All my life I wanted a hero. I guess we always do, don't we? We seek for a hero as a child and, from disappointment to disappointment, we look for another. We find them in books and movies and in the Bible, but we keep searching for one with skin on - one we can see - one we can touch. I had no idea what a hero would be like but I knew I would know one when I found him - and I found him!
How did it happen that this man, this Hero from Poland, who became a Pope living in Italy, could make us feel so very One again? Is it crazy? I feel like singing and weeping because this Hero brought everyone together! How did he do that? He brought Catholics, Protestant Christians, even unbelievers from country to country together - he just did it! He brought the countries together like no one has ever done before. He did it well. He was equal to the task!
We needed a hero with slip-on shoes, didn't we? We needed a hero who would work until the moment he died. We needed a hero who would stand for Jesus Christ, even when he could no longer stand. We needed a hero who would speak for the Savior, while wiping saliva from his drooling mouth, even when he could no longer speak.
And I? I keep saying at 72 that I am so tired. I move too slowly and forget that God can make me equal to a task, if I want to serve HIM. If we learn nothing more from this man of God, this Holy Father, this Papa, our Papa, than finishing the race, let's all encourage each other to do just that! Fight the good fight, without swords, and finish the race! Let's hold each other to it!
We praise you, Lord, for the quarter of a century with a Hero like this one. Don't let us forget these past 27 years and don't let us forget these past two weeks. I am so grateful! I love being Catholic!
April 02, 2005
