The Final Confrontation
- SAINT POPE JOHN PAUL II
We are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has gone through.
I do not think that wide circles of American society or wide circles of the Christian community realize this fully. We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-Church, of the Gospel versus the anti-Gospel.
This confrontation lies within the plans of divine Providence; it is a trial which the whole Church . . . . must take up. It is a trial of not only . . . . the Church, but, in a sense, a test of 2,000 years of culture and Christian civilization with all of its consequences for human dignity, individual rights, human rights and the rights of nations.
We must be prepared to undergo great trials in the not-too-distant future; trials that will require us to be ready to give up even our lives, and a total gift of self to Christ and for Christ. Through your prayers and mine, it is possible to alleviate this tribulation, but it is no longer possible to avert it. . . . How many times has the renewal of the Church been brought about in blood! It will not be different this time.
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Acknowledgement
Saint Pope John Paul II. "The Final Confrontation." quoted from St. John Paul II's address in Philadelphia in 1976.
Reprinted with permission of Libreria Editrice Vaticana.
The Author
Saint Pope John Paul II (1920-2005) was elected Pope in 1978 and served until his death in 2005. Among his many writings are: Crossing the Threshold of Hope, Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology Of The Body, Love and Responsibility, The Splendor of Truth, and The Gospel of Life: Evangelium Vitae.
