THE FEAST OF ST JOHN PAUL II. SUPREME PONTIFF.
THE FEAST OF ST JOHN PAUL II. PONTIFF.
A Baptism I must be baptized.
"Jesus said to his disciples:
“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!
"There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!
"Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.
From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three;
a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.” (Luke 12: 49 - 53).
Thursday October 22nd in the 29th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St John Paul II, Supreme Pontiff.
St John Paul II lived from 1920 to 2005. He was Polish and the first non-Italian Pope in 455 years.
John Paul was beatified on May 1st, 2011 and canonized April 27, 2014.
Pope Francis performed both liturgies.
John Paul was an accomplished writer.
He traveled all over the world to promote understanding between nations and between different cultures and religions.
Pope John Paul II and President Ronald Regan contributed to the peaceful dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
John Paul II wrote many important encyclicals. His enduring legacy is the Catechism of the Catholic Church which he promulgated in 1992.
Some people think that the Gospel of today from Luke 12: 49 - 53 is a hyperbole, that is, great exaggeration. Do you think so? Then look at a Crucifix. Is Jesus nailed to the Cross wearing a crown of thorns a hyperbole?
Jesus proclaimed: "I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!" Jesus said in another passage that the purpose of His life is to proclaim the truth. If you belong to the truth, you will listen to His voice, He further said. If you do not belong to the truth, you will oppose Him.
Falsehood always opposes the truth. Cain murdered Abel. Esau hated his brother Jacob and would have killed him if he had the opportunity. The brothers of Joseph sold him into slavery. Judas, intimate companion of Jesus betrayed Him for 30 pieces of silver. This tug of War still plays out relentlessly in families everywhere.
Do not be afraid of those who oppose you because you have responded to the call of Jesus. Be rather afraid of failing to acknowledge Jesus before men.
Jesus wants us to love our families and friends but never make idols of them.
Do you remember how David slew Goliath? Now see what weapons God has given us for the inevitable struggle of the present time:
"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10: 4 - 5).
Our God is a consuming fire!
October is the Holy Rosary Month.
Three Quotes from Pope John Paul II on the Holy Rosary.
1. His personal testimony:
“The Rosary is my favourite prayer. A marvellous prayer! Marvellous in its simplicity and its depth.”
— St. John Paul II, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 2, recalling his words of October 29, 1978.
2. Its essential purpose:
“To recite the Rosary is nothing other than to contemplate with Mary the face of Christ.”
— St. John Paul II, Rosarium Virginis Mariae.
3. Its Christ-centered heart
“The Rosary, though clearly Marian in character, is at heart a Christocentric prayer.”
— St. John Paul II, Rosarium Virginis Mariae.
Say the Holy Rosary every day in October.
For Prayers, Consecration, Litany, Testimony of Jesus about those who pray the Rosary, click the link below:
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