One of the Greatest Teachers

As 2005 inches closer to becoming history, it's an appropriate time to look back on the year that was.

For me, one of the most significant events of 2005 was the death of Pope John Paul II.

John Paul's importance as a leader on the world's political stage cannot be underestimated. Along with Ronald Reagan, he was instrumental in freeing millions and millions of people from Soviet oppression.

His remarkable ability to empower and inspire people bridged the boundaries of religious affiliations.

John Paul's papacy was not without controversy; and he had plenty of vocal critics regarding plenty of issues. Some even considered John Paul to be evil incarnate.

While expressing disagreement is legitimate, I think the hate that some felt for John Paul was completely unfounded. Their agendas blinded them to his goodness. What a tremendous loss!

Throughout his life, John Paul was a teacher. He taught in the most effective way -- through example. He didn't isolate himself within the Vatican walls and coldly deliver proclamations to his flock from a distance. He reached out to the world, to all people of all faiths. He lovingly embraced them, and billions returned that embrace.

Among the greatest lessons that the Holy Father taught was how to deal with suffering and approaching death. The world witnessed his struggle with his infirmities; yet in spite of his physical decline, his spirit continued to soar.

John Paul showed us that all life has value and is precious in God's eyes.

Colleen Carroll Campbell writes:

In the anguish of that moment and the agony of his last days, the world caught a glimpse of a great soul. John Paul had spent a lifetime testifying to the sanctity of human life and the redemptive value of human suffering. Now he was bearing that witness in his very body. Identifying himself as "a sick man among the sick," John Paul embraced his suffering and, in doing so, encouraged us to embrace the sick and suffering around the world and in our own homes. He sat before us, broken and frail, and invited us to look upon his weakness with love, to mourn with him the tragedy of death, and to celebrate with him the promise of resurrection.

...John Paul's death captivated the world because it was a consummation of the message he had preached throughout his 26-year pontificate: that the dignity of the human person is not dependent on his age or his condition, his attributes or his achievements. It is an everlasting and irrevocable gift from God, one that shines all the more brightly when all else has been stripped away.

Though shrouded in the silence of Parkinson's, John Paul had still managed to speak to a hurting world about the meaning hidden in suffering, the strength perfected in weakness, and the hope that defies even death. His lessons could not have been more timely. As we look to the new year, may we learn well from the example he left us in 2005. And may John Paul the Great rest in peace.

John Paul II was a truly good man and one of the greatest teachers of our time.

I consider myself blessed to have been among his students.