Totally yours

©"L'Osservatore Romano"
photos from the book
John Paul II:
A Light for the World.


I just watched the documentary on John Paul II's life, "Witness to Hope", and found it very inspiring. What an amazing man!

Here was someone who was willing to push the boundaries in sharing with the world the love of Christ.

Here was a religious who sought to understand the world and brought his message of hope to the masses, and in so doing, was instrumental in uniting the people of Poland to bring to an end the rule of communism, followed later by the destruction of the Berlin wall.

A man of many talents (actor, poet, playwright, philosopher, academician, linguist) JPII could've chosen any road to venture forth and been a success at whatever he put his mind to, but he decided to answer the calling from above.

Just as Mary conveyed her assent to the angel Gabriel and then proceeded to live a life of quiet and titanium-clad faithfulness to God despite the immediately apparent difficulties and definite future heartbreak, JPII was a man who knew the cost of saying yes but went ahead to passionately live out his ideals and beliefs.

His ability to accomplish so much within his lifetime is by virtue of grace, but also through his full cooperation with the Holy Spirit.

He lived by his motto "Totus Tuus", "Totally Yours", which echoed Mary's fiat - not a surprising choice for he had a special affinity with the mother of Christ throughout his life, a relationship that influenced his actions greatly.

While I like to believe that I say yes to being faithful to Christ and his unique way of loving and being every day, it's a struggle to be mindful of my own actions every conscious moment.

Falling or failing is not that uncommon an occurrence, sadly.

According to those close to him, John Paul II found his anchor in daily mass and contemplative prayer despite his exhausting schedule as pope.

As the end of the year looms and I begin to ponder on how I've spent my time, I know I can always do better, especially in the area of prayer.

So as I seek to be a better disciple of Christ, I also thank God for giving me faithful witnesses like John Paul II to encourage me and challenge me to choose wisely and to choose God every time.

Lord, grant me the grace to be yours totally.