Here we are, just a few days into the Easter season, a time of unparalleled joy, and yet I cannot shake the lingering feeling that something just isn’t right.
This morning it finally dawned on me that the looming prospect of the dual canonizations that are planned for this upcoming Sunday in Rome (May the Good Lord in His mercy forbid them!) is such that it feels like Holy Week all over again, and something tells me I am not alone.
This makes perfect sense when one considers that we are walking through the dark days leading up to an event during which Our Blessed Lord will once again be mocked by the leaders of His people.
“Oh, well,“ the naive, the under-nourished, and the downright stupid say in unison, “The only thing the Church is doing is proclaiming that John XXIII and John Paul II are in Heaven. What harm could possibly come from that?
The answer is it can do plenty of harm, and it most certainly will.
Canonizations are not performed for the benefit of the canonized. They are not some sort of posthumous lifetime achievement award or induction into the Catholic Hall of Fame.
John XXIII and John Paul II have run their race and have already stood before the Just Judge. The harm that they inflicted upon the Mystical Body of Christ has been laid bare before their eyes and Christ has dealt with both of them in perfect mercy and justice. Beyond praying for their souls, the Church Militant can do no more for them.
Yes, being canonized does proclaim one to be in Heaven, but more than that, it holds up for emulation the life of the saint as an example to be followed. As such, the canonizations are truly intended for us, the faithful.
Can you even begin to imagine the outrages that will be committed against Our Blessed Lord and the Holy Catholic faith in years to come thanks to the example of Pope John Paul II?
I can.
