The Power of One Witness: Commemorating the 100th Birthday of St. John Paul II

Today is a special day.

Today, May 18th, 2020, we celebrate the 100th birthday of St. John Paul II. The day he was born, no one could have imagined how many millions of lives he would touch—not only of those he met, but millions more that he didn’t.

Some estimate that over 4 million people came to Rome to be there in the Eternal City for his funeral—and countless others participated in celebrating the life of this fascinating man from their homes. How many had never met him in person, yet felt connected to him—and felt they had lost a father when he died. . . . (And it wasn’t just Catholics!) 

His life was a testimony to the immense power of a witness—a witness of God’s tremendous love and mercy, of the real power of the Resurrection! He was an example of joy, of trust, of prayer, of courage and creativity, of forgiveness, of patience and perseverance in suffering. He inspired multitudes to follow Christ—to give all for Him. There is really no way to measure his impact. I am just one person. His life and work have touched me deeply and have ultimately directed the course of my own life for the last twenty years.

But what does this mean for us?

The question is—do we realize the impact that we have by our example and the power of our own witness? You will, no doubt, remind me that St. John Paul II was the pope and so automatically had a much wider reach (and a loftier call!)

But that’s no excuse. He didn’t know he’d be pope before he was elected. As his life progressed, he was faithful to the call of the moment. He walked through each door and faced each challenge as it came. 

The same goes for us—we are called to live this present moment to the fullest, to be open to and follow the inspirations of the Holy Spirit. We are all called to witness to Christ! We don’t know how many lives we will touch if we do—or leave without hope, if we don’t. 

“All Christians, incorporated into Christ and his Church by Baptism, are consecrated to God. They are called to profess the faith which they have received. By the sacrament of Confirmation, they are further endowed by the Holy Spirit with special strength to be witnesses of Christ and sharers in his mission of salvation. Every lay Christian is therefore an extraordinary work of God’s grace and is called to the heights of holiness … [T]here is no such thing as an “ordinary layman”, for all of you have been called to conversion through the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Journey to Ireland: Holy Mass in Limerick, Ireland, 1 October 1979

Never underestimate the power of your own witness.

We were recently discussing the power of witness in our online study group, and one member (we’ll call her Mary) mentioned to another member (Sarah) that she had inspired her to further exploration of St. John Paul II’s work through her testimony. Mary made the point that it was not only what Sarah had said, but Sarah's enthusiasm and joy about the topic which piqued her interest. Until Mary mentioned it, Sarah had no idea that quietly mentioning her own passion and love for the topic was such an inspiration. Simple things bear witness.

How are we supposed to do this? Through openness to the power of the Holy Spirit working in our lives. He will work—if we let him!

“[O]penness to the Lord—a willingness to let the Lord transform our lives—should produce a renewed spiritual and missionary vitality among American Catholics. Jesus Christ is the answer to the question posed by every human life, and the love of Christ compels us to share that great good news with everyone.… ‘The Spirit God has given us is no cowardly spirit … Therefore, never be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord’ (2 Tm. 1:7–8).

Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Journey to the United States of America: Eucharistic Celebration in Baltimore, Sunday, 8 October 1995

St. John Paul II challenges us.

But his words come from a man who was no stranger to suffering, hard work and sacrifice. They come from someone who practiced what he preached. He lost both his mother and his only brother to illness before he turned 13, and his father to a heart attack when he was 21. He lived through the Nazi occupation of Poland and, engaging in hard manual labor, he worked in both a quarry and a chemical factory.

He then pursued underground studies for the priesthood—while also leading a clandestine theatre group, as a means of cultural resistance to the attempted obliteration of Polish culture by the Nazi regime. He had wanted to be an actor—and was in fact a playwright—but he gave up that dream for a higher call. 

He was a lover of the outdoors. He kayaked, hiked, camped and skied. (He apparently scorned ski lifts and would hike up the mountain instead. His skiing was such that he was dubbed the “Daredevil of the Tatras.” It was a sport he continued into his papacy, and he is reported to have said that "it's unbecoming for a cardinal to ski badly.”) But I digress.

He was ordained a priest at the age of 26 and worked as a university chaplain in his early years of priesthood. Having ample experience with students and young couples, he reflected in Crossing the Threshold of Hope that “as a young priest I learned to love human love.” He became well-known for his writings on love and relationships—such as Love and Responsibility, the Theology of the Body, and his play The Jeweler’s Shop (among other papal writings).

He was ordained a bishop in 1958, a cardinal in 1967, and at the age of 58, was elected pope on October 16, 1978. Walking with us for 26 years as pope, he entered eternal life on April 2, 2005 and was canonized on April 27, 2014.

May his life serve as a model for us all.

He was an amazing man—a man of many talents, but molded through suffering and surrender, offering us not only words but an example to follow. As we approach the Feasts of the Ascension and Pentecost, let’s ask the Holy Spirit to work even more powerfully through us, so that we can be even greater witnesses to the love of Christ in our own lives! 

We may often feel like God is not operating on our preferred timeline—but as St. John Paul II reminds us:

“Our waiting for God is never in vain. Every moment is our opportunity to model ourselves on Jesus Christ—to allow the power of the Gospel to transform our personal lives and our service to others … [I]t is an invitation to enter more deeply into the Christian vocation which belongs to us all by Baptism. There is no evil to be faced that Christ does not face with us. There is no enemy that Christ has not already conquered. There is no cross to bear that Christ has not already borne for us, and does not now bear with us. And on the far side of every cross we find the newness of life in the Holy Spirit … This is our faith. This is our witness before the world.”

Apostolic Journey to the United States of America: Eucharistic Celebration in Baltimore, Sunday, 8 October 1995

Let us never forget it.

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Want to be encouraged in being a witness to Christ? Join us for the 20th National Conference for Single Catholics (founded on the work of John Paul II), to be held October 9-11, 2020 in Denver, Colorado! Gain valuable tools and resources on dating & relationships and meet other like-minded single Catholics from all over the world! 

You can find more information and register here. Hope to see you there!