John Paul II and the Way to True Happiness Dear Archbishop Schulte, Dear Msgr
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S I S C E U T T N O CE F RV US AD InternatiOnal THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE FOR STUDIES ON Marriage AND THE Family ConsortioFALL 2005 Graduation 2005 – Cardinal Schönborn’s Homily John Paul II and the Way to True Happiness Dear Archbishop Schulte, dear Msgr. George Saraus- his demand and with his help we will continue. kas, dear priests and deacons, dear students and soon- Let me ask a kind of scholastic question and try to to-be graduates, dear faculty, dear Board Members give a scholastic answer as is fitting for an academic and friends, dear children institution. Why was John (of great number!) and Paul II so attractive in his dear brothers and sisters. life and in a certain way Tomorrow, the 18th of even more in his death, in May would have been the his dying, in his passing? 85th birthday of our Holy It really was an amazing Father John Paul II, the phenomenon that in the last one who gave birth to our weeks of his illness and in Institute. It is a particular his final passing away in privilege the light of the vigil of the The desire for happiness to com- Feast of Divine Mercy, the has no other way to memorate entire world was looking at true fulfilment than the him very him, was present with him. specially And there were so many Beatitudes. Happy are in this who were not Catholics or the poor in spirit, happy Holy Eu- Christians praying around are the mourning, the charist, him. this cele- A first answer to this peacemakers, the bration of question would be an ob- merciful, the persecuted. the Divine jection, in the way that St. Mysteries, Thomas gives an objection. to give abundant thanks This was a media event, to the Lord for all he has blown up by the media. I given to the Church, the give immediately my re- world, and in particular sponse to this objection. Inside this issue also to the Institute. Cardinal Dr. Christoph Schönborn Nobody in the world gave John Paul II had an order to the media to ITI’s Summer Activites a work, the Feast of come. They did not come Introducing the nd Graduates of 2005 Divine Mercy, which he established on the 2 of because a powerful Catholic commandment asked Monsignor Sarauskas April, which became his birthday into eternal life. them to appear in Rome and transmit all of these Awarded Honorary Whenever there will be one day, hopefully, the feast events to the entire world. They came because they Doctorate of a blessed John Paul II, it will be the 2nd of April were attracted. Let us say in a more grassroots way that Dudaryk Visits ITI because we celebrate the birthday into eternal life. there was a market. It was attractive. 7,500 journalists Fall Calendar Therefore we do not only pray for him, asking the had accreditation in Rome for these events. So some- Lord to be the reward of his life, but we pray with thing attractive happened. What was it? him in this Holy Eucharist, in the certainty that he is Was it the fame of John Paul II? Yes, in a certain present with Christ, and for the Church with Christ, way it was the fame. He was truly famous in the the Heavenly King. We can ask him to assist us and whole world, but his fame made men listen. Was specially to assist the Institute in its purpose, in its it propaganda? Did the Catholic Church manage work, because it is dear to his heart. We began this at to make him famous throughout the whole world? continued on page 2 1 S Consortio S I C E U T T N O CE F RV US AD Cardinal Schönborn continued Certainly the Catholic Church could not manage the happiness. It does not depend on your material wealth, footwork so well in order to make such a propaganda on your bodily beauty, on your bodily strength. It does campaign for the Pope. There is certainly something not depend on how successful you are according to more. Something behind human standards. Christ has which attracts, and I think given us the charter of hap- the attraction is the desire of piness on the Mount of the happiness. Beatitudes. At least in one country in I will never forget this the world it is written in the moment on the 24th of constitution that the pursuit March when the Holy Father of happiness is the supreme was on the mountain of the purpose of a great nation Beatitudes with some hun- of the world. The pursuit of dred thousand young people happiness is in each of us the from all over the world. The most elementary desire. But first successor of Peter after was John Paul II an image of 2000 years came back to the happiness? Was he, so to say, place where Jesus had pro- an icon, of the successful claimed the charter of hap- pursuit of happiness? Ap- piness. And they had a very parently not. For the last 10 moving and funny scene. years of his life, he was bent The deacon of the Byzantine down by his sickness. His rite went up to the pulpit hip was aching. His beauti- after the blessing and tried ful, virile face was distorted to start to sing the Gospel, by Parkinson’s disease. In when suddenly the bishop the end, he had even lost showed up and pushed him the magnificent voice which aside and began with the would be the desire of every most beautiful voice to sing Eastern Rite bishop to have and proclaim the Gospel had. Even this voice he had lost. Nothing attractive of the Beatitudes. I can understand him. Probably he was in him, yet nevertheless he attracted and perhaps thought that this is a unique occasion in my life to pro- attracted even more in his claim the Beatitudes, on the mount of the Beatitudes, in We should never forget that he sickness in his last days. the presence of Peter. To proclaim to the world a charter has given us this tremendous What was the cause of of happiness in the great year of the Jubilee. this attraction? Let me try So we should now thank the Lord for what he has teacher of the true way of to give an answer. Probably given to us, to the world, and to the Church in the min- happiness. Not only through it is the precise answer to istry of John Paul II. We should never forget that he words, but even at the end the Gospel of today that we has given us this tremendous teacher of the true way have seen in his last years of happiness. Not only through words, but even at the through the silent sign of the and in his last months and end through the silent sign of the Cross given on Easter Cross given on Easter Sunday. weeks. As if God wanted to Sunday. This was truly the sign of the new life the Lord This was truly the sign of the show the whole world that wants us to share with Him. So let us now celebrate what he had proclaimed the Divine Mysteries, praying for the real founder of new life the Lord wants us to from the mountain in our Institute. Praying with him who is now present to share with Him. Galilee is truly the great the Lord and asking him to bless us and the way of the charm of human happi- Institute. As the current Pope Benedict XVI, and at that ness. The desire for happiness has no other way to true time Cardinal Ratzinger, said from the window of the fulfilment than the Beatitudes. Happy are the poor in father’s house, “Ci benedica Santo Padre”, “Bless us spirit, happy are the mourning, the peacemakers, the Holy Father.” That is our demand in this holy place. merciful, the persecuted. Isn’t it the true reason for the incredible attraction of Pope John Paul II, that he was Cardinal Dr. Christoph Schönborn is the Cardinal really the icon of the Beatitudes? And that consciously Archbishop of Vienna and the Grand Chancellor of the or unconsciously - probably more unconsciously - International Theological Institute. people in the whole world felt that this is the way to 2 Fall 2005 S I S C E U T T N O CE F RV US AD An Active Summer for the ITI ven when the academic year is marized by what one of the partici- the Byzantine Chapel. Eover, activity on campus con- pants wrote us afterwards: “At the Off campus, many tinues. In May, many ITI students beginning and at the end of our stay of our students did as well as catechists from Germany in Gaming we could listen to great volunteer work in and Austria took part in the Good words which keep our spirit strong. their diocese. Some Shepherd Catechesis training that Every lecture of the professors was gave talks in their was hosted by the like flames in my parishes on pertinent ITI. The training mind burning up matters having to do focuses on catechis- my intellect. My with marriage and ing young children. personal contact family. Ella Stefan- In June and July, with the truth of yan, from the country high school and the human being of Georgia, worked college students and God, which in a camp for the from around the was given us by handicapped, as she world came to the the professors… does each summer.