Protecting the Vulnerable With Pope St. John Paul II by Cameron
Hi! I wrote an essay for the pro life essay contest (you can read my sister, Autumn's, essay in a previous post)…
Whenever you hear of a pro life saint, you may think: St. Gianna, Mother Teresa, St. Gerard, or St. Maximilian Kolbe. But a saint that may not come to mind immediately is Pope St. John Paul II. He is a great example to me of protecting the vulnerable. He was a man who eventually became one of the most powerful speakers and popes of all time, and he is definitely one of my favorite and most inspiring saints.
St. John Paul II (born Karol Wojtyla) lived in Poland during WWII. He was a Catholic young man who cared for his elderly father while in hiding. He could've left him, and just gone on with life. But he chose to stay with him to the end because he loved him. He also assisted his father in different complicated/dangerous situations during the war, and nursed him back to health when he was sick.
When his father unfortunately died, St. John Paul II studied in secret as a seminarian to be able to help others more. He personally risked his life when he helped his Jewish friends in different ways. He physically did his best to hide and feed them, even when he could have left them. In doing this, he showed that God loves everyone, including Jews. He also taught those who wanted to take up arms about loving their enemies, especially during the war, and about showing mercy towards others.
Eventually, St. John Paul II became a priest, then a bishop, then an archbishop, then the Pope! He was a very powerful speaker and gave many speeches about defending the innocent, abortion, euthanasia, and a lot more. A lot of people, pro life and pro choice, heard those speeches and were probably moved by that example. Not a lot of people would have spoken out about those victims, because of how our world is today, so he was taking a risk. Also, because he was a great person, he could have spoken about great things by our world’s standards, but these were great things in his eyes.
To me, St. John Paul II is an amazing example of protecting the vulnerable, and he inspires me to speak and witness with my words, actions, and activities in defense of life. For example, participating in walks for the poor and for life, supporting our elderly friends with prayer and works of mercy, and helping in the foreign mission field. So many Christians and Catholics say that they are pro life, but they don't do anything to try to change what is happening in our country. That is what makes me maybe want to become a priest or a speaker to be able to help others in that way, if that is what God is calling me to do, and speak about helping all vulnerable people - young, old, all races alike. But I do believe that God is calling all of us to protect life!
