This short book is a reflection on the work of John Paul II when he was a bishop in Poland. The late pope tells the story of his becoming a bishop at the age of 38. “I am too young,” he told the primate of Poland when he was informed of his appointment. The primate wisely reminded him that time would soon take care of that issue!

This easy reading is a summary of the wisdom Karol Wotyla gathered as a bishop in Cracow from 1958 to his election as Pope in 1978. Here are a few of his gems:

On Stewardship – “I have decided to eliminate from my vocabulary the word ‘my.’ How can I use that word when I know that everything is Yours? Even if it isn’t You who give birth every time a human person is born, the one giving birth belongs to You. I myself am more ‘Yours’ than ‘mine.’ So I have learned that I may not say ‘mine’ of that which is Yours. I may not say, think or feel it. I must free myself, empty myself of this – I must possess nothing, I must not wish to possess anything.”

Saint Augustine, seeking help and understanding, was accustomed to say to the faithful: “There are many people who reach God as Christians without being in charge of anything, and no doubt have all the easier a journey for traveling light, and carrying less of a burden. But we bishops, apart from being Christians, as which we shall render God an account of our manner of life, are also in charge of you, and as such will render God an account of our stewardship.”

On Being A Bishop and Courage – “How necessary it is for a bishop to be ready to speak of his faith, wherever the Lord asks this of him. Every Bishop needs to be prepared for this, including the successor of Peter himself, just as Paul VI needed me to be ready and willing for the task.”
I remember the words spoken by Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski on May 11, 1946, the day before his Episcopal ordination at Jasna Gora: “Being a bishop has something of the Cross about it, which is why the Church places the Cross on the bishop’s breast. On the Cross, we have to die to ourselves; without this there cannot be the fullness of the priesthood. To take up one’s Cross is not easy, even if it is made of gold and studded with jewels. Lack of courage in a bishop is the beginning of disaster. Can he still be an apostle? Witnessing to the Truth is essential for an apostle. And this always demands courage.”

A critical part of his ministry was visitation. Before he was a “globe trotting” pope, he was a visiting bishop and pastor. Sharing life and Jesus Christ with the faithful, with congregations and the world, was the center of the ministry of John Paul II.

Thomas A. Skrenes
Bishop