John Paul II was a man who practised all that he preached, till the very end of his life on this Earth. As a human being, he set an example for us all. Though I know he’ll always be watching us from above, I will still be missing him. “May Your Spirit come. May Your Spirit come and renew the face of the earth. This earth” He said during his first pilgrimage to Poland on 2 June 1979. The God’s Spirit has come but it is not important. The most important is his embrace of love for everybody everywhere. Let us try to be like John Paul II, let us love the people and let us trust in God.
If we forget about is testimony and about his words, our life will become hollow and dry. It is a sad time for the passing of Pope John Paul II. A truly great man has returned home to God. I believe he has achieved something truly remarkable in so far as the entire planet feels the loss, regardless if they are Christian or not, or even if they believe in God or not. That kind of affect doesn’t happen very often and it is something to cherish and to remember, and hopefully each of us will carry a small piece of that memory in times of strife and discontent to come. The beating heart of a holy man full of loving service to the Roman
Catholic Church and to all humanity has stopped. The sunset of his life, filled with personal intense pain, courage, love, inspiration, prayer and holiness has ended. The candle of the life of a man of faith has been extinguished. The voice for the poor, the oppressed, the unborn, the valueless in the eyes of the world, is silent. The door of the house of earthly life has closed and the door of the heavenly Jerusalem has been opened. The providential Hand of God, that guided him in life, has lifted him to life everlasting. I pray that he lives in the presence of God, and as joined the community of saints with Mary as Queen.
I lost a spiritual father, a friend, an inspiration. The Lord has granted us another heavenly intercessor. May he and all the dead rest in peace. May he pray for us as we pray for him. For me, like for many other Poles, the death of Pope is like losing a father. A spiritual father who guided us and gave us hope for the future. What we should do is to carry on his work each day! If I told you about a man that by his twenties had lost all his relatives, who has been suffering from Parkinson’s disease and possibly a tumour, a an who had been close to death, having been shot close to his heart.
If I told you about a bricklayer who, helped by his colleague, in his spare time studied on theological books. If I spoke to you about a man that secretly, during the war, hiding from the Nazis, bravely played as an actor and was also a writer and a poet. If I added that he had loved laughing and chatting with people. That he had skied, trekked, played football and swim with immense passion. If I showed you a man who enjoyed so much cuddling and playing with children. If spoke to you of a man who fought for verybody’s freedom, justice and peace. A man who condemned poverty, mafia as well as sinners with the same stubbornness.
A man who danced and waved to music in front of the cameras and of a million audiences. If I say to you that this man helped to bring down the Berlin Wall and many communist regimes without human losses. If I spoke to you about a man who fought for human rights and dignity. If I told you that this man also found the time for being a good priest and an excellent Pope, would you believe it ? Even though the Great Father ended his earthly life, he is still with us. He is guiding us. He is in our hearts and always will be. He is watching us and we have to prove that his life, teaching and suffering had a purpose.
I hope we will manage to continue what he began and to what he devoted all his life. Let Him enjoy his reward and happiness in heaven. This is what he looked for all His life. What he did was done in the name of God and being near to Him after life. Totus tuus! ( John Paul II has been an exemplary religious world leader. He has travelled more than 1 million kms on trips around the world, visited over 690 cities and always inspired peace and forgiveness. There is so much the world has to learn from this man’s life, especially those who are currently ruling it.
Thank you for all the good that you have done Pope John Paul II. RIP Undoubtedly this Pope was a great man and he was a key figure in the history of the 20th century – rightly deserving the tributes of all the world. Now we enter a new era and I hope that Catholics will help grow the image of the next Pope, understanding that he is a man after all, and that great personalities are not made every day. No matter what, Karol Wojtila was special and will be with us and in our memories forever. When Karol Wojtyla was elected Pope, Czeslaw Milosz wrote that Poland had acquired a king.
If one were to use this title, then one could truly say that Carolus Wojtyla was the first monarch of the Earth. For surely he was more than a world leader. He kissed the earth of every country he visited and wished for good in all human beings, irrespective of religion, colour, nationality, gender or age. As no-one else before him, he tried to unite the entire human race. John Paul II has been a personal hero of mine since early childhood. His heart for peace, determination for justice, and courageous commitment to ompassion and unity have profoundly changed the world for the better.
I feel incredibly humbled by and deeply respectful of this truly great human being and leader. I am a Roman Catholic but I haven’t been attending mass these past few months because of some unanswered questions about my religion at the back of my mind, (though I am a believer). However despite the ‘religion crisis’ that I am going through, my respect for Pope John Paul was not affected. I look up to him and consider him as my inspiration to go on with life. I will not forget his love of the young people and how he devoted himself serving the Lord and the people.