Yesterday was the second anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II.
The Diocese of Rome officially closed its part of the canonization process:
As anticipated, the Diocese of Rome officially concluded its investigation into the life, virtues and fame of sanctity of Servant of God John Paul II with a ceremony at midday today, in the Basilica of St. John Lateran. The conclusion of the diocesan investigation is the first step in the process of beatification of the late pontiff who died on April 2, 2005.
Announcing the end of the diocesan phase, Cardinal Camillo Ruini, His Holiness’ Vicar General for the diocese of Rome, reflected upon the tremendous spiritual qualities of John Paul II. “At the beginning, at the center and at the peak of such a portrait,” said the Cardinal, “we cannot but put Karol Wojtyla’s personal relationship with God; a relationship that was already strong, intimate and profound in his boyhood, and that never ceased to develop and grow stronger, producing fruits in all dimensions of his life.
snipThe diocesan investigation over, the acts and documents will now pass to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, where all the material will be studied.
Sister Marie-Simon-Pierre said that her symptoms has steadily grown worse since her diagnosis with Parkinson’s in 2001. Driving became practically impossible, she had difficulty walking, and her left arm hung limply at her side. She also could no longer bear to see John Paul on television, because he, too, was stricken – more seriously – with the disease.
When seeing him, "I saw myself in the years to come, to be honest, in a wheelchair," she said.
Then, on the night of June 2, 2005, exactly two months after the pontiff’s death, she said. In her room after evening prayers, she said an inner voice urged her to take up her pen and write. She did, and was surpassed to see that her handwriting – which had grown illegible because of her illness – was clear. She said she then went to bed, and woke early the next morning feeling "completely transformed."
"I was no longer the same inside. It is difficult for me to explain to you in words … It was too strong, too big. A mystery."
"I realized that my body was no longer the same," she added. "I was convinced that I was cured."
Early in the day, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz had offered Mass in the crypt under St. Peter’s, at John Paul’s tomb.
Celebrating a televised Mass early in the morning at Pope John Paul’s tomb in St. Peter’s Basilica, Cardinal Dziwisz called the late pope an "extraordinary witness" of Christ.
"John Paul II was a member of the friends of Jesus, that is, the group of saints. Membership in this group was what gave meaning and direction to his life, to all he did and said," Cardinal Dziwisz said
In the afternoon, a Mass in St. Peter’s Square commemorated John Paul:
Pope Benedict’s homily at the Mass:
Beyond its pregnancy in Paschal meaning, the story of the dinner at Bethany brings us a consuming resonance, full of affection and devotion. It is a mixture of joy and sorrow – festive joy over the visit of Jesus and His disciples, for the resurrection of Lazarus, and for the approaching Passover. But a profound sorrow that this could be the last one for Jesus, threatened by the plotting of those Jews who wanted Him dead and their threats against Lazarus himself, whom they wanted to eliminate.
But there is a gesture, in this gospel episode, that draws our attention, and which even today, speaks in a singular way to our hearts: Mary of Bethany, at one point, "took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair" (Jn 12,3).
It is one of those details of the life of Jesus that St.John gleaned from his heart’s memory and which carry an inexhaustibly expressive weight. This one speaks of love for Christ, an overwhelming love, prodigious, like the precious perfume that was poured on His feet. A fact that symptomatically scandalized Judas Iscariot – the logic of love coming up against the logic of the bookkeeper..
For us, who are gathered in prayer in memory of my venerated predecessor, the gesture of unction by Mary of Bethany is rich with spiritual echoes and suggestions. It evokes the luminous testimony John Paul II offered of a love for Christ that was without reservations, unsparing. The ‘perfume’ of his love ‘filled the house’ (Jn 12,3), in this case, the whole church.
Surely, we profited from it, those of us who were near him, and for this, we thank God, but even those who only knew him from afar, also partook of it, because Papa Wojtyla’s love for Christ had spilled over, we might say, to every region of the world, so strong and intense was it.
The esteem, the respect, the affection that believers and non-believers expressed at his death are eloquent testimony. St. Augustine, commenting on this Gospel pasasge, wrote: "The house was filled with its fragrance, which means, the world was filled with a good reputation. The good odor is a good reputation…and the Lord is praised through the merit of good Christians "(In Io. evang. tr. 50, 7).
How true that is! The intense and fruitful pastoral ministry, and later, the Calvary of his agony and the serene passing away of our beloved Pope made known to all men of our time that Jesus Christ was truly "all" to him.
The fecundity of his testimony, we know, comes from the Cross. In the life of Karol Wojtyla, rhe word ‘cross’ was not just a word. From infancy and youth, he knew sorrow and death. As priest and as bishop, and above all, as Supreme Pontiff, he took very seriously that last call the Risen Jesus made to Simon Peter on the shore of Galilee: "Follow me – you follow me." (v 21, 19,22).
Then, especially with the slow but implacable progress of his illness, which little by little, stripped him of everything, his existence became entirely an offering to Christ, a living announcement of His Passion, but in the faith-filled hope of Resurrection.
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