Sign of contradiction

Person who experiences strong hostility due to divine connection as defined in Catholic theology

A sign of contradiction, in Catholic theology, is someone who, upon manifesting holiness, is subject to extreme opposition. The term is from the biblical phrase "sign that is spoken against", found in Luke 2:34 and in Acts 28:22, which refer to Jesus Christ and the early Christians. Contradiction comes from the Latin contra, "against", and dicere, "to speak". According to Catholic tradition, a sign of contradiction points to the presence of Christ or the presence of the divine due to the union of that person or reality with God. In his book, Sign of Contradiction, Pope John Paul II says that "sign of contradiction" might be "a distinctive definition of Christ and of his Church."

A contemporary example seen by many as of a sign of contradiction is Pope John Paul II. His defense of life and the human embryo through unprecedented teachings on abortion, euthanasia, and murder as grave sins in the Encyclical Evangelium Vitae, was seen as a sign of contradiction.

Writing for Catholic Herald, Robert Royal, president of the Faith and Reason Institute, reported about the results of his research which appeared in his book The Catholic Martyrs of the Twentieth Century: A Comprehensive Global History.

Sign of Contradiction is also the title of Lenten meditations preached by and written about upon the request of Pope Paul VI by Pope John Paul II. The theme of the book, according to one review, is "the human encounter with God in a world that seems to contradict the reality of divine power and love." Pope John Paul II says in his conclusion that "It is becoming more and more evident that those words (Luke 2:34) sum up most felicitously the whole truth about Jesus Christ, his mission and his Church."