Pope John Paul

Pope John Paull II says that the difference between creator and craftsman is that one who “creates” starts with nothing and produces a product. This process of creating is unique only to God and God alone. The definition that Pope John Paul gives for a “craftsman” entails the act of not constructing a product, but using one already in existence to create meaning intended to lead back to God the creator. The definitions of Pope John Paul II correspond to the works of St. Francis and Bonaventure’s literary works because the focus is on the Lord Almighty, who gives meaning to everything, thus everything in the world reverts back to God the Creator.

The definition of Pope John Paul explains that God is the sole creator and the only one who possesses the ability to bring forth something from absolutely nothing. On the other hand, the craftsman “makes” and does not “create”. The craftsman should possess humility and an awareness of his limits. More importantly, although the craftsman mirrors the image of creator, he must know that he was called by God for a special vocation. What the craftsman produces should revert back to God. John Paul speaks of the human experience and its ultimate meaning. He supports the idea that the craftsman must not try to become the creator. The role of creator is reserved and occupied by God. Thus, if craftsman are consumed by the search for fame, they lost sight of God and his role in spiritual growth to give life the ultimate meaning.

Furthermore, the work of St. Francis clearly relates to John Paul’s definition and message. St. Francis preaches against greed and power. His “Canticle” searches for balance in the world and he also supports that humans must possess humility to understand life’s ultimate meaning. St. Francis writes against sophistry, which means “knowledge for knowledge’s sake”, just as John Paul says that the craftsman must not create “art for art’s sake”. In his work, St. Francis is in admiration of God’s beauty and says that one must praise the Creator and not the craftsman. This statement also corresponds to John Paul’s definition because Francis says that God is all over, warning against judgement day.