Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Catholic News

Home

Home
Catholic
Religion News
George Weigel awarded for works on Blessed John Paul II

George Weigel awarded for works on Blessed John Paul II

Last updated on: October 25, 2013 at 10:05 am by CNA Daily News

George Weigel awarded for works on Blessed John Paul II 2013-10-25T10:05:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Washington D.C., Oct 25, 2013 / 04:05 am (CNA/EWTN News).- George Weigel was honored Oct. 22 with the Blessed John Paul II Award for the New Evangelization, for his work investigating the life and work of the late Pope.

Within modern society, the challenges of “coldness, unreality, religious freedom,” Weigel explained during his acceptance speech, “can seem overwhelming.”

However, he continued at the Oct. 22 awards dinner, martyrs and pilgrimage sites “remind us – don’t quit.”

“Christ has won the victory, so we can carry on in good spirits, as John Paul II did until the end of his life.”

The second-annual Blessed John Paul II Award Dinner for the New Evangelization was hosted by the Catholic Information Center in Washington, D.C., which bestowed upon papal biographer George Weigel its highest honor.

The Catholic Information Center is a nonprofit affiliate of the Archdiocese of Washington, and provides a number of cultural and intellectual events for Catholics in the Washington, D.C. area.

Also speaking at the dinner were Laura Ingraham, master of ceremonies; Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganó, apostolic nuncio to the U.S., who gave the opening benediction; and Fr. Arne Panula, director of the Catholic Information Center.

Weigel, who is known for his biographical work on John Paul II’s life, centered his discussion on the late Pope’s visit to the Holy Land in 2000.

During his visit to the Holy Land, Pope John Paul II “wanted to carry the entire Church to the places of salvation history,” Weigel explained, so that the Church could viscerally encounter “the stuff of God become man, God entering into history for the salvation of the world.”

He explained that in the historical biblical places of the Holy Land “real people … became friends of Jesus of Nazareth and they met him at Easter and after as the risen Lord.”

From their friendship with Christ, “they went out to change the world.”

Pointing to the first Pope, Peter, Weigel noted that the apostle was “radically transformed” by his encounter with Christ and went from “a probably illiterate, probably smelly guy from east of nowhere, as the world then understood so,” to the first Pope and recipient of “the world’s greatest tombstone.”

“What the Catholic Church bears,” Weigel said “is the Truth of the World,” and it is this encounter with the Truth through Christ that transformed the world.

In order to re-introduce the world to the “Bible’s view of the human story,” he said, “John Paul II carried us all back to Jerusalem, back to the Holy Land.”

“He carried us back to the Holy Land,” so that we would be inspired and tell our story of “friendship with the Lord Jesus Christ.”

This reintroduction to “a biblical optic on the world, I think helps us to meet the challenge of coldness” in the world, Weigel continued.

A biblical worldview “helps us meet the challenge of unreality,” posed by “a culture of a new gnosticism where everything is plastic and malleable, anything goes.”

However, even in the midst of challenging times, those who know Christ have reason to hope.

“Christians are the people who know how the story is going to turn out. Portrayed in the 21st chapter of Revelation, the end of the story, the end of the human story, is the wedding feast of the Lamb,” Weigel said.

“That is why we too, can be not afraid, and we to on with business as Pope John Paul taught us.”

Previous Post

October 25, 2013

New book details Benedict XVI's love for nature, ecology

Next Post

October 25, 2013 Catholic sports group immerses athletes in richness of faith

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which official opposed Nehemiah's wall-building and sent open letters to Jerusalem?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Sanballat Haggai Geshem Tobiah