Pope John Paul II's Legacy

        As we approach their canonization, Catholics around the world are buzzing with excitement as they reminisce about the lives of two men. Their names? Angelo Roncalli and Karol Wojtyla – aka Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II. On this historical weekend I want to share with you a little of the incredible legacy left to women by John Paul II – a man I have grown to love as if he were still with us!

        As the third longest serving pope in history, John Paul dedicated his life to serving others, regardless of race, gender or social status. Even his motto – ‘Totus Tuus’ (Totally Yours) – reflects his selfless nature and utter self-sacrifice for the Lord and for the Church. Most importantly, he aimed to restore the dignity of women and reveal to us our true worth.

        Feminists worldwide criticised what they saw as his ‘traditional’ views of the role of women. He was shunned for what they called outspoken discrimination, because he defended the Church’s teaching with regard to women priests. But the truth of his ministry was NOT one of oppression, it was one of beautiful freedom. 

        He took us back to the basics of what God intended for us from the beginning. He gave us the freedom to live out our authentic femininity without feeling the need to conform to society’s expectations of us. He reminded us that life wasn’t always meant to be this way. We weren’t supposed to be restricted or rejected. Neither were we meant to be totally self-sufficient, or to change ourselves in order to achieve. We have our own purpose – one which complements, contributes to and is enabled by the purpose of those around us. We are meant to be women, with the unique beauty and strength which that entails. Above all, we are meant to be ourselves. 

        John Paul gave us both his papal exhortation – entitled Mulieris Dignitatem (The Dignity of Women) – and his heartfelt Letter to Women. He was incredibly vocal and open about his sadness at the way in which women were treated, and his desire to see us regain our faith in the purpose of our creation. Possibly most beautifully of all, he gave us his Theology of the Body: a teaching which revolutionised what it means to be a woman. 

        He opened our eyes to the true marvel that is femininity, when viewed correctly. He showed us how to give all our guilt and shame to Jesus, how to embrace God’s plan for us, and how to love ourselves for who we are. For me personally, he taught me that being a woman isn’t a chore, it’s a joy! I know I can’t thank him enough.

“The moral and spiritual strength of a woman is joined to her awareness that God entrusts the human being to her in a special way… This fundamental vocation speaks to women of the dignity which they receive from God himself, and makes them ‘strong’.”

(Mulieris Dignitatem, no. 30)

(Saint) John Paul II… Pray for us

Guest Post: Sarah Beresford

Sarah and her husband, David, have just taken over as directors of the Catholic Bible School.

        When I was about 13 I had a birthday sleepover party with my four best friends. At some point in the middle of the night after laughing a lot, eating way too much sugar and talking about all the boys we fancied we got a bit serious and wrote down five ambitions each. I remember finding this hard after the first two. Did I want to be a florist or an actress or whatever the current fantasy career was at the time.

         The first two were easy though and they haven't changed as I have gotten older. I wanted to be a good wife and a good mum. I still do. My career ideals have changed here and there over the years although broadly in the same field but my family life is permanent. 

        I fell in love with my wonderful David (his name means Beloved - and he is) when I was 17 years old and married him three years later aged 20. Almost 22 years down the line I still love him and much more than I did back then. Eight years ago our lovely daughter Molly was born (her name means wished for child - and she is) and the other great focus of my life came into being. 

        To be a woman of God is to truly live out your vocation, and for me this is being the best I can as a wife and mother. It means setting a good example and living a life of love and sacrifice. It means putting them first in the knowledge that they do the same. It means trying my best to always be attentive to the presence of God in my life, which can be quite tricky, but it's easier when I can make decisions that I know will build my marriage and family and not distract me from them because David and Molly are permanent features (God-willing) in my life and everything else - apart from the Lord himself - can change and most likely will. 

        It doesn't sound exciting to some and in fact sounds quite old-fashioned and outdated to many, but I find it liberating and joyful because it is an active choice I have made. Being a woman of God means trusting and listening and loving till it hurts and doing it with those you love most makes it the most fulfilling experience ever. 

So fall in love with the Lord and do your best to listen and trust and do what you think he wants you to do.

Being the Bride of Christ

“I’ll be the bride of Christ before I’m the bride of man.”

    I wrote this in my prayer journal last summer. I love it, partly because it is so completely not something that I would have thought of that I know it was from God, but also because it reminds me who I’m living for, and where my priorities need to be in everything I do: with my Lord. Whenever I’m struggling to work out what direction my life is heading in, or am tempted to succumb to the world’s message that singleness should be a burden, I turn back to that page and my faith is restored.

    I recently heard an incredible talk on why, when Jesus said at the Last Supper “this is my blood of the covenant” (Matthew 26:28), the disciples would have heard “Will you marry me?” 

This blew my mind!!!!

    Following the Jewish tradition – after an agreement between the fathers of both the man and woman had been made – a man proposed with those very words before offering the cup to his beloved. If she drank from it, it symbolised her acceptance of his proposal. The man would then return to his father’s house to build rooms for them to live in. When his father deemed them ready, the man would then return for his bride.

    Think about it… Jesus offered the cup of the covenant to his disciples, told them that He was going to ‘prepare a place’ for them in His Father’s house (John 14:2), and promised “I will come back and take you to be with me” (John 14:3). 

    So if He's offered us the cup, and we've accepted it, then we can now await our wedding day. As women we can fairly easily picture ourselves in the white dress with the beautiful bouquet walking down the aisle to greet our future spouse. We know it will be the happiest day of our lives. As children we dreamt about it, at girly sleepovers we solemnly pledged our services as maids of honour, and as we got older we tried to picture it as a reality rather than a pipe dream.

    But that day hasn’t come yet. That will be the culmination of our whole life on earth. Right now we must prepare ourselves for that day. For many single women this preparation stage is one of pain, disappointment and dwindling hope. Waiting for a husband can seem increasingly futile as the hopeful desire for marriage gives way to an agonising anxiety over whether that desire will be fulfilled. 

    With Jesus we need not be anxious. He has already proposed, and we know He will return for us. In case we are ever tempted to doubt His promise, He repeats that proposal each and every day in the mass. We are secure in the knowledge that, one day, we WILL kneel at the altar dressed in white to be united with Christ. So while we wait, we must focus on preparing ourselves.

    I don’t know how you’ve pictured your wedding day – it’s different for all of us – but I can guarantee one thing: when you envisage yourself walking down the aisle you won’t be concerned with what you’re wearing or whether your make-up is perfect, you’ll be completely focussed on your groom. A poet called John Milton wrote:

“The bride eyes not her garment,

But her dear bridegroom’s face.

I will not gaze at glory,

But on my King of Grace.”

    As you await the return of your bridegroom, don’t allow yourself to be distracted by the trivialities of life or the false priorities. You may marry in this life, you may not. It may be soon, or it may take longer than you think you can bear. But the one certainty is that it cannot replace or out-do your betrothal to Christ.

Fix your eyes on Jesus at the end of that aisle, and hold His gaze alone as you journey towards Him.