Where There Was Light, Now There Is Darkness

John Paul II will be sorely missed. His papacy was courageous, dynamic, and unprecedented. He left for us an example of what true discipleship should look like. Unafraid to rebuke the Western world for its material excesses, the Pope nevertheless earned the respect of anyone who took the time to listen to his words. He was, in the end, a tireless advocate for the dignity of all human life, regardless of its perceived use by an impatient and superficial culture. Nearly everyone who has an opinion on this particular Pope has at least recognized that he was a man of extraordinary intellect and even greater principle.

And yet, the Pope had his detractors. For many positions he advocated, one can easily find scores of critics who argue that he stood in the way of progress. The Pope, of course, was unswayed by such criticisms. That, in the end, is the mark of a true disciple of Jesus Christ.

I'm reminded of the passage in First Corinthians, where St. Paul proclaims that the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved, it is the very power of God. The life of John Paul II embodied these words. He was a fool for Christ because he rejected the ethos of our age. And yet, he was still respected. Intellectually, he was a worthy opponent. In terms of his life, there was not a hint of hypocrisy. An opponent of the Pope's message cannot comfort himself or herself simply by relying on a strawman's argument. An opponent of the Pope's message of life and peace must instead confront a startling reality; he or she is against the cross of Christ. It is in that sense, that the cross of Christ is foolishness to the enemies of God.

All of us, Christians and non-Christians, would do well by imitating the courage of the Pope to stand up for what he thought was right, and the passion and sophistication with which he fought for those same convictions.