What's in a Name?
George Stephanopoulos said on This Week yesterday that it will be interesting to see if this intellectual pope will connect with the masses. And it reminded me of how difficult it must be to follow his predecessor, John Paul II.
I was in eighth grade when Pope Paul VI died and a new pope elected. When I heard that he, and a month later the next pope, took the name "John Paul" I was disappointed (I'm sure they were very disappointed in my disappointment). It was like you had a brother named Mark and another named Doug and your parents chose "Douglas Mark" for the third brother. It sounded like a failure of the imagination.
But in hindsight it's amazing how fitting the name became for its longterm holder John Paul II. Because when I think of the apostle John I think of a deep, reflective, inward sort of saint who meditated on Love on the island of Patmos. When I think of the apostle Paul I think of an outward, service-oriented saint who traveled widely as the greatest evangelist.
And when I think of John Paul II I think of both. I can't separate he who was profoundly prayerful, reflective and inward from he who was outward, service-oriented and evangelistic. He was a most inwardly outward (or outwardly inward) kind of man and I think the name turned out to be downright providential.
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