Wednesday, April 06, 2005

in memoriam --- karol jozef wojtyla

if there was ever a time that i would want to be very good in expressing what i have in mind, that would be now. i so want to be able to create something that is befitting this great great man, a person who has been an true inspiration and spiritual leader. but even if i do come up with something quite extraordinary (which i doubt), it would still not be enough to honor him. the only thing i am sure of is that every word here comes from my heart...

the only time i ever got to see him in person was in 1995, when he came to the philippines for the tenth world youth day. and that is a memory i will cherish for life.

pope john paul II was the only pope i knew. and though i never got the chance to be near him, he has always been an inspiration to me. i realize that now. i believe he has had a profound impact on the lives of many many people, not just catholics.

i could not even begin to express the sorrow that i felt when i learned that he passed away. i knew at the back of my mind that this day would surely come. i just didn't realize that it would come so soon.

the night before he died, i said a prayer. i think it is one of the most heartfelt and sincerest prayers that i have ever said. i asked the Lord to make him well. i asked the Lord to give him strength. but after a while, my prayer changed.

"Your will be done."

as i was walking home a couple of days back, i said a prayer to the pope --- believing that he is in heaven with the Lord. i asked him to guide the cardinals that would choose his successor, that whoever they choose would be worthy. i asked him to intercede for us and pray not just for our country, but for the whole world. i asked him to look after us and that i know this would be an easy task for him as he has been doing this for a long time already.

even as i write this, i have to stop myself from crying with the sense of loss that i feel. but i also believe that the reason that this is so is because he has already done his life mission. and that is why he has been called back to be with God once again.

goodbye, pope john paul II. we love you! you will forever be in our hearts.

3 comments:

HanAgiRL said...

so sad, but in a way, I'm happy coz he's now getting the rest he so deserves. He's done so much already for everyone in this world. :)

- she - said...

True. He finally got his well-deserved rest after years of happily serving the Lord. But he will surely be missed! He was a great leader and a great man!

kat said...

i agree with both of you. nakaka-bilib nga si pope kasi kahit na may sakit siya, he still opted to serve the Lord and the Church until his very last day.