
February 19
"Thank you, women who work! You are present and active in every area of life-social, economic, cultural, artistic and political. In this way you make an indispensable contribution to the growth of a culture which unites reason and feeling, to a model of life ever open to the sense of 'mystery', to the establishment of economic and political structures ever more worthy of humanity."
-St.John Paul II, Letter to Women
Today's Reflection:
Contrary to popular belief, the Catholic Church appreciates women who work. In this quote from "Letter to Women," St. John Paul II highlights the importance of bringing the "feminine genius" into every aspect of life. How can you bring your feminine genius into the spheres of influence in which God has placed you?
When I came back to the Faith in 1981, one Scripture passage became the rudder of my spiritual life. It is Ephesians 1: 3-4. Through the years, this passage has spoken to me in many ways and has sustained me through many trials.Verse 4 , however, is particularly relevant for this time of the year, and was echoed by St. John Paul II in a Christmas reflection. It states this, "God chose us in him before the world began to be holy and blameless in his sight, to be full of love." Those first five words tell us something about ourselves that is amazing and astounding -- each one of us was distinctively and individually chosen by God to have life.
