The most foundational aspect of the lives and teaching of St. John Paul the Great and Benedict XVI is the focus on the Person of Jesus Christ and His relation to each human heart. This may seem elementary at first; but when one considers points of emphasis within society and within the Church, the focus of these two holy men puts us in touch with the Gospel, the Good News, which is Christ Himself. Our culture is in chaos because we have not allowed Jesus Christ—the Person—to touch our innermost selves and dwell within us. The degree to which we abandon ourselves to Him is the degree to which we will see cultural impact.
One of the immense gifts and privileges of the Institute of Catholic Humanism is to allow St. John Paul and Benedict to speak to us once again. It is my delight to share these quotations (with links to the larger text) from our beloved spiritual fathers to inspire our prayer and encounter with Jesus:
“The Redeemer of man, Jesus Christ, is the center of the universe and of history.” — St. John Paul II, Redemptor Hominis, 1
“Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.” — Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est, 1
“It means that for us too Christianity is not a new philosophy or a new morality. We are only Christians if we encounter Christ. Of course, he does not show himself to us in this overwhelming, luminous way, as he did to Paul to make him the Apostle to all peoples. But we too can encounter Christ in reading Sacred Scripture, in prayer, in the liturgical life of the Church. We can touch Christ’s Heart and feel him touching ours. Only in this personal relationship with Christ, only in this encounter with the Risen One do we truly become Christians.” — Benedict XVI, General Audience (3 September 2008)
“The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not a private opinion, a remote spiritual ideal, or a mere program for personal growth. The Gospel is the power which can transform the world! The Gospel is no abstraction: it is the living person of Jesus Christ, the Word of God, the reflection of the Father’s glory (Cf. Hebr. 1: 2), the Incarnate Son who reveals the deepest meaning of our humanity and the noble destiny to which the whole human family is called (Cf. Gaudium et Spes, 22).” — St. John Paul II, Homily (8 October 1995)
“This is not an encounter with an idea or with a project of life, but with a living Person who transforms our innermost selves, revealing to us our true identity as children of God. The encounter with Christ renews our human relationships, directing them, from day to day, to greater solidarity and brotherhood in the logic of love. . . .Knowing God, meeting him, deepening our knowledge of the features of his face is vital for our life so that he may enter into the profound dynamics of the human being.” — Benedict XVI, General Audience (17 October 2012)