How would Saint Pope John Paul II address the brokenhearted, affected by the killings of George Floyd, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor of recent days; and, BREAKING NEWS, Iyad Halek, the mentally-impaired and unarmed, autistic and innocent bystander gunned down and killed by Israeli police, while hiding in a garbage room? My heart breaks. Lyad could have been one of my patients.
How would His Holiness respond to the protests and riots that followed here and across the world? How would he lead the Church, not just the 1,2 billion Catholics but all 2,2 billion Christians? How would he relate to the 1,8 billion Muslims, the remaining 5 to 6 million Jews who still observe Judaism, and the other 4,8 billion people on earth, in short, all humanity? Every Christian is a member of one body, connected by the one at the head of the table. Each in his or her inimitable way shares bread and wine in remembrance of him.
As the Senior Pastor of billions, John Paul II would plead, “look for the ‘face of God in the other!” Treat victims and executioners as brothers and sisters. In ‘Prayer is not only speaking but, above all, listening …,’ John Paul II declares:
“In a world that desires unity and peace, amidst thousands of tensions and conflicts, should not believers favor friendship between peoples? Don’t they form one single community? We know that they have the same origin and the same end: The God who made them and who waits for them because he will gather them together.“
“I thank the young people of Uganda for being children of the light and the day (Thessalonians 5: 5). In your light, I see the light of Christ! Now you must share that same light with your brothers and sisters!”
When Jacob reconciled with Esau, he said: “To see your face is for me like seeing the face of God, now that you have been so friendly to me (Genesis 33: 10 Good News Translation GNT).
Each week we let Saint Pope John Paul II share meaningful signposts to spark divine discourse. We, including the Pope, are all kings with one eye in the land of the blind when it comes to understanding God fully. Before we can help resolve social misery, political and economic crises, and revenge-seeking violence, we must sit still and reason; reason with God, reason with ourselves, reason with each other, and the other. Discernment demands due diligence. Yes, use your head when God’s Spirit attempts to pierce through the catacombs of your ‘free will.’ His way is to propose, not impose, change for the better. How else could humanity reach justice and righteousness combined with mercy and compassion, in short, dignity and love?
In these weekly columns, Saint Pope John Paul II speaks with meditations on faith, prayer, eucharistic celebration, and the gospel. This project also contains descriptions and interpretations of human feelings, values, and desires; worldly events; holidays, and commemorations. Pope John Paul II implores us to seek respect for life, pursue world peace, work toward ecumenical dialogue, and faith in youth.
Christmas Day 2019 Christ is Our Peace … est pax nostra! (443 words)
“In him, we can recognize the face of every little child who is born, of whatever race or nation: the little Palestinian and the little Israeli; the little American and the little Afghan; the child of the Hutu and the child of the Tutsi… whoever the child is, to Christ each one is special.”
New Year’s Day 2020, ‘Shalom’! (591 words)
“May God make us’ peacekeepers’ in the assurance that, when men and women are committed to peace, they can and will improve the world.
The peacekeeper fights against indifference and apathy; against poverty, pain, and suffering.“
Sunday, 5 January 2020 The Good Samaritan (367 words)
“The parable of the good Samaritan intimates how our attitude should be to the neighbor who suffers. We must “stop” beside him.“
Pope Wojtyla remains a welcoming friend, a pastor’s pastor, a theologian, a poet, a world leader, a confidant to billions of believers, one whose calling is to mend broken hearts, ‘to seek the better angels of our nature’ (*Page 42; Kindle Locations 719-720).
Read more: ‘Prayer is Not Only Speaking But, Above All, Listening …’
With every good wish to you, I am,
Sincerely yours,
Building the Bridge Foundation, The Hague
Abraham A. van Kempen
Senior Editor
*‘Christian Zionism … Enraptured Around a Golden Calf’ (2nd Edition)
e-book version $ 3.33
Paperback $33.30
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