On the Death of Pope John Paul II

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

This homily was given by Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde on the Second Sunday of Easter on the Death of Pope John Paul II, at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington on April 2 and 3.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Certainly, mixed emotions envelop us as we gather this early evening (this morning). There is a profound sense of loss at the human level with the death of our Holy Father. There is an immense void in our Church and in our world. And yet coupled with this loss and void is the absolute confidence that this faith-filled successor of St. Peter, John Paul II, is now seeing face to face the Lord whom he served with all his being. Surely the Lord has said to him, "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord!" And yes, too, there is within our hearts deeply felt gratitude for our Holy Father’s nearly 27 years of extraordinary leadership, witness and service. In a sense for all of us, I think, it is difficult to imagine the church and the world without him. It is difficult to imagine both without his challenging yet encouraging presence. Personally I will miss him for it was he who appointed me a bishop in 1988 and later gave me two other appointments: in 1994 to Ogdensburg and in1999 to Arlington. I shall treasure the pectoral crosses that the Holy Father gave, not only to me, but to each bishop as we made our five-year Ad Limina visits; I am proud to posses three of them and one I am wearing this evening (morning) so that, in a sense, we may feel his presence among us.

Our Holy Father died hours ago in Rome, where in Rome it was the opening hours of Divine Mercy Sunday. He himself re-opened the inquiry into the revelations which Sister Faustina had of the Lord telling her of His divine mercy. He then both beatified and canonized her during his Pontificate. Early on, he authored an encyclical letter inviting all of us to reflect on God’s mercy. The letter is titled Dives in Miscricordia: Rich in Mercy. How fitting that on this feast, this Holy Father was called to his eternal reward — seeing face to face the God of Mercy.

His whole life, especially his priesthood, episcopacy and pontificate, unceasingly pointed to the love which God has for every human person from conception to natural death! Wherever he went, he proclaimed the merciful love of God, inviting everyone to turn back to God, to the God of mercy, and simultaneously to treat each human being with respect and care and dignity because each person is created in the image and likeness of God.

Pope John Paul II had an immense impact on literally millions and millions of people He did that, for example, through his 102 trips outside Italy — totaling 700,000 miles to every part of the globe, through his weekly general audiences, as well as in his visible presence throughout the world by way of television. In a sense all of us knew him for he was so present! To the young and old, powerful and rich, poor and forgotten, believers and unbelievers, to all of them he proclaimed the message of human dignity and God’s love!

We would not have enough time to even summarize all that he has been and has accomplished in his Pontificate. But, just for a moment, let us reflect on all that he has done for us in the church, in this household of faith. Insistently, from the very beginning, he has called us to holiness. He has told us, as a good shepherd, that we must be like Jesus in every way. Oh not perfectly, because we cannot do that, but as best we can we must allow the Lord to be transparent in us, so that people will feel His presence, His mercy, His love! In calling us to holiness, Pope John Paul II reminded us of those essential ways in which we grow in authentic holiness — prayer, and he himself loved prayer! Only to be with him when he was praying showed us that he was mystically united with the Lord. In addition to prayer, he pointed us to Jesus in the Eucharist. How fitting that he was called home during this Year of the Eucharist. He reminded us of the importance of the Sacrament of Penance where we experience God’s mercy. And he always taught us that if we are to be more like Christ, if we are to be truly holy, then we must reach out to those less fortunate, to the poor, the needy, the vulnerable, the marginalized, and reveal to them God’s love. Again and again, he pointed to the basics of our Catholic Faith: prayer, the sacraments, devotion to our Blessed Lady, especially the Rosary, the two-fold commandment of love and obedient faith to authentic Church teaching. What he desired was that we who formed the household of faith would be like a light, a light of truth, a light of love, in the world, reflecting Christ within us.

And then to the world itself did he not call all people in every part of the globe to justice and peace! Did he not decry war and human degradation! He upheld the dignity of the human person, reminding us to care for the poor, the needy and the displaced. Over and over again his dream was that, with God, we could create a new civilization of light and love where the family is central, where life is sacred, and where people live in mutual respect and support.

Our beloved Holy Father taught us how to live, to be strong witnesses to the primacy of God in life, to be heralds of the gospel of truth, of love, and of life, to become communities of faith that make present again the first Christian community we heard described in the Book of Acts evening (morning) and to be people of hope.

He not only taught us how to live, he also taught us how to accept suffering and eventually how to die. We all remember the vigorous and vibrant young pope in 1978, and even after the attempted assassination, he maintained that vibrancy for a number of years. And then the cross of illness came, the cross that became more and more visible in his infirmity, weakness and physical limitations. Unlike so many of us perhaps, he did not hide that cross. Some of us, perhaps, would want to fade into away; we would not want people to see us infirm, weak and trembling. However, that was not how he would live his witness. He taught us how to accept suffering and not to be afraid. You can almost hear him say to us in these last years, in these last months, "See beneath the ravages of illness the innate beauty of the human person." To the very end he was a model, showing us how we are to accept suffering. My dear sisters and brothers, suffering will come to all of us in some form or other. We must pray for the grace of God that whatever suffering may come, we, like John Paul II, can accept it — perseveringly, patiently, and serenely. He lived what he said — Be not afraid — because he was convinced that Jesus was at his side.

Unlike Thomas in today’s Gospel, Pope John Paul II believed without seeing, and yet throughout his life, he gently and persuasively led those who did doubt to become believers. By his strong and deeply-rooted faith, he taught all of us, in fact he showed us, how to proclaim "My Lord and My God"

The closing words of today’s second reading were really true for him "Although you have not seen him, you love him; even though you do not see him now yet believe in him, you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, as you attain the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls." These words guided our Holy Father in his pilgrimage on earth; they described his mind and heart as they must likewise guide us and describe our minds and hearts as we too journey onwards towards the goal for which we were created. Now the journey has ended for him. He does see, he has attained the goal: the God of Mercy embracing him with fullness of life.

Yes, we commend Pope John Paul II to the Good Shepherd in our prayers, but even as we do that, we reach out to him, seeking his prayer for us, asking that we may walk in his footsteps, reflecting the hope and the love that he showed so clearly, reflecting that hope and love to everyone here.

Dear sisters and brothers, beyond our tears and our sense of profound loss, and with deep faith, we affirm: Pope John Paul II has not so much gone away as he has gone ahead!

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