The mission St. John Paul II calls us to fulfill, 20 years after he left us

In the 1970s, you were much apt to person a spaceship piloted by an extraterrestrial onshore successful your backyard than the person of the Catholic Church.

The epoch of regular papal question had not yet begun, but that was astir to change. 

In 1979, John Paul II was already readying his archetypal travel arsenic pope to the United States erstwhile helium received a two-page handwritten missive from Iowa husbandman Joe Hays inviting him to sojourn America’s heartland. 

Pope John Paul II raises his arms successful greeting aft his code astatine Chapel of St Patrick's College, Maynooth, Ireland, Oct. 1, 1979. (Chuck Fishman/Getty Images)

A fewer abbreviated months later, Living History Farms adjacent Des Moines hosted the pope, who drew an estimated 350,000 radical – inactive the largest gathering successful Hawkeye State history.

POPE BENEDICT XVI AND POPE JOHN PAUL II: CATHOLICISM'S DYNAMIC DUO

John Paul II proved helium was a antheral of the radical – successful much ways than one. 

Twenty years agone connected Wednesday, the sainted pope ended his earthly pilgrimage. He died astatine the Vatican connected April 2, 2005, astatine the property of 84.

Despite the 2 decades since his death, John Paul inactive has a large woody to thatch america astir quality dignity, God’s boundless mercy and the treasures of our faith. 

During his reign of implicit 26 years, the Polish pontiff became the astir seen quality being successful history, visiting 129 countries and attracting crowds of up to 7 cardinal radical astatine once. 

Pope John Paul II during Mass astatine a workplace successful agrarian Iowa, connected Oct. 4, 1979, during his archetypal sojourn to the United States. (Wally McNamee/Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)

John Paul was undoubtedly 1 of the astir influential satellite leaders of the 20th century. His bequest has been unpacked successful dozens of books, and his interaction volition beryllium discussed until the extremity of time. However, the essence of this philosopher-pope’s connection was the inalienable dignity of each and each quality person. 

JOHN PAUL II – THE POPE OF LIFE

"Respect for beingness requires that subject and exertion should ever beryllium astatine the work of antheral and his integral development," helium wrote successful 1995. "Society arsenic a full indispensable respect, support and beforehand the dignity of each quality person, astatine each infinitesimal and successful each information of that person’s life."

His profound respect for quality dignity was, successful a way, shaped during his formative years successful Poland during and aft the Second World War. 

The archetypal fractional of the 1900s saw horrific satellite wars and the progressive march of atheistic communism, which caused bloodshed unparalleled successful quality history. During the second fractional of the century, the degradation of quality dignity was unabated. War, euthanasia, termination and genocide helped marque the 20th period the bloodiest successful quality history. 

John Paul was opening his 2nd twelvemonth of assemblage erstwhile Nazi tanks rolled into Poland. He saw man’s inhumanity to antheral firsthand, which lit a occurrence nether him to assistance reconstruct the information astir the quality person, created successful God’s representation and likeness. 

"Every menace to quality dignity and beingness indispensable needfully beryllium felt successful the Church’s precise heart," helium wrote successful his encyclical "Humanae Vitae," "It cannot but impact her astatine the halfway of her religion successful the Redemptive Incarnation of the Son of God and prosecute her successful her ngo of proclaiming the Gospel of beingness successful each the satellite and to each creature."

JOHN PAUL II – A SAINT BEFORE HE HIT THE GROUND

Aligned with his effort to reawaken the information astir quality dignity was John Paul’s inaugural to dispersed the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the satellite done the "New Evangelization." He encouraged Catholics worldwide to articulation him successful proclaiming the gospel successful caller ways, utilizing caller methods to scope those who whitethorn person already heard astir Jesus.

The New Evangelization led to the emergence of caller Catholic media – tv and networks, podcasts and online publications. The pope encouraged laic radical to articulation him successful telling the satellite astir the redeeming powerfulness of Jesus Christ. 

"As Catholic laic people, you person an important motivation and taste publication of work to marque to the beingness of your country," helium said during a 1987 code successful San Francisco. "‘Much volition beryllium required of the idiosyncratic entrusted with much.’ These words of Christ use not lone to the sharing of worldly wealthiness oregon idiosyncratic talents but besides to the sharing of one’s faith."

It could beryllium said that everything John Paul did during his pontificate – his writing, preaching, satellite travels, his World Youth Day inaugural and publishing the Catechism of the Catholic Church – were each geared toward this New Evangelization. After all, arsenic Pope Paul VI said successful 1975, "the Church exists to evangelize."

A young worshiper holds a candle portion Pope John Paul II celebrates Mass for a congregation of 375,000 successful Denver's Cherry Creek State Park, arsenic portion of World Youth Day celebrations successful August 1993. (Ralf-Finn Hestoft/Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)

For the Polish pope, that meant helping radical travel to cognize Jesus Christ arsenic the reply to their deepest longing and astir troubling questions, including the longing for love, happiness, and meaning.

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, OCTOBER 16, 1978, POPE JOHN PAUL II OF POLAND IS ELECTED HEAD OF CATHOLIC CHURCH

He told pilgrims to World Youth Day successful Denver that "Jesus came to supply the eventual reply to the yearning for beingness and for the infinite which his Heavenly Father had poured into our hearts erstwhile helium created us. At the climax of revelation, the incarnate Word proclaims, ‘I americium the Life,’ and ‘I came that they mightiness person life.’ But what life? Jesus’ volition was clear: the precise beingness of God, which surpasses each the imaginable aspirations of the quality heart."

Where did John Paul II get the spot and contented to alteration the world? Prayer.

As a priest, bishop and pope, John Paul spent countless hours successful supplication each day, rising earlier dawn to commune successful his chapel. His regular daily was acold from routine. He wrote galore of his letters, books and encyclicals successful beforehand of the tabernacle. 

John Paul could sorb Jesus similar we sorb the summertime sun’s rays. I’m thoroughly convinced that the not-so-secret to his occurrence was his supplication life. How other could helium convey the extent of God’s emotion to millions worldwide successful a mode that moved hearts person to Jesus Christ? 

Pope John Paul II leaves the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception successful Washington, D.C., aft Sunday Mass connected Oct. 7, 1979. (John McDonnell/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

It’s said that John Paul often received a stone prima welcome. Indeed, his invited by presidents, premier ministers, kings, queens, princes and mean folks was acold beyond what immoderate stone prima could imagine. 

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Most radical who saw John Paul successful idiosyncratic – adjacent successful crowds up to 7 cardinal beardown – felt helium was speaking straight to them. 

That went for Farmer Joe Hays successful Iowa, too.

"You are stewards of immoderate of the astir important resources God has fixed to the world," John Paul told the oversea of radical gathered astatine Hays’ workplace successful 1979. "Therefore, conserve the onshore good truthful that your children’s children and generations aft them volition inherit an adjacent richer onshore than was entrusted to you."

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In the New Evangelization, John Paul gives america a akin assignment: To permission our children and grandchildren with a deeper religion successful Jesus Christ than our parents near us.

It’s a gangly order, but the satellite needs us.

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