A Boholano’s View
Written by Administrator Thursday, 28 April 2011 10:27
A Boholano’s View : By Jose “Pepe” Abueva
The Bohol Chronicle
May 1, 2011
Today at the Vatican, the late Pope John Paul II, who died in April 2005, will be beatified in a glorious ceremony led by his successor, Pope Benedict XVI. Henceforth we shall call him Blessed John Paul.
To be beatified, he had to be credited with a miracle attributed to him and verified by the Roman Catholic Church. This was the healing of French nun, Sr. Marie Simon-Pierre Normand, of her Parkinson’s disease after she prayed in writing to Pope John Paul II.
Pope John Paul II was a holy man who had a great impact on the world. He was credited with helping bring down Communism by his prayerful, public interventions. He made 104 foreign trips, including his visit to the Philippines in 1995, and was therefore seen by many more people than any other Pope in history. Another miracle will have to be verifiably attributed to him before he will be canonized as Saint John Paul.
In the following poems I record my most inspiring encounters with Pope John Paul in Hiroshima, Japan in 1981, and again in 1995 in Manila.
WITH POPE JOHN PAUL II
We met you in Hiroshima in 1981,
Holy Father, Vicar of Christ, after the
mass you celebrated in that city
risen from atomic death and
devastation in 1945.
As we knelt and kissed your ring
your blessings rained. You called me,
Brother, as you put your hands on my head
then held my arms to lift me up. Gently
touching my wife’s shoulder you said
a prayer: "God love your family."
You came in generous response
to the United Nations University,
with your prophetic message of peace
and human rights, as the nuclear
arms race threatened our
planet's holocaust.
As I listened to you in rapt attention
I also watched your facial language
with my camera. Your portraits
would come out beautifully,
our treasured souvenirs of
that one encounter.
Fourteen years later in Manila (in 1995)
we watched you land as though
from heaven. You waved
your greetings and spread
your blessings.
To you we reached out in the millions
in flaming affection and admiration.
Back came your love and praise
overflowing, your assurances
and intercession.
Through you, Holy Father, more than ever
we gained new vision and insight,
reverence and imagination
as God’s children.
World Youth Day in Manila (1995)
Holy Father, on World Youth Day, you brought
us God's liberating love and radiant presence.
We felt our common heritage as Christians.
You reminded us of our need for unity in love of God and one another. And our vocation
in living Christ's messianic love.
You and the multitudes gathered on that
day, inspired us by our communion,
our vigor and enthusiasm, our hope and
optimism. And your transforming moral
leadership to guide us out of our
sinfulness and confusion.
Celebrating the faith that binds us all
throughout the land and around the globe,
with you we prayed and talked, cheered and
wept, sang and danced. We were joyful,
renewed, and hopeful people of God.
You helped us better understand Lord Jesus’ gift of redemptive sacrifice
And our mission of living our faith.
What He meant in saying: “I came to give
you life. And have it abundantly. As the
Father sent me, so am I sending you.”
You urged our hearts and minds
"To see the world with the eyes of Jesus Himself,"
Worship in His "House of Prayer," work for
peace and justice, love and solidarity.
Ascend the "Holy Mountain"
That we may be with God forever.
Holy Father, we cannot thank you enough
for teaching and leading us, young and old
to be truly Christian, to "Be not afraid."
As we, especially, who are in the
twilight of our lives hope and
pray to be with God forever.
