Today marks one of my favorite saints’ feast day, Pope Saint John Paul II. Four years ago, I had the opportunity to travel throughout Poland and follow the life of this great saint. By the end of the trip, I had heard one phrase most used to describe him, “he was a Pope of the times.”
He understood young people, the culture of the world, and where it was heading. Though he understood, he never ever backed down from church teachings. He even tackled topics that no Pope ever had. Freedom, national independence, human rights, moral teachings, political affiliations, and contraception, to name some.
Sin or Do Good?
In today’s readings, we can see the battle of sin and how, more often than not, it is easier to sin than do good. “For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.” (Romans 7:19-20)
It made me think of a famous quote from JPII, “Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.” We were all given free will, but without God and his grace, our willpower in the face of sin is weak. God will never make us choose him, otherwise he would be a dictator and not a loving Father. Rather, he seeks to show us how choosing him and the freedom he offers will transform our lives for the better.
Do Not Lose Sight
It’s easy to lose sight of the good when we live in a world that makes evil seem much more appealing. We settle for control, manipulation, lies and comfort because we believe those are what will make us happy or even content. However, we weren’t made for a worldly life of contentment.
Pope Saint John Paul II wanted the same thing our Father wants for us, true freedom, freedom that can only be found through Jesus Christ. Today, let us thank God for the freedoms we have and pray for those who wish to take them away. Let us “be not afraid” to say no to sin and yes to a life of Christ.
