Many on CAF condemn John Paul II because they blame him personally for the abuses that some people have perpetrated on the liturgy. Others do not like his ideas on ecumenism. Then there are those who believe that he was unjust to the SSPX. Let’s not forget those who want to see him in hell because he prayed with Jews, kissed the Quran, prayed with Protestants, and invited people of all faiths to pray for peace at the Franciscan motherhouse in Assisi.
There was even one poster who hoped that John Paul II would never be canonized, because it would be one more thing that he messed up. How a Catholic can hope that a person never joins the company of the Saints is beyond my comprehension. To hope that someone is never recognized as a saint, is almost as hoping that someone never makes it to Heaven or if he does, that God keep it a secret from the Church.
All this being said, let’s look at some of this in the context of this thread. The abuses of the liturgy were not committed by John Paul. John Paul not only prayed for those who sinned against the liturgy and the faith of the Church, but he also provided the bishops with much encouragement to look into the liturgical life of their dioceses and do whatever was needed to inspire the faith of the people of God, while at the same time preserving communion with the universal Church, past and present. The Holy Father looked at this through a different pair of glasses than many of us on CAF. What many interpreted as liturgical abuse, he understood as a hunger to enter into the mystery of the liturgy. He understood that hungry people will sometimes steal instead of begging, because pride gets in the way. What we see here is John’s mysticism again. He was able to look into the soul of those who committed the abuses against the liturgical laws and regulations and see that they were not as guilty of abusing the liturgy as they were of spiritual pride, because they wanted to take something that was already good and make it better to meet their needs. John Paul focussed on addressing spiritual pride through his living witness and through is writings. He believed that coming down hard with rules would do little to heal pride. Pride could only be healed through a life of prayer, sacrifice and good example. That’s what he did. This kind of insight is only seen through the eyes of a mystic.
John Paul’s ideas on ecumenism came from a vision that was not the same as that of the rest of us. When he looked at people of faith, any faith, he saw a garden. In the centre of that garden there is a large tree which is the Catholic Church. This large tree has seven trunks, which are the apostolic churches. This is why he calls the Orthodox Churches Sister Churches. From the main trunk there are many small branches. Some are weaker and others are stronger. However, they are connected to the large tree even though the connection is very narrow. These are the ecclesial communities of the Reformation. Beneath the tree he saw the earth that nurtured the tree in its infancy. This is Judaism. Without it, the tree would not have come to life. Around the garden he sees small plants that are not part of the tree, but grow in the shade of the tree. These are other faiths that are neither Christian nor Jewish, but have some of the same elements of the Catholic Church, such as natural moral law and the desire for world peace and unity among people or justice for everyone. These include Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and others. From his mystical vantage point he can see connections that others can easily miss, because they are not visible to the average Christian, not even to saints or popes, unless they are mystics and can see the big picture of the mystical body.
JR
