Here is an excerpt of my latest article on Catholic Exchange:
Pope Francis in his Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, writes that he prefers “a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security.” This is certainly a bold statement and one that is worth examining more closely.In particular, how “dirty” should the Church get?
Father Karol Wojtyla
In order to answer that question, I believe a great example of getting “dirty” is in the life of the soon to be Saint, Pope John Paul II. In particular his life before he became Pope, even while he was a Cardinal, is full of instances where he chose to be out on the streets with his people, rather than ruling from a white ivory tower.First of all, while he was a humble priest Father Wojtyla chose to be with his people, accompanying them on their journey. His first assignment as a vicar in a country parish, nestled in the foothills of the Carpathian mountains outside of Krakow, proved to set the stage for what kind of a priest he would be for the rest of his life. Upon arriving at his assignment, walking through the fields of grain on the way, he knelt down and kissed the ground. This simple sign learned from the Cure of Ars showed that at the very beginning of his ministry, Father Wojtyla did not want to be a priest who was always immaculately clean from his fear of getting “down and dirty.” Instead, he wanted to show his people that he will do anything to show his respect and solidarity with them.