Madonna - July / August 2005

JULY / AUGUST 2005

Our cover
Servant of the servants of God–a tribute to Pope John Paul II.
‘The hand of the Lord feeds us’, says the psalm response for the 18th Sunday. ‘He answers all our needs.’ We remember this promise as we look forward to a new pontificate, a new Chief Shepherd.

Soul Matters – Christopher Gleeson sj.
Leadership is about service.
One of the oldest titles given to the popes highlights the importance of servant leadership–giving people a sense of their own power.

Roadside rest.
A way of saying sorry.
The end of the day–as of one’s life–can be so busy: but it can also be a time to put things right. Pope John Paul showed how that can be achieved.

Peter has died.
Former editor Andrew Bullen notes how the death of any pope is the death of Peter, the first of Christ’s special chosen. In spite of all his failings, it was Peter who showed us the way in faith.

Above all else, life.
Helen Prejean, passionate fighter against the death penalty, remembers how she worked to have Pope John Paul amend the catechism.

‘Let me be your father today.’
Rosie Hoban talks with Tony Slowic, one of two Australian Jesuits ordained by the then Cardinal Karol Wojtyla in 1973. Today he is chaplain to Australia’s Polish community.

Family Matters – Teresa Pirola.
Revel in the beauty of the young.
The extraordinary welcome offered to John Paul II by young people was sparked by his love for them and genuine appreciation of their gifts.

Your Daily Prayer – July & August.
A prayerful reflection on the scripture readings for every day of the month.

The Power of Story – Elizabeth Pike.
‘You are like a burnt tree …’
A powerful moment of the Pope’s visit in 1986 was his speech to Australia’s Aboriginal people. It is to be commemorated in a national pilgrimage to Alice Springs in 2006.

A Cloud of Witnesses – Edmund Campion.
Sacrament of Catholic identity.
John Paul II identified culture, not politics or economics, as the impetus for historical change. He set himself the task of reinventing Catholic culture–re-establishing Catholic identity.

Bread for the Journey – Peter Steele sj.
Blessings in disguise.
Pope John Paul II had a special devotion to Mary, and what better commemoration than to reflect on the feast of Mary’s Assumption, she who was instrumental in bringing the great Blessing that was her son into our world.

He was never full of himself.
Humour was important to the character of John Paul II. During some years in Rome, former Madonna editor Pat O’Sullivan sj enjoyed his humour on a number of occasions.

Finding something blessed in ourselves.
The second time John Paul visited Australia was to beatify Mary MacKillop. Andrew Bullen reflects on this most down-to-earth saint.

Full of Surprises: The Bible without Blinkers – Antony F Campbell sj.
The passing of a legend.
Surprises are to be expected when it come to the election of popes, and no amount of speculation can predict a result – nor how a new pope might approach a specific area such as biblical studies.

Totus tuus.
John Paul’s testament was made public soon after his death. This extract reveals his commitment to his Lord.