To the Band of Brothers: October 22, 2020
Good morning,
When I was a freshman in college I had the opportunity to be in the presence of a saint. Even though I’m convinced that throughout my life I have been in the presence of saints like Fr. Jorge Sardiña, Fr. Patrick Healy, and my grandmother, there was this one time in September of 1987 when it was truly a saint that stood before me. It was Pope John Paul II. He was starting one of his many pastoral visits to places outside the walls of the Vatican. Miami was his first stop this time around.
My friends and I decided to go as a group. The outdoor mass was celebrated at Tamiami Park, so we agreed to park our cars at Belen and walk up 8 street. We got there the night before, which meant we had to sleep out in an open field on the ground. I know it may seem extreme, but how many times have people camped out on the street in a line waiting to get into a concert or purchase the newest iPhone. This was much more important than any of those things and, since we were young and indestructible, we saw it as a once in a lifetime adventure.
The place was packed. Teenagers, old people, young couples, and whole families, gathered together awaiting the arrival of the Vicar of Christ. We spent the whole night and early morning singing songs, playing games, meeting strangers, and praying. It was like Woodstock, but without the mud, tie-dye shirts, and other unmentionables typical of the late 60s. To be honest, my friends and I didn’t even notice the long hours we had to wait, nor did we notice the menacing rain clouds that began to gather overhead.
They had set up a massive stage that served as the altar with large speakers pointed towards the crowds. The place had been cordoned off and, while the area closest to the front had chairs for special guests and dignitaries, we were sitting on the grass and dirt towards the back. Then the mass started and the Pope made his way in. I am sure he had arrived in the pope-mobile, but we didn’t see it. What we saw was the man dressed in white, wearing a large miter on his head, and a beautiful silver crosier in his hands.
It was spectacular. Then the lightning and rain came. It poured! Not a simple early fall sprinkle, but a downpour typical of Miami that left everything soaked in its path. At one point it got so bad, they directed the Pope off the stage and asked the people to disperse. While many did, my friends and I decided to stay and chant with the crowd that remained, “Juan Pablo segundo, lo ama todo el mundo.” Then, after half an hour, with the place almost deserted, he came out again sending blessings to those of us who had braved the storm. It was awesome.
Today we celebrate the feast day of St. John Paul II. For 27 years, this holy man from Poland was at the helm of the Catholic Church. The first non-Italian pope since the 16th century, he brought a charism and energy to the papacy the likes the Church had not seen for generations. He had an incredible missionary spirit making 104 foreign trips, traveling more than 725,000 miles, more than all previous popes combined. He was an extraordinary speaker and knew his audience well. He didn’t prance around the issues. He adamantly denounced dictatorships and human rights violations, condemned Marxism and the practice of abortion, and spoke joyously about the faith and Jesus Christ. Everywhere he went he would proclaim, “Do not be afraid! Open wide the doors to Christ.”
One of my favorite stories about him was when, as pope, he first visited his homeland in 1979. Poland had been under communist rule since the end of World War II. He had personally endured, not only the evil of Nazism, but later the oppression of communism as well. The communist party was terrified of his visit and what it could mean. In a speech in Warsaw, in the presence of Edward Gierek, the leader of the Communist Party, he questioned the tactics of such an oppressive government, called for the liberation of dissenters, and demanded the respect of the rights of people. Even though the government tried to drown out his words by flying planes overhead, his voice was firm and steady and could be heard for miles.
At the time, the leading opposition movement in Poland was called Solidarity. It was led by a simple laborer named Lech Walesa. This man was a thorn in the side of the Soviet Union. They tried to silence him on many occasions by intimidation and incarceration. Although it was not on his itinerary and the Vatican had not mentioned anything before the trip, John Paul II insisted on meeting with him. When the communist turned him down, the Pope insisted if he didn’t meet with him, he would get back on the plane and leave. Realizing this would be an international scandal, the communist conceded and the two men met. It was at this meeting that the Pope encouraged Walesa to continue with the struggle, to not lose hope, and to pray to the Blessed Mother to help their cause.
It is no wonder that when the Soviet Union collapsed with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, President Ronald Reagan, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of England, and Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev credited Pope John Paul II as the leading figure to help bring down the Iron Curtain. What is most powerful to me is that he did it with the truth, with prayers, and without having to fire a single shot or loss of a single human life. That is extraordinary.
When I have often thought of the people who I would list as being heroes of mine, St. John Paul II tops the list. Not only was he the pope of my youth, but he was also one of the most important leaders of and for our times. I know that one of the main reasons I decided to become a priest was because of him. In a time when the world seems to struggle to find authentic and charismatic leadership, we should turn to St. John Paul II for guidance and example.
Auspice Maria
BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: communications@belenjesuit.org
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: communications@belenjesuit.org
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was founded in 1854 in Havana, Cuba, by Queen Isabel II of Spain. The task of educating students was assigned to the priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), whose teaching tradition is synonymous with academic excellence and spiritual discipline. In 1961, the new political regime of Cuba confiscated the school's property and expelled the Jesuit faculty. The School was re-established in Miami the same year, and over the next decade, continued to grow. Today, Belen Jesuit is situated on a 34-acre site in western Dade County, just minutes away from downtown Miami.