A Pilgrim's Journey

All eyes are turned towards St Peter's Square. Thousands of people are gathered around St Peter's to pay a last homage to John Paul II; all world religions are most probably represented - people who call themselves atheists included. People are mourning and have waited in silence for a last glimpse of the man who embodied the public face of the Catholic Church. Newspapers are flooded with chronologies of Karol Wojtyla's attained successes during his lifetime. 1978-2005: the Pope has had over a quarter of a century to make a difference and move the mountains he felt God direct him towards. October 1798, Karol Wojtyla is appointed as Pope. He is only the second non-Italian Pope to be elected, after the Flemish, Adrien VI. May 1981, two men attempt to assassinate him, only 19 months after he started carrying out his functions. October 1986, he gathers the biggest faith leaders together at Assisi to pray for peace. March 2000, he openly asks for God's forgiveness for the sins and mistakes committed by the Catholic Church – opposed by and much to the disgrace of many cardinals. May 2001, he breaks the ice between the Greek Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, wanting to regain harmony between the denominations. He was a man who took a stand for Human Rights; he addressed himself to and offered alternatives for a society increasingly preoccupied with materialism rather than spirituality. He wanted to make people aware of the social injustices caused by the excesses of capitalism and preached freedom around the world. He had real social, economical and political issues on his heart. He also desired to prepare the world for Christ's return by fanning people's faith into flame – it is said that he was very much spurred on by Luke 18:8. Due to his illness, he gradually became impotent but never fooled himself or the crowds about it. In that simple humility, he was a blatant testimony to how God's power can manifest itself and work through seemingly helpless circumstances. He was often misunderstood. But he carried on, because he knew that God wasn't done working through him until he breathed his last breath. He said he felt great peace when he thought of the moment when God would call him home; so he found no reason to stop his ministry before then.

The important thing, whether we agree or disagree with what John Paul II stood for, the values he defended, or the Church he led, is to see what is being accomplished through his death. Newspapers, across the world, or at least across the whole of Eastern and Western Europe, the American and African continents, are literally flooded with articles, testimonies, chronicles, and pictures which breathe hope and life. A good echo of Easter's message. After what we could perhaps call a hasty judgment of this man (I know I never took a particular interest in him), different denominations within the Christian faith are now touched and encouraged by his life of service to God and His people. This is a man who used his gifting and was able to gather masses to listen to him. His charisma brought people together to hear the Good News. Some thought he was being too conservative by teaching on abstinence and for keeping a firm pro-life stance, others among the Catholic Church itself thought he spent too much of his time travelling instead of staying put in the Vatican. Others have found, still find and will keep finding cynical ways to criticise the wave of hope that started from St Peter's Square and which is continually and gently exploding into our private lives, through the media. Some still, will say that although his ambitions were grand, he didn't actually achieve all that much – inequality still persists. "Neoliberalism" is still the 'regime' we live under. But all in all, in the grand scheme of things, that's not so much what has left me perplexed. What I find greatly refreshing is that God's glory jumps right off the newspaper's pages, from the numerous articles dedicated to John Paul II. It's actually quite encouraging to think that a christian man has such an influence on the media, still after his death and that God is being spoken about, page after page, as Karol Wojtyla's life is told. I like to think that God will use this to spark things up in people's lives, and stir something profoundly beautiful within us – if we only let ourselves be open to being changed.

My prayer is that in the same way God moved through Karol Wojtyla's life, so He would accomplish many more things through his death. That lives would be changed when they see the heart of this simple man unfold in the pages of the articles, reports, and pictures. That our hearts would see beyond the man and his human shortcomings, that we wouldn't let our prejudices and presuppositions jump in, but instead, meet with the living God - the author and perfecter of our faith. My prayer is that this man - who knew what loss and pain meant after consecutively losing his father, mother and brother at the age of 21; who lived through the German and Soviet occupation of Poland; who attracted thousands to him to communicate something of God - wouldn't just be another nice guy who lived for a nice cause, but that this man's life and death may redirect people's lives towards their Creator, as well as rekindle hope among believers as to what God is doing among His people to reach the ends of the earth.

Like a blanket, come Holy Spirit, wrap around people's hearts and break down defensive walls they might have put up, as they read, hear and watch how You worked through a simple man's life. There must be more to life, there must be more…Reveal Yourself.

My ears are currently seduced by: Kutless - Strong Tower