Beatification of John Paul II

In 2000 Pope John Paul II proclaimed today, the Sunday after Easter, the Feast of Divine Mercy. He did this inspired by the 1930s apparitions of Jesus to a Polish sister, Saint Faustina. Five years later the Pope died on the vigil of this feast, and today, eleven years later, he is being beatified in Rome. Beatification is a step in the formal process towards proclaiming someone a saint in the Church.

Today is a great day of celebration for the universal Church. We give thanks to Jesus for his infinite mercy. We also give thanks for the life of a holy man, Blessed John Paul II, who led the Church faithfully for twenty-six years.

The legacy of Blessed John Paul II has already made a tremendous impact on the Church and it will continue to do so. As a professor at the University of Lublin, Poland, for many years, he brought his innovative thought on the human person, personalism, phenomenology and traditional Catholic theology to the Papacy, greatly enriching Catholic contemporary thought. Having endured the hardship of communism in his life, he brought great resolve to fight against communism in all its forms. Traveling to 129 countries during his pontificate, he took Rome to the world. The Church has been greatly blessed and enriched by his Papacy.

I dare to suggest that the greatest legacy he has left us is the Feast of Divine Mercy. By instituting this feast for the universal Church, Blessed John Paul II points us to the source of mercy and all good things: Jesus Christ, who looks at us lovingly and gently utters, “Trust Me.” This feast reminds us we must trust in God’s infinite mercy and accept his invitation to approach him without fear.

Jesus, I trust in you!

Blessed John Paul II, pray for us!