Today, as I am sure that most of you have heard, Pope John Paul II died. He was 84 years old. As I am sure you will hear, if you haven't already, he travelled more than any Pope in history. He visited 127 nations. However, the thing that can get lost in all of this (the focus upon his accomplishments, his theology, his travels, the institution of the Pope, etc.) is that this was a man who loved people. Despite his position of power and influence, despite the demands on his time, despite the rigors of leading the Catholic Church, this was a man who had a gift for connecting with people. It was this connectedness that allowed him to share accutely the struggles, pain, joy, triumphs, sadness and love that we have all experienced. He loved people simply because they were people, because he saw the intrinsic value of every human being. Whether or not you are Catholic or not, whether or not you share his beliefs or not, please understand that if each and everyone of us shared his passion for humanity this would be a far better world to live in.
Goodbye Karol, the world will miss you.
1 comment:
You are most definitely right. I have been watching coverage on television all day and they were talking about his assassination attempt and that 3 days after it he was speaking to the man who shot him and forgiving him. I guess that's why he was Pope...I don't know of many who could do the same.
Although I am not Christian it is hard not to feel some sense of loss at his death.
Post a Comment