I consider myself a woman of faith. I’ve always believed in God and I never questioned His existence. And as a Catholic, I believe—or at least try to believe—what my church teaches. But I am also practical and pragmatic person. Sure, I know that miracles happen every single day: the birth of a child, the blooming of a flower, rising of the sun etc. These are all everyday miracles we have taken for granted. I don’t know, for I think I’ve gotten a bit jaded over the years. I’ve seen so many priests, some of them I personally know who turned out to be feigners or fakes, or was involved in either sex scandal or corruption after their holier-than-thou personalities have been unmasked. But my skepticism was challenged to the hilt in 1995.
I saw the huge crowd lining up to see this man. I suddenly found myself overcome with emotion. I couldn’t explain it. Before I knew it, I was crying like a baby. And I had to run and hide because I didn’t want people to see me weeping and sobbing for reasons I couldn’t understand. I really didn’t know what happened to me. My friends say I was “touched by the Holy Spirit”.
Dang, I tried to give a logical explanation—that maybe I was moved to tears because I’ve never seen such a huge crowd in my life before or that I pitied the crowd—or something. But the more I think about it the more I am convinced that there was indeed something divine that touched me. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not like my life has turned 180 degrees. It’s not like I had a very Saint Paul moment on his road to Emmaus. But that experience had a profound effect on me, I was humbled in many ways. That was the moment I saw his holiness, Pope John Paul II—I felt something in me that needed healing—my ego, my struggles in the world, my pride, my worldliness, my lack of faith, spiritual dryness, my anxiety among many others.
I’m still the same girl—with the same quirks and crazy inclinations. But now, I have a different perspective. More than ever, I am convinced that there is something beyond this physical world. That there are things that can never be explained by Science and that no matter how we deny it, all of us were touched by the late pontiff we all loved.
Pope John Paul II, Karol Jozef Wojtyla passed away on April 2, 2005, Saturday at 9:37 PM. He had celebrated his final earthly Easter week in enforced silence and in increasing and very serious sickness—multiple organ failure and heart failure.
Some say that at the last he rallied from semi-consciousness, looked toward his bedroom window and whispered “Amen.” And now he’s about to be beatified—which meant one more miracle in his name and he’s off to sainthood.
He had offered the world a great example, forgiving the man who failed twice in his attempt to assassinate him. The way Pope John Paul II lived his life offered lessons to the world on forgiveness, aging, illness, suffering, courage and on love and faithfulness. He will forever be in my heart and in my prayers.
I’d have to say, the late Pope truly deserves it. I will always remember him in my heart and in my prayers. He had offered the world a great example, forgiving the man who failed twice in his attempt to kill him. The way Pope John Paul II lived his life offered lessons the world on forgiveness, aging, illness, suffering, courage and on love and faithfulness.
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