Reflections on the Holy Father

By Bishop Paul S. Loverde
Special to the Herald
(From the issue of 4/7/05)

"Be not afraid!"

Pope John Paul II spoke these clarion words on the threshold of his papacy nearly 27 years ago. Yet they ring clearly today, a day when we mourn his loss, the loss of one who has called us to "set out into the deep" and shown us new horizons over the course of his years of selfless leadership. Our faithful "servant of the servants of God" has gone to the Father, and his absence is already felt keenly the world over. I will miss him as I would an elder brother. The gifts he gave to each of us will unfold for years to come. Today the people of the Diocese of Arlington hold him in prayer, as we have held him in our hearts. He has emboldened us to walk in his footsteps, which were, after all, the footsteps of Jesus.

Karol Wojtyla’s courage, whether in standing up to communism or human nature’s own predilection to mediocrity, whether in challenging materialism, nihilism, or misguided understandings of freedom, served as a beacon for millions upon millions. To everything false, he held up the dignity of the human person.

In this pope, we glimpsed greatness — whether his personal holiness or vibrant intellect, his bold leadership or humble service, they all stemmed from the deep waters of his own life of prayer. Yes, through prayer this man changed the course of modern history.

Since the Holy Father called me to be a bishop in 1988, I have felt that our Holy Father has been to me an elder brother to whom I continually look for guidance. I have kept my eyes fixed on this elder brother, and he has kept his eyes fixed on Christ Jesus.

His witness has profoundly impacted millions, and in just as many distinct ways. I call to mind a visit I had with the Holy Father in 1998, during which I shared a meal with him. When dinner was over, I joined other bishops who were present at the meal in expressing my gratitude and assuring him of my support and prayer as I prepared to return home. I was the last one in line and, after having said goodbye, he turned and began to walk down the corridor — by himself.

So present with us during the meal, he returned alone to the awesome weight of his office, once described by St. Gregory the Great as that of the "servant of the servants of God." As I watched him walk down the hall, I realized that he would not think himself as being alone, for in his prayer, he has heard over and over again the consoling promise of Christ: "I am with you always even to the end of time."

Words fail us today. Today we mourn the loss of a friend, a brother and a father, yet we find hope and inspiration in the words he first spoke to us in October 1978 and has since modeled to us with every fiber of his being: "Be not afraid!"

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