Buckley, Thoughts on Pope John Paul II

William F. Buckley has a nice column today on Pope John Paul II.

I never cease to be amazed by Mr. Buckley's writing. What a gift to all of us.

I had thought to maybe write a short note on the passing of John Paul II, myself. However there isn't much I can add to the many things that have been said about him.

I had the opportunity a few years ago to have an audience with the Pope. I sat on the aisle and as he came by me, I reached out and was within about 3 inches of his hand.

This was an interesting experience for a number of reasons. Being in such proximity to such a monumental figure is something I won't soon forget. What especially surprised me was that I couldn't help but reach out and try to touch his hand. I didn't think about doing it. I just found myself in the action without thought. I don't think of myself as an easily "star-struck" person by any means. And I don't really know what possessed me to want to reach out in the first place. But there was something about the man that was, if you'll excuse the entendre, magnetic.

In all the coverage of his passing, I was most drawn to descriptions of John Paul's thoughts on suffering. He viewed it as a gift from God. Not in a masochistic sense, mind you; one shouldn't feel as if he reveled in pain.

But what John Paul believed was two fold.

First, he believed that, as Christ did for all of us, our suffering might be endured on the behalf of those who have gone before us but are stuck in purgatory. We suffer to allow those poor souls a chance to enter heaven.

Second, and more captivating to me, John Paul believed that suffering endured gives us perspective into the Grace of God. As is true in so much of life, such lowpoints make us stronger in mind and spirit, allowing us to fully realize all that is beautiful and good.

As John Paul once said,

"When the body is gravely ill, totally incapacitated, and the person is almost incapable of living and acting, all the more do interior maturity and spiritual greatness become evident, constituting a touching lesson to those who are healthy and normal."

I imagine John Paul's is a more eloquent articulation of the notion that without our lows we cannot appreciate the highs. The importance of such appreciation is evident in the Bible, and helps to explain why Jesus chose to suffer for 3 hours on the Cross before giving up his life.

I find that view really inspiring, not least of all because I had never really contemplated it in such a dramatic environment as death.

Anyway, my description is an incomplete picture and likely lacks the beauty of JPII's sentiments, but hopefully gives a general idea of his views on suffering.

In total, I so much respect the manner in which John Paul II chose to die. He died with the courage and grace that he lived so fully in his entire life.

[Update: I just came across an archived piece at NRO from Marc A. Thiessen that does more justice to the Pope's thoughts on suffering. I very much encourage that you read it.]