JPII Mass Reflection
Monica Bertucci ’27
Today is the feast day of Saint John Paul II, or JPII. He is also known as the “Pope of the Youth” – our Pope. That was how he wanted to be remembered. He cared so deeply about the youth and the importance of our faith that he created World Youth Day to come together and celebrate Catholicism with the younger population of the church. World Youth Day has been celebrated fifteen times and the next one will take place in 2027.
St. JPII held high expectations for the youth – people our age. High expectations for the people in this gym right now. He never made excuses for why we couldn’t live out our faith as much as grown adults. He didn’t degrade our abilities to work towards sainthood now rather than later. One of his most famous phrases was, “Do not be afraid.” He spoke to the crowdsabout how to not be afraid, but to have hope from knowing that God is in control. When God is in control there is nothing to fear. There is nothing stronger than His love for us.
This reminds me of my younger brother, Nathan. Nathan is five years old and terrified of the dark. At bedtime, many nights my dad will get him calmed down, say prayers with him, let him know he is protected by Jesus, and his guardian angel. And then my dad will stay sittingwith Nathan. My dad stays with him so that he feels safe all the way until he falls asleep. Our Heavenly Father loves us in the same way. He may not be visibly sitting next to you in your bedroom, but He is always with you. Through your fear and hard times God never leaves you because He loves you. Each one of you here is one of His beloved daughters He loves perfectly. And St. JP II knew how important it is for us to know God loves and is protecting us, so we have nothing to fear. In his words, “Do not be satisfied with mediocrity . . . Do not be afraid to be holy! Have the courage and humility to present yourselves to the world determined to be holy, since full, true freedom is born from holiness.” St. JPII wanted to push us out of our comfort zones so we could work towards holiness, with actions such as saying grace before lunch even if the rest of your group may not, or inviting a friend to Mass, and being enthusiastic about sharing the Gospel with them. St. JP II was not just talking to the grown adults who are already rooted in their vocations. No, He was talking to us! We are young and still learning how to act and learning about who we are. That makes right now the perfect time for us to be working to be disciples of Christ and working toward Sainthood. Christ said, “Never, ever give up on hope, never doubt, never tire, and never become discouraged. Be not afraid.” After all, we never know what is coming, only God does, so we need to be ready now, not later.
St. JPII taught that the young generations in the Church are not only called to work on our own holiness, but also a gift to the entire Church. He called the years of our youth a privileged period and said it was not to be wasted. Our brains are still developing. It is the perfect time to form our lives around faith in Jesus. Let our actions be of kindness, selflessness, and love as examples of how disciples should act. We are not the Church of the future. We are the Church of the present, the Church of today. St. JPII wanted all of us to feel God’s love andHis strength protecting us, so that we can “Be not afraid” to go out today and spread that love.