Anderson: When you were with John Paul, you definitely had the sense that you were in the presence of Christ's vicar on earth. For me, and for many others, his holiness was unmistakable, but so was his humanity, his sense of humor, his keen intellect. He was an incredible figure, intellectually, religiously, and personally, and it didn't take much time with him to see that.
CNA: Where do you think John Paul II drew his great hope for society from, despite the history of his own life and the past century?
Anderson: The Catholic Church - as Pope Benedict has pointed out - is based on the hope of constant and continual improvement because our ultimate hope is in God and our union with him in heaven. So we are, and John Paul was par excellence, people of hope. But his hope was also practical. He didn't just hope, he preached that hope and gave humanity a road map to a brighter future through a more just society in which every human person would be respected as a subject not an object based on their inherent human dignity as children of God.
In the end, John Paul had seen the worst of society, Naziism, Communism, etc., but he also understood that there was one thing that survived even in the midst of that oppression: love. Love, in John Paul's mind, was the force that could reshape the world.
CNA: How important is John Paul II's theology of the body for the Church and society?
Anderson: John Paul's theology of the body is very important because it shows the inherent value of marriage and the family as the fundamental building blocks of society. It also gives lay people a theology that is readily adapted and crafted for their own lives. Part of John Paul's brilliant legacy was his involvement of the laity, his empowerment of the laity, his encouragement of the laity to take action in, and evangelize in, the public square - in the sphere that was naturally theirs.
So in an era when marriage and family are under attack from a variety of forces, John Paul's explanation of the importance of both, through his theology of the body, is a great service to those trying to understand what the Church teaches and why. Our bodies, our marriages and our families are not merely for this sphere. They have an eschatological significance that John Paul helps us to properly understand.
With the theology of the body, married couples are empowered to take up their marriages theologically, to see God in the equation and to see the importance of giving to each a very great gift: the total gift of themselves.
CNA: How do you think John Paul II advises building a civilization of love? What should the average Catholic be doing to pursue this?
Anderson: I think many people - especially non-Catholics - tend to see John Paul's legacy as his role in the reshaping of Europe and the fall of Communism. But there is an important lesson there. John Paul was able to help facilitate such an important event precisely because he came to every political problem from the point of view of his faith. His faith was not something he thought should just be lived at home. No, his faith was what informed his every statement, his beliefs in what constituted a just society, his articulation of that belief. He took seriously the precepts of the faith including: "preach to all nations." And then, he led by the example of his own life.
We are called to do the same. To lead by example and bring our Catholic beliefs to bear on the problems we face in public or in private. Like John Paul we must be Catholics in all seasons.
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