I can't help but look at world and feel depressed most of the time. What a cruel fate has been apportioned us, we who live in such a banal and corrupt age.

And yet, what a glorious fate has been apportioned us, we who live in such a banal and corrupt age. A world in turmoil, a world that is spiritually and culturally and intellectually bankrupt, is a world that cries out for great deeds and great men. When has the world been better positioned to embrace noble character? Perhaps we can understand the stunning life and career of Pope John Paul II in this way, as a refreshing splash of water on a parched and dying bit of earth.

In his youth, Alexander worried and complained when his father proved victorious. "What opportunities for great and noble deeds will be left to me and my friends, if my father keeps this up?" For better and worse, we of the twenty first century have many such opportunities.

Who among us can rise to the challenge? I wonder.