He did not set his course with studied calculation for satisfying the predictions of professional pundits. The man who discovered his vocation under the shadow of Nazi occupation has no fear of wrathful elites anxious to protect the prerogatives of their delusional autonomy. C ourage, as we all learned in school, is the willingness to do good in the face of danger, even death. Courage does not cling to comfort. Courage does not blindly assert itself, but pursues its object with clarity of purpose.
Courage can be costly, but it can be glorious.
The courage of our Holy Father has enlarged the limits of the possible for all of us. Call God's people back to the simple truths that anchor our faith, the truths that everyone, in spite of their complaints, is hungry to hear. He has taught Catholics once again to think beyond the headlines, to retain their confidence in the restless heart of mankind, and to serve the deepest needs of the human heart rather than the manipulators of popular opinion. In doing so, John Paul II has given us the agenda for the next century, and strong and effective tools to implement it. Nothing could be more fitting than this pope leading us toward the next millennium.