1st Anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II

It is amazing that it has already been a year since the death of Pope John Paul II. When I think of the impact that he has had on the faith, and on the world, for over 26 years, and now suddenly a year has passed. Even with his passing, his influence shall be felt for years to come, because he had the foresight to concentrate on what was truly important: the young people. While the media tends to throw around terms to describe "generations" (baby boomers, Gen X, and so forth), I think the generation that grew up under JPII can rightly be called the JPII Generation. They are seeds whose full flowering of their potential is yet to be shown.

Hopefully the JPII Generation will be a complete turnaround from what we have had in recent decades, of a consumerist mentality and a philosophy of serving selfish interests. When we look out for ourselves --when we make ourselves our own gods that we worship-- we then serve a very limited, very petty, and very selfish god. The "selfgod" is basically very juvenile, and no good can ultimately come from such a "worship service."

It is my prayer that the young people of the JPII Generation will take JPII's lessons to heart, and that they will lead the way to a true revival of the spirit of service to others. The old, selfish gods of the "Me Generation" need to whither away and take their destructive influences with them. In their place must go the God that JPII worshipped, the only God that can lead the way to true growth and maturity --and true love. God bless John Paul II.