Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archbishop of Milwaukee
 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Anyone who has played sports realizes how difficult it is to perform at one’s absolute best in the heat of competition. Often, you are competing against others of equal or superior talent. At the Summer Olympics in Paris, the United States men’s basketball team played the best competition on the world stage. 
 
Now, basketball traditionally has been the U.S. sport. Early in the 1950s and ’60s, the U.S. dominated the competition playing with college stars, but the world has adopted the sport and now some of the best players in the world are from other countries and play in the NBA.  
 
Today, the world’s competition has risen to the level of the United States' game. It was obvious that our best players were challenged. What happened on Saturday against France, a formidable opponent, produced one of the greatest — if not the greatest — shooting performance in the history of the game. On the world stage, Steph Curry shot four three-pointers with the game on the line in each shot. It was, in my estimation, one of the greatest shooting performances in the history of the game.  
 
With each shot, the U.S. team regained the lead. Each shot was demoralizing to the opponent. It was not that Steph was standing there alone — rather, there were defenders on him, and still, from 25 to 30 feet away, he dropped the ball through the net. For myself, as a basketball player who hung up the Converse All Stars gym shoes (except for the Archdiocese Schools Walk) 35 years ago, it took my breath away. This was on a par with Secretariat’s 31-length victory at the Belmont Stakes in 1973 or Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game in 1962. But with Steph’s achievement, every shot was necessary to assure victory. He has secured his position as the greatest shooter in the history of the game. 
 
It is a true achievement to be considered the greatest in any venue. Pope John Paul II was consistently referred to by Pope Benedict as John Paul the Great. I could not agree with him more. John Paul certainly was great and perhaps the greatest figure of the twentieth century. His span as pope over 26 years raised the whole Church in their responsibility to live the faith of Jesus Christ in the world. John Paul threatened the world order. The enemies of humankind attempted to assassinate him. He pastored the entire globe, and it was said that his funeral was the single most-watched event in the history of television. He personally wrote on every theological matter affecting the Church and Christians in the world. 
 
Recently at the National Eucharistic Revival in Indianapolis, there were 65,000 people present and it was incredible. There was a power in those assembled with a joy of Christianity. I could not help to reflect on the fact that in 1979, for Pope John Paul II’s visit to Chicago, there were some 2,000,000 people. You knew you were the presence of the greatest — someone touched or, rather, ordained by God. 
 
I give thanks to God, and I am proud to be a John Paul bishop. With every turn that I make in the Church, I see the influence of his teachings, his presence and his holiness. At his funeral, signs were held up stating, “Santo Subito” (a saint now). The “sensus fidelium” (the sense of the faithful) at times reflects the movement of the Holy Spirit. Listening to the wisdom of the faithful, and after discernment, the Church canonized Pope John Paul II. This superseded any achievement a person could accomplish in life, for this was a declaration that he is with God in heaven. This declaration by the Church carries with it Divine Truth. 
 
Holiness is for all of us our ultimate goal. It is a “greatest” achieved not in anything we have done, but in our union with God. Nothing in this world could ever be equal to salvation. Standing before God will take our breath away for eternity as we will understand why we LOVE ONE ANOTHER.      

Sincerely,

Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki

Archbishop of Milwaukee          

Note: This blog originally appeared as the August 13, 2024, "Love One Another" email sent to Catholics throughout the Archdiocese of Milwaukee by Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki. If you are interested in signing up for these email messages, please click here.