Death of John Paul ll

We are in a new era of Church history as we celebrate the feast of St. Thomas, the Father of our faith at this time of the year and the fourth anniversary of the establishment of our Diocese. Within such a short span of time he has been able to guide the Diocese to a very admirable level of growth. The establishment of a new parish in Philadelphia a few months ago is another crowning achievement in the growth and development of our Diocese.

During this period the Catholic Church also underwent a seismic change with the passing of Pope Jon Paul II and the assumption of office by the new Pope Benedict XVI.

With the passing of John Paul 11, the world underwent literally a cathartic effect— a process of self-purification and change through very intense of emotions of grief and joy, visibly felt on the arena of the world.

The words of Abp.Lenardo Sandri came down like a great pall of gloom over the eagerly waiting millions of the world when he told the crowd at the Vatican Square: “ At 9.37p.m.our Holy Father returned to the House of the Father.” The stunning power and the shocking impact of those words sent a shiver through the spines of all those who heard the words. John Paul II-- the Pope loved by people all over the world, the source of strength to so many, the indomitable and tireless preacher of the message of our Lord, the lover of the youth, the champion of the poor and the oppressed, the Vicar of Christ, the humble shepherd traveling through the nations of the world --- passed away from the stage of the world where his moral presence was a source of strength and confidence. So many were riveted to the news, sobbing, crying and feeling exhilarated at the inspiring legacy that he had left behind.

Henry Kissinger summed up his view of the place of the Holy Father in the world of diplomacy and politics when he said he was one of the greatest men of the century and that he could not think of any one who could be ranked above him. He added that the Holy Father had not only stood for the destruction of communism but stood for the application of universal truths to humanity.

We saw from the media reports how the pain of his death was felt in every part of the world—people thronging the church praying for him, sobbing, crying, because of the inexpressible pain.

What a great lover of people he was—hugging people, kissing babies, reaching out to the handicapped and the poor. He was the voice of the voiceless and the champion of the rights of the poor and the defenseless.

What a remarkable pastoral zeal he had shown in his life…visiting 129 countries,-- more than 17 million people have seen him in his public audiences-- canonizing 482 saints, visited 317 parishes out of 333 as the Bishop of Rome, and wrote 14 encyclicals, apart from a lot of Apostolic letters and other documents.

He was an indefatigable teacher of the faith, standing firm against all kinds of errors against the faith, preaching the need to adhere constantly to the message of the Gospel.

He showed men and women that it was morally great to accept suffering and face the hardships of old age and sickness. One could ask as T.S. Eliot did in his poem, “Ash Wednesday”: “Why should the aged eagle stretch its wings?” But he stretched his wings to show us that in the world of evangelization, sickness or age has no relevance. His life became a source of inspiration to so many who are suffering and who feel that they are no more useful to the world. He showed the preciousness of human life. He transformed suffering into an act of blessing like his Lord and Master.

His last words to the bishops in his book “ Rise ,Let us be on our Way” are a source of inspiration to all of us struggling hard to find a solution to the problems that challenge us daily in our lives:“ Our Savior has led me , asking me that I should leave my native land so as to bring forth fruit elsewhere through His grace. I try to say to you , dear brother “ Rise, Let us be on our way.” Let us go forth full of trust in Christ. He will accompany us as we journey toward the goal that He alone knows”

In the place of John Paul II, we have a worthy successor, a follower who accompanied him for the last 20 years as his intellectual companion. Pope Benedict XVI has now come on the world scene as a new prophet carrying the mantle of his predecessor. To a world on the verge of high intellectual and technological leaps, the faith, compassion and the intellectual vigor of the new Pope will be a sure and strong guiding force. Even at the ripe old age of 78, he is willing to carry on the tasks of this onerous ministry because of his great faith in God. In his magnificent book, “Salt of the Earth”, he spells out his power and energy. To the interviewer who was questioning him on the nature and content of his faith, he summed up his whole philosophy and theology in one single word: “I believe.” Everything that he has, what he enunciates and teaches, comes from his absolute faith in God.

The Holy Father in his address to the Cardinals, before the election of the Pope, as the Dean of the Cardinals, spoke about the danger of “the dictatorship of relativism”. He is very much aware of the great diffusive power of the secular culture in which we live where nothing has an absolute value. In arts, religion, culture, it is the post modernistic thinking of denying absolute values to anything in life that reigns supreme. Hence in his book “Salt of the Earth”, he emphasizes the need to have a “culture of faith”. He points out that reforms will come “not from forums and synods…but from convincing personalities whom we may call saints” like Benedict, Francis, Dominic, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Ignatius of Loyola etc.. According to the Holy Father the Church must be the salt of the earth and her specific mission is :“to be the world’s escape from itself into the light of God and to keep open this possibility so that the air we breathe can penetrate into the world”.

The Holy Father is well aware of the liturgy and the spirituality of St. Thomas Christians and he has mentioned with great esteem the greatness of the Syro-Malabar Liturgy in his book “The Spirit of the Liturgy.”

May the Lord bless him with abundant graces to guide the Church in the coming years. May this new Papal era be a flowering time for the Syro-Malabar Diocese of Chicago.