+Ioannes Paulus Magnus, P.P.: requiescat in pace+

Our hearts grieve for our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II. And yet our hearts also rejoice for him, first, in gratitude for his person, life and ministry, then for the holiness of his death, of his passage into the open arms of Christ, the Son of the living God. We all have our memories of him, some distant, some more intimate, but he himself has been for us a living memory of Jesus, Risen from the dead. No thought, no suffering, no word, no deed of his had any other goal than to preach Jesus Christ, who suffered under Pontius Pilate, died for our sins, was buried, rose on the third day and who ascended to the right hand of the Father.

His life had no other goal, for he was an apostle, he was a servant of his beloved Lord!

When he was elected Pope, practically his first words to the Church and to the world were: “Do not be afraid, open the doors, indeed, throw wide open the doors to Christ!” Had John Paul II been in that locked, upper room where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, he would have cried out the same to them: fear not, open the doors to Christ! In this sense he has been, from the beginning of his pontificate, a herald of the fearless, risen Lord. He faced the fear which, especially in those years, had taken hold of the heart of humanity, the fear of sickness and suffering, the fear of world-wide catastrophe, the fear of death. He defended unceasingly the authentic human rights of every person and of every people; he defended the dignity and the sacredness of marriage and the family; he promoted the dignity of the sick, the poor and the emarginated. He dispelled the anxiety of the meaninglessness of life by focusing the human person on Christ, on the pursuit of what is really true and truly good. He exalted the primacy of the spiritual over the material, of godliness over godlessness, of God over man, of the Creator over the creature. He taught the Church and the world how to keep all things in perspective. He was unflinching and unwavering in proclaiming the one saving truth: the truth of the Gospel as handed on, defended, protected and propounded by the apostolic Church. In his encyclicals, he shed the light of the Holy Spirit on such human matters as human rights, human suffering, work, the economy, democracy, capitalism, socialism, faith and reason, freedom and truth, abortion, capital punishment, euthanasia. He wrote with depth and beauty on the Redeemer of man, the Spirit who gives life, the Father, rich in mercy, the Holy Eucharist and the Mother of God. It can safely be said that in these, and in his other writings, there is almost no aspect of human existence or of the life of the Church on which he did not offer solid doctrine, wisdom and insight.

In his journeys through all five continents of the globe, the pilgrim Pope brought the presence of Peter to almost every country, to strengthen us in the faith and to defend the rights of the Church in the face of civil society. He reached out, not only to the weak, the poor and the suffering of the Church, but to any human being who might need him. He engaged every non-Catholic Christian community, as well as Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and almost every other religion than can be named. He conversed with Kings, Queens, Presidents and Cardinals, as well as with African peasants, Latino Indians and European laborers. He welcomed with special joy and love the youth of the entire world, as well as the elderly and those who care for them. He addressed the United Nations and national parliaments, assemblies and congresses. He was an apostle of true love, a witness of true hope, an ambassador of true peace, a warrior of true justice, a herald of human dignity, a brother and father to all human beings.

In his long life, he was a student, a worker, an athlete, a member of the resistance to Nazism, an actor, a poet, a mystic, a visionary, a philosopher, a theologian, a teacher, a priest, a bishop, an archbishop, a cardinal, a Pope, and, God willing, he shall some day be proclaimed, above all, a saint. He was fierce in defending the truth and tender in both showing and asking for mercy. As a father, he taught the truth to correct and discipline the sons and daughters he loved; he showed mercy to those of us who have allowed ourselves to be taught by him and offered it even to those who refused to listen. He confounded politicians, power-mongerers, liberals and conservatives alike by his fidelity to the rock Christ made him to be. He defied any label we would dare to attach to him, because he took his name from no-one other than Christ himself. His humble service in listening to the truth and in obeying it caused the face of Christ and of Mary to emerge on his countenance. For it he was reviled and rejected, even by those who call themselves Catholics. And yet, also because of that humble service, what a welcome, what a glorious welcome he will receive as he passes into the Father’s house!

He died in the Year of the Eucharist. He died as the octave of Easter ends. He died on Saturday, Our Lady’s day. He died on the vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday, a commemoration which he himself established for the whole Church, as he also canonized St. Faustina Kawolka, the polish mystic who mediated this devotion to the Church. Pope John Paul II has been for us an image of the Father of Divine Mercy, and it could hardly be more significant that he would die on this feast.

For all these reasons, it is right that we should mourn his departure from the stage of human history. It is also right, however, that we rejoice for him, for, in beholding his beloved Lord face to face, he will receive the glorious crown of his labors, the prize of the race run and of the battle won. What a gift the Blessed Trinity has given us in Pope John Paul II! What promise is ours that we shall know him and love him face to face again in the Kingdom of the Resurrection!

To paraphrase the title of the last book he wrote: let us let him arise from this life and be on his way to the life of God!

Msgr. Peter Magee

Sunday, April 3^rd, 2005: St. Andrew Apostle, Silver Spring:

8.30 & 11.30 am