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The
Man Called John Paul II
By
Rose
Ure Mezu, Ph.D.
Formerly
called Carol Wotjyla
Now
called John Paul II, he follows
The
Footsteps of the Crucified Master.
Formerly
straight, strong and devout
He
now is humped-up, frail yet holy.
Two
or so decades ago, athletic and strong,
He
would slide down ski slopes who now
Hunched,
slides down the steps of Calvary.
Christ-like,
he carries the burden of the Ages,
The
sins of ages yet to come, suffering for all
Frail
of body; but when you look into the face
The
Spark from Heaven ignites the fire of a
Spirituality
beyond words personalized in him.
And
the spirit shines through, steady as a rock
As
did ordain the Master to Petrus, the Rock.
He
is our modern Percival of the Holy Grail.
He
is a much-traveled knight on the Holy Trail
Who
now has earned the title of Father to all:
Nna,
Papa, Pere, Pope: in every tongue still holy,
Still
Peter’s visible successor come close to all,
Still
the link between Divinity and humanity.
J-P
II has been to all corners of our Globe,
Sustaining
the temper of St. Peter’s Chair,
Carrying
Christ’s Basilica into native shrines,
At
each stop, humbly stooping to kiss the soil,
This
good earth from which we all are formed,
The
earth, hallowed by the Hand that it did form.
Our
Papa seeks to bridge the religious divide,
To
make all and sundry sects truly one in God
And
live in eternity in The One, the Mighty One,
All
who profess worship to the One Creator:
Chukwu,
Olonnwu, Brahman, Yaweh, God, Allah -
By
whatever name still One, Holy, Indivisible.
J-P
II seeking to reconcile the world’s Creeds,
Makes
apologies for the Church’s historic errors
Against
Traditional Religions of Africa and Americas,
Against
Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islamism --
All
whose rites of worship were violated by missionaries
Showing
“contempt for cultures and religious traditions,”
Demonizing
cultural artifacts which they carted away to
Revive
and prosper their ageing museums of the West,
Inspiring
Picasso’s paintings and New Age art theories,
From
the Noble Savage to Cubism to Surrealism, et al.
He
embodies, conveys and dramatizes Christ’s love:
“For
the repentance of your people, Lord,” he prays,
“who
humbly confess their sins, grant them
mercy!”
Thus
he leaves behind a legacy of Justice & Unity
As
he seeks to reconcile all sects, granting that
We
stem from the One Stock, the One Holy Root,
Setting
aside color and creed, tongue and culture,
To
right grave wrongs of the Christian Church,
To
right the ills of two millennia of Strife and
Blood
and Intolerance and Persecution which
Christian
zealots, trusting in their prideful power
In
centuries past heaped on God’s “little ones” by
Failing
to recognize and embrace the Christ in
The
Dusky Hungry, the Copper-colored Thirsty,
The
Yellow Natives incapable of self-defense -
An
unchristian Arrogance that in Christ was but Love.
John
Paul’s mea culpa also soothes hearts bruised
In
ages when the Church in ignorance disproved
Galileo
cum Copernicus’ New World of Science
Which
J-P now supports with social Encyclicals:
Remembering
the cruel burnings of Inquisition,
Europe’s
crusaders who martyred presumed infidels,
The
inhumanity of that 1st sale, sanctioned by a Pope,
Of
Africans whose sweat & blood prospered the West
As
Christ’s suffering and blood redeemed the World.
The
thought flashes that J-P II making his pilgrimages,
In
actuality is readying the account to the Mighty One
As
he prepares the indestructible Church of the Christ
By
trying to weld into God’s family all world faiths
From
different climes, tongues, creeds and hymns.
For
courage, John Paul II is the anointed rock of Christ
For
compassionate love, he is the visible mercy of Christ
For
chastity / sanctity, he is the mirrored purity of Christ
In
this truly post-human and amoral Cyber age
He
refuses to compromise with all concupiscence.
Strong
on moral values, he says “Non!” to Abortion,
Says
“Oui!” to the sanctity of God-ordained Families,
To
traditional Marriage and to unshakeable Faith.
He
condemns the moral failings and other lusts of
Weak,
tempted priests and other religious whose
Hypocrisy
/ suicides provide ammunition to news media
And
other agents of the Anti-Christ seeking to undermine
Christ’s
own Church which had withstood two millennia
Of
internal corruption because founded on defensible truths.
In
the squabble over morality, Christ’s life is the sole mirror
Of
eternal ideals / verities, not a priest’s nor even a pope’s
life.
Yet,
John Paul II, straight or stooped, upholds Christ’s banner.
And
I can say I met the living saint called John Paul II,
Of
whom future age will surely call “The Great J-P II”
Four
times, I remember,
our paths did cross:
First
as envoy to the Imo State Government
In
‘82 at Enugu, the Eastern Igbo Capital of Nigeria
I
saw John Paul II alight, stoop and kiss the Igbo soil
I
too in holy obeisance, courtesied and kissed his ring
He
looked ever so frail, this friend to the world’s youth,
Survivor
of a recent near-fatal attack,
To
us in Nigeria was his first outing,
After
the shooting by Mehmet Ali Ajah.
And
then again in ‘93 we encountered ourselves
As
stretching his hand, he gave to Rose & Sebastian -
Our
names entwined - his Paternal blessings,
Printed
in immortal words of Jubilee grace,
Presented
through the loving Bishop Ezeonyia of Aba,-
This
re-sanctification of our 1968 union.
The
blessed presentation through the Bishop symbolizes
Gracious
Triune Majesty’s Presence at our Jubilee,
Providence’s
Visit to Mount Carmel Church Altar
In
Emekuku as our ‘93 Jubilee vows renewed
That
hallowed sixth day of the ninth month of ‘68.
And
yet again in Baltimore, our paths in 1995
Re-crossed
when chosen as Africa’s delegate
I
with others thronged Baltimore’s Oriole Stadium
J-P’s
holy presence covered Mary’s land like a mantle.
The
blessed hush, the smiling sun, the gentle breeze dripped
Celestial
unction on nations assembled: A Foretaste of Heaven!
Then
on July 25, 2002 came the reply –
John
Paul II having Read this poem, gave his Apostolic blessings
Confirming
the Savior’s gift of Peace and Joy.
Then
on his trip in the Jubilee Year 2000 to Christ’s
Own
locus natalis, this man of prayers wears an aura
Of
readying for the final call, having put in order his house,
The
Church of Christ, thus leaving a Papacy of Peace and
Healing,
Love and Reconciliation - blessings to one and all.
And
thus when the hour comes to answer that final call,
The
man called John Paul II will leave behind a strong
Church,
cleansed, reconciled, healed and respected
To
face the challenges of an irreverent, amoral Age
With
mores ever so strange, prospects ever so chilling!
An
so, set to transit into Eternity, aged, beloved, respected,
Man
of prayer, Christ’s envoy, careworn yet hard at work,
He
incarnates the transcendental mystery of humans as
Pope,
poet, linguist, philosopher, mystic & hardy witness to
Hope,
for he is Providence’s Man of Destiny
Who
always lives in the future; who now
Sets
all a-wondering, “what manner of man will take up
The
Shepherd’s staff after
The Man Called John Paul II - Saint!”
March 20, 2000; May 20, 2002
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