Sometimes you have to wonder what God is trying to tell us.
You look at events, see some coincidences, and wonder if there's a message.
In Pope John Paul's life, some events speak very clearly; he was shot on May 13th, the anniversary of Fatima, for example. He always said that Our Lady saved him on that occasion.
Today is a First Friday, the First Friday after Good Friday, and the Pope is suffering and near death.
Tomorrow is a First Saturday, dedicated to Our Lady, as revealed to Lucy of Fatima (who died on February 13 of this year). It's already First Saturday in Rome.
Sunday is the great Feast of Divine Mercy. This Pope canonized the visionary, Sr. Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun who had visions of Jesus and Mary in which she was told about the Divine Mercy.
Keep praying for Pope John Paul II, and pray for God's mercy on the world.
UPDATE: I almost forgot: April is dedicated to the Holy Eucharist, and this Pope declared 2005 to be the Year of the Holy Eucharist.
UPDATE II: Minor corrections for editing errors.
Friday, April 01, 2005
Writing in the sand
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1 comment:
You have been such a good voice of reason over these many days of trial!
Since you last wrote, the Holy Father has indeed gone home to be with the Father in Heaven, and joined the ranks of the saints there. Think of the meetings and reunions! Some of the last words he directed to us are what I will be holding onto as we mourn his death and celebrate his life: "I am happy, and you should be as well. Let us pray together with joy!"
What a way to die. What a way to live! When I see how he embraced his suffering with so much love, and still gave himself right to the end, it makes me hope I could someday be at least a little bit like him, if I really let go and live my life.
While you were making connections and wondering what God is trying to say, it reminded me of some other connections. I thought again of St. Pius X, who died after his heart was seemingly broken by the World War in 1914...he was known as the Children's Pope and, I could be mistaken, but was he not also called the Pope of the Eucharist? All because he decreed that children could receive Holy Communion at age seven if they were ready. Children loved him as young people love John Paul II today.
I also thought of another pair of deaths a few years back. Remember when Princess Diana was killed, and Mother Teresa died right after that? (And the disparity in media coverage?) God showed us something then, by the difference in the way those two lives were lived and ended.
It seems to me like the Holy Father, as he suffered so, right along with Terri Schiavo, gave himself up for the soul of our country and our world. I think he would have gladly offered himself in her place if it meant we would awaken from our national sin-sleep and turn to God. He has taken more than one bullet for his flock, I think. For many of us, those two deaths will forever be linked as their suffering was linked, even as the Holy Father linked his suffering and death to Christ's. The Pope's death shines such a Light into the mindset and conscience of our nation, a conscience that seems to be awakening at last. We dare not forget, we dare not sit back and let our culture slide even further into darkness without any action on each of our parts.
May they all rest in peace. Pope John Paul, pray for us!
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