Catholic Culture Liturgical Living
Catholic Culture Liturgical Living

Powerful Intercession

By Dr. Jeff Mirus ( bio - articles - email ) | Mar 19, 2007

The postulator for the cause of Pope John Paul II has reported that many miracles attributed to the great pope's intercession have been submitted from Russia, including several cases dramatic enough to be formally studied by physicians. This is not surprising, and it matches the experience of many people around the world who have prayed through the intercession of John Paul.

Surely this pope who stood against Communism and helped to bring about its collapse is a logical intercessor for the people of Russia, as he is also for his native Poland. But, in truth, it is difficult to find a place or a personal situation on this earth for which John Paul II would not be a logical intercessor. His scores of trips as pope carried him to all the regions of the globe, bringing hope to every marginalized person, from Catholics struggling to maintain their faith in the secularized West to the poor and oppressed of the third world.

John Paul II was a working man and a scholar, an actor and poet, a teacher and priest. He devoted himself to the building up of the Church and labored to give life to souls with an affection which was at once paternal and maternal. At various times and stages of his life, he experienced poverty, oppression and severe, debilitating illness. He suffered greatly in the fulfillment of his daily duty. Nearly anyone can find a reason to seek the help of such a man.

I’ve prayed to John Paul II myself and, at the risk of sounding simplistic, it really does seem to work. It remains to be seen whether his patronage will become more specialized over time. Right now, he is reportedly casting a pretty wide net. If you have special intentions, take note!

Jeffrey Mirus holds a Ph.D. in intellectual history from Princeton University. A co-founder of Christendom College, he also pioneered Catholic Internet services. He is the founder of Trinity Communications and CatholicCulture.org. See full bio.

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  • Posted by: Retired01 - Jun. 20, 2019 6:15 PM ET USA

    More and more I have the impression that Pope Francis is beyond the point of no return, unless he drastically changes what he is doing. Unless he changes, my impression is that he will do a great damage to the Church and the world; a damage that, unless God decides to intervene directly, will take generations to repair.

  • Posted by: jan02 - Jun. 20, 2019 12:03 AM ET USA

    Thank you Dr. Mirus for this thoughtful essay - I needed to hear this! Looking for the good in others may be difficult to do sometimes, especially when we have been hurt, but is truly crucial to following Christ and grasping reality. Not one of us is without sin. All of us need one another's prayers, encouragement and charitable corrections. All of us need one another's forgiveness when we fall short. God is not finished with any of us yet, thanks be to God!!!

  • Posted by: koinonia - Jun. 18, 2019 7:10 PM ET USA

    "Affirming that celibacy is a gift for the church,... we are asked to study the possibility of priestly ordination for elders...even though they have an established and stable family,..." Classic. Is it not always in "affirming" the traditional that innovation is introduced? This is not the only area of concern in the preliminary topics for discussion for the upcoming Amazon synod. Sadly, one wonders at what cost to the word itself will the good be discerned from amidst the confusion- "mess."

  • Posted by: shrink - Jun. 18, 2019 7:42 AM ET USA

    There is no certainty in this world when it comes to judging a man's character. And Giving Pope Francis the benefit of the doubt may have made sense in 2013, 2014, but by 2015, and the disaster of Evo Morales in Bolivia, followed quickly by the song and dance in AL, the proverbial cat was out of the bag. And where there were doubts, Vigano put them to rest in 2018. Our fate at this time is to be governed by a scoundrel, who surrounds himself with crooks and perverts. But, who am i to judge?

  • Posted by: Randal Mandock - Jun. 18, 2019 1:07 AM ET USA

    When I read it last week I was pleasantly surprised and even impressed.