Memoirs of Pope John Paul Ii
He gave me a strong impact,
with his gift for immemorial gestures;
he embraced the sick and handicapped
he kissed the soil of the nation on his first vist.
As an occupant of the Chair of St Peter,
he brought the world, a message to everyone
his defense for the poor, a substance to carry on
as a church in her journey across cultures.
The awesome volume of his writings,
reveal the kind of pope he was
as a theologian suffused with faith;
as a philosopher endowed with reason.
In his very person, he was charismatic
as a teacher and defender of faith,
he set new directions, left a legacy
and continued the Roman Curia, multicultural.
On themes expounded in his documents,
speeches, homilies and reflections,
he brought the Gospel vis-a-vis the Magisterium
in all spheres that concern contemporary life.
As the first non-Italian pope in 455 years,
since the Netherlander Hadrian VI in 1552
and ever since his election to papacy,
by any measure, he’s a man for all seasons.
Albeit, he’d his disappointments,
his own share of sorrows over clergy in misbehavior –
the scandal of sexual abuse, particularly in this nation,
he remained firm and prayerful as a leader.
In spite of his frailty, Parkinson’s disease and other ailments
he continued his journey with deep faith and sacrifice.
his interreligious relations made a difference,
he visited mosques, synagogues and convened those other leaders.
He canonized saints more than 470 of them,
he beatified more than a thousand men and women.
such a milestone in the life of our Catholicism,
the call to holiness woven in discipleship.
He impressed believers of every faith
with his greatness in many ways;
like one of his favorite phrases,
quoting what St Augustine once said,
“Vobis sum episcopus, vobiscum christianus,”
he celebrated life, helped shape Christendom
with analyses of countless human lives.
Copyright © Mark Escobar | Year Posted 2012
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