The life of a saint
So, on my feelings about the passing of Pope John Paul II:
I am really, honestly, upset about it. I have a book of prayers that he wrote. They’re really very touching. I don’t have it with me, otherwise I might have shared one, and maybe I’ll add later.
I guess what I liked most about this pope was that he seemed very honest, very gentle, very compassionate.
I’m so very tired of politics. After the war in Iraq, the presidential campaign, the Terri Shriavo debacle…and all the other crap that has been argued in this country over the past few years…I’m just really tired of it. I'm really tired of hearing these people talk about their beliefs and what they think is right and wrong and I never feel like anything they say is genuine. They all seem to be playing little political games. It all seems so phony.
Pope John Paul II may have had opinions that some might see as being political, he may have influenced politics, but I don’t look at him as a political figure in any way. I saw him as a more genuine person, who wouldn’t have tested public opinion before forming his own. He is one of the few major world figures in our lifetime whose decisions were truly guided by love. It isn’t hard to find someone who will say they love the world and have compassion for its people, but I think this man really did. He lived a life of self-sacrifice and service.
I know a lot of people are smirking at that sentiment. I heard a guy on the radio this morning talking about how he can’t believe a man who was “anti-abortion, anti-contraception, and anti-gay marriage” could be getting so much admiration from the liberal camp. He called the pope a conservative!
Something about that title doesn’t sit right with me. Yeah, by our standards, many of his views would be considered conservative. But I just can’t apply that title to him. Nor could I apply liberal. I think he transcended such silly titles.
I see him as divorced from the ridiculousness of politics. His only agenda was love for mankind.
I could probably go on and on about the positive things he’s done for the world. Some people credit him with toppling Communist Russia. He traveled all over the world visiting the poor and trying to persuade world leaders to be more compassionate. He traveled more than any other pope even after the assassination attempt.
And wasn’t that something? He was shot by a professional assassin--a self-described “crack shot.” When John Paul was told how lucky he was to be alive, he said, “One hand guided the gun, another guided the bullet.” Then, a year or two later, he went alone into the cell of his attempted murderer and forgave him.
The world could use more leaders like Pope John Paul II. Men who, no matter what they believe, live lives of self-sacrifice and service to those beliefs. Genuine men, with a genuine love for all people.
I am really, honestly, upset about it. I have a book of prayers that he wrote. They’re really very touching. I don’t have it with me, otherwise I might have shared one, and maybe I’ll add later.
I guess what I liked most about this pope was that he seemed very honest, very gentle, very compassionate.
I’m so very tired of politics. After the war in Iraq, the presidential campaign, the Terri Shriavo debacle…and all the other crap that has been argued in this country over the past few years…I’m just really tired of it. I'm really tired of hearing these people talk about their beliefs and what they think is right and wrong and I never feel like anything they say is genuine. They all seem to be playing little political games. It all seems so phony.
Pope John Paul II may have had opinions that some might see as being political, he may have influenced politics, but I don’t look at him as a political figure in any way. I saw him as a more genuine person, who wouldn’t have tested public opinion before forming his own. He is one of the few major world figures in our lifetime whose decisions were truly guided by love. It isn’t hard to find someone who will say they love the world and have compassion for its people, but I think this man really did. He lived a life of self-sacrifice and service.
I know a lot of people are smirking at that sentiment. I heard a guy on the radio this morning talking about how he can’t believe a man who was “anti-abortion, anti-contraception, and anti-gay marriage” could be getting so much admiration from the liberal camp. He called the pope a conservative!
Something about that title doesn’t sit right with me. Yeah, by our standards, many of his views would be considered conservative. But I just can’t apply that title to him. Nor could I apply liberal. I think he transcended such silly titles.
I see him as divorced from the ridiculousness of politics. His only agenda was love for mankind.
I could probably go on and on about the positive things he’s done for the world. Some people credit him with toppling Communist Russia. He traveled all over the world visiting the poor and trying to persuade world leaders to be more compassionate. He traveled more than any other pope even after the assassination attempt.
And wasn’t that something? He was shot by a professional assassin--a self-described “crack shot.” When John Paul was told how lucky he was to be alive, he said, “One hand guided the gun, another guided the bullet.” Then, a year or two later, he went alone into the cell of his attempted murderer and forgave him.
The world could use more leaders like Pope John Paul II. Men who, no matter what they believe, live lives of self-sacrifice and service to those beliefs. Genuine men, with a genuine love for all people.
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