Mark 16:15-16
15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
16 "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
For any man who takes the words of Christ seriously, it becomes a desire to preach the Good News. popepapa John Paul II listened to these words of Christ and obeyed literally the command of Christ. He was never afraid of Criticism, he was shot for proclaiming the gospel, he was attacked by the media and by anti-Catholic groups.
His strong moral message finds opposition, even within the Church, by those who disobey the words of Christ.
But against all odds, the Holy Father managed to travel to almost 130 countries, He gathered multitudes in one place at a time, he preached the gospel verbally, by apostolic letter, by encyclicals and by books.
The whole world watched with amazement the sufferings of an ageing pontiff who was determined to witness Christ until the last moment of his life. He was tired and he looked tired, he was not ashamed of his limitations, but he pushed himself beyond human limits to work for the kingdom of God and to love God with all his heart, his mind, his soul and his strength.
He preached the words of Christ with conviction and with courage, he encouraged the flock entrusted to him to follow Christ, and to not be afraid of being witnesses of Christ. Even though he has gone into the spiritual realm, the Holy Father remains with us and will never be forgotten, many call him already John Paul the Great, a title well deserved.
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Excerpts
Evangelium vitae
Together we all sense our duty to preach the Gospel of life, to celebrate it in the Liturgy and in our whole existence, and to serve it with the various programmes and structures which support and promote life.
ENCYCLICAL EPISTLE SLAVORUM APOSTOLI
The truth and the power of their missionary mandate came from the depths of the mystery of the Redemption, and their evangelizing work among the Slav peoples was to constitute an important link in the mission entrusted by the Savior to the Church until the end of time. It was a fulfillment-in time and in concrete circumstances-of the words of Christ, who in the power of his Cross and Resurrection told the Apostles: "Preach the Gospel to the whole creation";(18) "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations".(19) In so doing, the preachers and teachers of the Slav peoples let themselves be guided by the apostolic ideal of Saint Paul: "For in Christ Jesus you are all children of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus".(20)
Link
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/
hf_jp-ii_enc_19850602_slavorum-apostoli_en.html |
