Saint John Paul II ( Jpii ) Essay - 1760 Words

The human call to strive for holiness is intrinsic as we are ‘sanctified by God’s divine grace’ that makes us sharers in God’s life through the life, death and resurrection of Christ. This amazing grace makes us holy adopted children of God, the temple of the Holy Spirit and gives a right to eternal life. But as humanity is graced with the gift of God’s love, so too through ‘freewill’ human beings fall into sin. God’s ‘actual grace’ which is extrinsic, enlightens us and strengthens us to do good over evil. Saint John Paul II(JPII) lived a life which reflected how his understanding of God’s grace enabled him to live in a time of oppression and hardship in his childhood, to follow God’s call as priest, bishop, pope and saint. In this essay, I will reflect JPII’s understanding of grace and how he lived this out in his Christian practice. JPII’s pontificate was at a time when the people of God were still trying to understand the teachings of the Second Vatican Council. Through his teachings JPII empowers God’s children to understand what the true meaning of their human existence is about, to enter communion and be united to God whose self-giving love has given his own son to share in the suffering of humanity. This is like the triune relationship of self-giving love. Humans are created in God’s image and likeness from the time of creation, ‘although formed from the dust of the earth it is a manifestation of God in the world as a sign of his presence and glory.’ JPIIShow MoreRelatedA Brief Biography of Pope John Paul II1856 Words   |  8 Pages John Paul II On May 18, 1920, in a small Polish town just outside of Wadowice, a child was born to Karol Wojtyla (1879-1941, and Emilia Kaczorosks (1884-1929). His name was Karol Jozef Wojtyla. Little did his parents know that one day their child was destined not only to become a priest and a bishop, but the 264th pope of the Roman Catholic Church, and only the second non-Italian pope. Emilia, a schoolteacher, died in childbirth. Wojtyla was nine years old and the youngest of three children